These are slides of the advantages and limitations of the use of phytotechnology and its effect in the environment

1. PHYTOTECHNOLOGY
ERWIN P PEJI
MS in Biology
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2. PHYTOTECHNOLOGYTECHNOLOGYPHYTO
phyto – plant
technology – scientific application to
solve problems
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3. PHYTOTECHNOLOGY
Phytotechnologies are a set of
technologies using plants to remediate or
contain contaminants in soil,
groundwater, surface water, or
sediments.
Source:
Phytotechnology Technical and Regulatory Guidance and Decision Trees
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4. PHYTOTECHNOLOGY
Phytotechnology is the application of
science and engineering to study
problems and provide solutions involving
plants.
Source:
United Nations Environment Programme
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5. PHYTOTECHNOLOGY
Phytotechnology is a technology which
is based on the application of plants as
solar driven and living technology for
improving environmental sanitation and
conservation problems.
Source:
Department of Environmental Engineering Indonesia
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6. PHYTOTECHNOLOGY
Phytotechnology is the use of
vegetation for in situ treatment of
contaminated soils, sediments and water.
Source:
I. Twardowska et al. (eds.),
Soil and Water Pollution Monitoring, Protection and Remediation, 3–23.
© 2006 Springer.
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7. PHYTOTECHNOLOGY
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C
O
N
T
A
M
I
N
A
N
T
S
to promote
sustainable land
use management
and improve
food safety

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removal, isolation,
incineration,
vitrification, thermal
treatment, solvent
extraction, chemical
oxidation
EXPENSIVE!

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12. PHYTOTECHNOLOGY
In phytotechnology the naturally
existing properties of plants are used to
accomplish defined outcomes with
ecosystem services in a designed
environment.
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13. Mechanisms of Action 13
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Phytosequestration
Rhizodegradation
Phytovolatilization
Phytodegradation

14. Mechanisms of Action 14
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Phytosequestration
Rhizodegradation
Phytovolatilization
Phytodegradation

15. Mechanisms of Action 15
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Phytosequestration/Phytoextraction
• ability of plants to sequester certain contaminants
in root zone
• The transport proteins associated with the root also
can irreversibly bind and stabilize target
contaminants
• contaminants can also be taken up by the root and
sequestered in the vacuoles in the root system

16. Mechanisms of Action 16
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Phytosequestration/Phytoextraction
• contaminants are taken into the plant
• The plant material is then removed and safely
stored or destroyed.

17. Mechanisms of Action 17
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Phytosequestration/Phytoextraction
• mainly applied to metals (Cd, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb) but
can also be used for other elements (Se, As) and
organic compounds

18. Mechanisms of Action 18
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Phytosequestration/Phytoextraction
• This technique preferentially uses
hyperaccumulator plants, that have the ability to
store high concentrations of specific metals in their
aerial parts (0.01% to 1% dry weight, depending on
the metal).

19. Mechanisms of Action 19
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Phytosequestration/Phytoextraction
• Elsholtzia splendens, Alyssum bertolonii, Thlaspi
caerulescens and Pteris vittata are known
examples of hyperaccumulator plants for Cu, Ni,
Zn/Cd and As, respectively

20. Phytoextraction
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21. Phytoextraction
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Schematic
representation
of the
processes of
natural (A)
and assisted
(B)
phytoextractio
n

22. Mechanisms of Action
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23. Mechanisms of Action 23
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Phytosequestration
Rhizodegradation
Phytovolatilization
Phytodegradation

24. Mechanisms of Action 24
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Rhizodegradation/Phytostimulation
• the enhancement of microbial degradation of
contaminants in the rhizosphere
• this allows for greater breakdown of the
contaminant and quicker remediation
• root systems of plants, in most cases, will form a
symbiotic relationship with the organisms in the soil

25. Mechanisms of Action 25
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Rhizodegradation/Phytostimulation
• application of phytostimulation is limited to organic
contaminants
• The microbial community in the rhizosphere is
heterogeneous due to variable spatial distribution
of nutrients, however species of the genus
Pseudomonas are the predominant organisms
associated with roots

26. Mechanisms of Action
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27. Mechanisms of Action 27
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Phytosequestration
Rhizodegradation
Phytovolatilization
Phytodegradation

28. Mechanisms of Action 28
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Phytovolatilization
• ability to take up contaminants in the transpiration
stream and then transpire volatile contaminants
• The contaminant is remediation by removal
through plants.

29. Mechanisms of Action 29
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Phytovolatilization
• Some element ions of the groups IIB, VA and VIA
(specifically Hg, Se and As) are absorbed by the roots,
converted into non-toxic forms
• Astragalus bisulcatus and Stanleya pinnata for Se
• transgenic plants (with bacterial genes) of Arabidopsis
thaliana, Nicotiana tabacum, Liriodendron tulipifera or
Brassica napus for Hg

30. Mechanisms of Action
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31. Mechanisms of Action
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32. Mechanisms of Action 32
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Phytosequestration
Rhizodegradation
Phytovolatilization
Phytodegradation

33. Mechanisms of Action 33
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Phytodegradation
• ability of plants to take up and degrade the
contaminants
• Contaminants are degraded through internal
enzymatic activity and photosynthetic
oxidation/reduction.

