CONSIDERATION OF PLANT-BASED REMEDIATION AND RESTORATION OF CONTAMINATED SITES CONTAINING HEAVY METALS ―THE CANADIAN EXPERIENCE

摘要

Phytoremediation is an emerging technology that shows considerable promise for remediating and restoring sites contaminated from a variety of sources. The continued urgency for contaminated site cleanup in NATO countries requires that phy-toremediation be given careful, serious, and immediate consideration as a cost-effective, promising and innovative environmental technological solution to this problem. Phytoremediation is expected, in certain situations, to demonstrate superior economic, technical, and environmental advantages over traditional physical, chemical, and thermal remediation techniques. Given the significant strength in academic research, government research facilities and a rapidly evolving environmental biotechnology industry capability, the NATO community is uniquely positioned to draw upon a cadre of silvicultural, agronomic, biological, environmental, and engineering expertise necessary to develop leadership in phytoremediation research and advancement. However, there are still limitations to the technology and numerous outstanding issues that must be addressed before the utility of this technology can be fully exploited. Some of these issues include scientific and technical research needs, environmental and health-risk assessment issues, and the need for regulatory clarification, commercialization, and public acceptance. This paper is intended to catalyze and focus future discussion in these areas.