PHYTOREMEDIATION TECHNOLOGY AT THE DOE PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT

摘要

The Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PORTS), owned and operated by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), has produced enriched uranium since the early 1950s. The X-120 Goodyear Training Facility has been operated since plant construction as a machine shop, paint shop, and warehouse space. It is highly probable that the machine and metal shops used solvents and degreasers while in operation. The past disposal procedures for these substances are unknown. The X-120 facilities were demolished and removed in the late-1970s, prior to the more recent construction of the Gas Centrifuge Enrichment Plant. Several remedial investigations, however, have identified various VOCs (volatile organic compounds), primarily TCE (trichloroethylene), at detectable levels in the groundwater. Phytoremediation technology is based on the ability of certain plant species and their associated rhizospheric microorganisms to remove, degrade, or contain chemical contaminants located in the soil, sediment, surface water, groundwater, and possibly even the atmosphere. Plant species are chosen for phytoremediation based on their potential for rapid absorption of water through evapotranspiration, the degradative enzymes they produce, their growth rate and yield, the depth of their root zone, and their ability to bioaccumulate contaminants.