Remediation of contaminated sites or protection of sensitive sites with plants offers a low cost and environmentally sound treatment method. Plants offer a low-cost methodology by producing substantial amounts of biomass per unit area with very low inputs. On-site phytoremediation can be classified into three distinct subsets including:

Phytostabilization- the process by which plants stabilize contaminants in the soil. Plants first stabilize the soil itself and prevent loss of soil particulates and accompanying contaminants off-site. Secondly, the direct and indirect activities of plants and the bio-community they support in the rhizosphere stabilize contaminants in a less harmful organic component (bio-chemical associations) or in some cases completely render compounds harmless through biological degradation.

Phytoextraction- the process by which high biomass producing plants take contaminants from the soil and accumulate them into the above ground plant parts. The above ground plant parts are then harvested and the contaminants removed off-site with the plant parts. The plant parts may then be ashed, composted or disposed of in other more conventional disposal methods.

Phytovolatilization- the process by which plants extract contaminants from the soil and then volatilize the compounds into the atmosphere through regular respiration and transpiration from leaf tissues.

In general the ADVANTAGES of phytoremediation include:

• Low Cost- allowing for soil treatment of large land surface areas with minimal $ input,
• Recyclable- allows for capture and reuse of some metals from plant residues,
• Large Application- can remove or remediate a wide range of soil-borne contaminants,
• Low Impact- minimal disturbance of contaminated soil material initially and high stability of soil material following establishment strictly retard secondary air or water-borne wastes,
• Public Acceptance

In general the DISADVANTAGES of phytoremediation include:

• Limited Sites- the type and concentration of contaminants must be within a range that is tolerable for plant growth.
• Imperfect Containment- plants provide an imperfect system such that in some instances highly soluble contaminants may leach downward outside the root zone before plants can remove them from the soil.

The position of Environmental Turf Solutions, Inc. in phytoremediation technology.

Phytoremediation is a new and emerging field for environmental waste treatment technologies. As continued research answers more questions as to the viability of the technology, the method will become more accepted by regulatory agencies.

EnviroTurf LC (ET) is a firm specializing in the development and sustainable maintenance of landscapes in the saline environment. As part of our development, we have also developed several varieties of fine-textured halophytic turf grasses. Halophytes are plants capable of growing and surviving in the saline environment. These fine-textured grasses are suitable for use in landscapes and golf courses including putting greens and can tolerate salt water irrigation including direct seawater irrigation.

Halophytes as a group of plants have one or more of several physiological adaptations that allow for survival in the saline environment. Of these strategies, most common among halophytes is the ability to adjust osmotically allowing for the uptake of water into the plant despite the salt content. In other words, the plants essentially become "saltier" than the soil water in a sense. In order for the plants to adjust osmotically and yet still function physiologically, the plants adjust both by absorbing and sequestering salts and also by the manufacture of organic plant derived osmoticums (proteins, sugars, and other carbohydrates). The ability of many halophytes to sequester and compartmentalize ionic compounds (salts, including metals) even when these ionic compounds are in high concentration in the soil, make them ideal candidates for remediation of contaminated sites. Particularly when the site has primary or secondary contamination with ordinary brine or sea salts.