Compositions and methods for removing pollutants from contaminated wafer with a fern plant
AssigneeUniversity of Florida Research Foundation, Inc.
InventorsLena Q. Ma, Cong Tu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Processes and materials for phytoremediating water-containing sites which have been contaminated with pollutants such as arsenic, phosphorous, or other metals. Fern plants can be used to accumulate pollutants from contaminated water-containing sites having an aqueous solution, waste water, ground water, surface water, combinations thereof, and combinations of water-containing sites with soils and/or sediments. The fern plants remove pollutants from the water-containing sites, and can be harvested and readily disposed of, or can be treated to recover the pollutant.
Claims46
A process for removing a pollutant from a contaminated water containing site wherein said process comprises the steps of:
- growing a fern plant selected from the group consisting of Pteridaceae, Adianaceae, Aspleniaceae, Diyopteridaceae, and Oleandraceae, on said site containing water;
- and
- accumulating said pollutant within biomass of the fern plant such that said pollutants are at least approximately 1000 mg/kg in biomass of the fern plants by phytoremediation, said pollutant is selected from the group consisting of arsenic, copper, chromium and phosphorous, whereby the fern plant removes said pollutant from said water-containing site.
A process for removing pollutants in an aqueous solution, comprising the steps of:
- hydroponically growing a fern plant selected from the group consisting of Pteridaceae, Adiantaceae, Aspleniaceae, Dryopteridaceae, and Oleandraceae, on said aqueous solution;
- and
- accumulating a pollutant substance in biomass of the fern plant by phytoremediation, the pollutant substance selected from the group consisting of arsenic, copper, chromium and phosphorous, such that said pollutant substance accumulates in portions of said fern plant, said portions selected from the group of leaves, stems, fronds and roots.
A method of phytoremediating arsenic from an aqueous solution comprising the steps of:
- growing a fern plant in the aqueous solution having an arsenic concentration, the fern plant selected from the group consisting of Pteridaceae, Adiantaceae, Aspleniaceae, Dryopteridaceae, and Oleandraceae;
- accumulating in biomass of the plant a concentration of arsenic by phytoremediation;
- and
- harvesting said plant, whereby said aqueous solution has a reduced arsenic concentration content.
A process for removing a pollutant from a contaminated water-containing site wherein said process comprises the steps of:
- growing a fern plant selected from the group consisting of Pteridaceae, Adiantaceae, Aspleniaceae, Dryopteridaceae, and Oleandraceae, in said water-containing site;
- and
- accumulating up to approximately 1,000 mg/kg of said pollutant within biomass of the fern by phytoremediation, said pollutant is selected from the group consisting of arsenic, copper, chromium and phosphorous, whereby the fern plant removes said pollutant from said site.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.