A greenhouse-based test of plant-aided petroleum hydrocarbon degradation

摘要

A greenhouse-based phytoremediation experiment assessed the potential effects of three treatment factors on the degradation of weathered petroleum hydrocarbons in contaminated soils. A 2~3 factorial experimental design evaluated three factors: 1) turfgrass (a mixture of tall fescue and perennial ryegrass), 2) BuRIZE~(TM) (a commercial mycorrhizal inoculant), and 3) fertilizer (a commercial liquid formulation). Controls consisted of untreated contaminated soil. The design allowed for testing of significant differences in contaminant degradation rates resulting from the three factors - used individually or jointly - when compared to the controls. Four sampling events were performed over a study period of 180 days. Statistical evaluation of the experimental results revealed a consistent, significant treatment effect for the "fertilizer" factor, and periodic treatment effects for the "grass" factor and "grass/mycorrhizal inoculant" interaction