34. Mechanisms of Action 34
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Phytodegradation
• specific enzymes aids in degradation like:
• dehalogenases (degradation of chlorinated
solvents and pesticides)
• laccases (degradation of anilines)
• Populus species and Myriophyllium spicatum are
examples of plants that have these enzymatic
systems

35. Mechanisms of Action
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Advantages of phytotechnology
In situ and passive technique
Uses solar energy and is low cost
Has reduced environmental impact and contributes to the
landscape improvement
High acceptance by the public
Provides habitat for animal life

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Limitations of phytotechnology
Still under development and therefore not accepted by
many regulatory agencies
Toxicity and bioavailability of degradation products
remain largely unknown
There is little knowledge of farming, genetics, reproduction
and diseases of phytoremediating plants
Generally, plants are selective in metal remediation
Treatment slower than the traditional physico-chemical
techniques

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Phytoremediation potential of native flora of
contaminated soils
• Metallophytes are endemic plant species of
natural mineralized soils and, therefore, have
developed physiological mechanisms of
resistance and tolerance to survive on substrates
with high metal levels
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Phytoremediation potential of native flora of
contaminated soils in Portugal
• The studied areas included several abandoned
Sn/W mines (Sarzedas mine, Fragas do Cavalo
mine, Tarouca mine, Vale das Gatas mine, Adoria
mine, Ervedosa mine, Regoufe mine, and Rio de
Frades mine). Results obtained from Sarzedas
(Central Portugal) and Vale das Gatas mines
(Northern Portugal) are presented.
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40. Trace elements content (mg/kg) and pH of soil samples (N=69, V. Gatas mine).
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Range Mean Median
Standard
deviation
pH 3.5 – 6.3 5.0 5.0 0.8
As 26.7 – 5,770 446 56.7 1,178
Cu 11.7 – 352 88.0 29.0 101
Fe
18,482 –
60,100
33,039 29,443 12,463
Mn 103 – 898 336 167 248
Ni 11.6 – 61.2 30.6 23.6 15.1
Pb 55.4 – 6,299 499 102 1,285
Zn 63.1 – 469 180 125 112
W 2.00 – 636 73.8 10.6 162
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41. Accumulation of As (mg/kg DW) in plant species of the V. Gatas mining area.
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42. Accumulation of Cu (mg/kg DW) in plant species of the V. Gatas mining area.
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43. Accumulation of Fe (mg/kg DW) in plant species of the V. Gatas mining area.
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44. Accumulation of Pb (mg/kg DW) in plant species of the V. Gatas mining area.
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45. Accumulation of Zn (mg/kg DW) in plant species of the V. Gatas mining area.
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46. Accumulation of Ni (mg/kg DW) in plant species of the V. Gatas mining area.
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47. Accumulation of W (mg/kg DW) in plant species of the V. Gatas mining area.
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New plant species
could detox mining-
contaminated soil
Metal plant
hyperaccumulators are
important discoveries in
the country since these
plants can help clean
up mine areas
Photo by Dr . Edwino S. FernandoENVITECH

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Photo by Edwino S. Fernando
One hot summer day in
2011 Dr Edwino Fernando
of the University of the
Philippines Los Baños
(UPLB), together with his
research team found the
Rinorea niccolifera, a
nickel-eating shrub, in
Zambales, a province
about 3-4 hours away
from Manila.
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R. niccolifera was found in the most unforgiving of all
habitats for plants – in rocks and soils rich in toxic
heavy metals.
The newly discovered plant is unlike anything that has
been described before, even in its own category of
“hyperaccumulator,” plants that absorb toxins like
heavy metals in higher concentrations, Dr.
Augustine Doronila of the University of Melbourne in
Australia, one of the Fernando’s co-authors, said
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51. Phytotechnology
in the Philippines?
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References:
• Paulo J.C. Favas, João Pratas, Mayank Varun, Rohan D’Souza
and Manoj S. Paul (2014). Phytoremediation of Soils
Contaminated with Metals and Metalloids at Mining Areas:
Potential of Native Flora, Environmental Risk Assessment of Soil
Contamination, Dr. Maria C. Hernandez Soriano (Ed.), ISBN: 978-
953-51-1235-8, InTech, DOI: 10.5772/57469. Available from:
http://www.intechopen.com/books/environmental-risk-
assessment-of-soil-contamination/phytoremediation-of-soils-
contaminated-with-metals-and-metalloids-at-mining-areas-
potential-of-nativ.
• http://www.ateneo.edu/ls/sose/environmental-
science/metallophyte-research-project-and-phytotechnologies-
program.
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• http://www.rappler.com/science-nature/58247-new-plant-
species-detox-mining-contaminated-soil.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytotechnology.
• United Nations. United Nations Environment Programme.
Phytotechnologies: A Technical Approach in Environmental
Management. 2003. Web.
<http://www.unep.or.jp/ietc/publications/freshwater/fms7/index
.asp>.
• Trihadiningrum, Y., H. Basri, M. Mukhlisin, D. Listiyanawati, and
N.A. Jalil. "Phytotechnology, a Nature Based Approach for
Sustainable Sanitation and Conservation." Water Environment
Partnership Asia. WEPA, n.d. Web. 26 Oct 2011.
<http://www.wepa-db.net/pdf/0810forum/presentation07.pdf>.
• I. Twardowska et al. (eds.), Soil and Water Pollution Monitoring,
Protection and Remediation, 3–23. 2006 Springer.
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54. ENVITECH
QUESTIONS?