ABSTRACT
Phytotechnologies for inorganic contaminants include phytoextraction, phytostabilization, phytotransformation, and phytohydraulics. Soil amendments may be added to increase contaminant solubility when phytoextraction is implemented. For phytostabilization soil amendments may be added to reduce contaminant availability, such as transformation to a less soluble compound. Phytotransformation is the process of changing the contaminant to another form to reduce risk of movement or toxicity. Phytohydraulics may be applied with phytostabilization when the design includes evapotranspiration to reduce transport of the contaminants away from the point of contamination. Plants used for phytostabilization should be able to grow well in the contaminated soil, produce a product of value and commercial interest, and evapotranspire sufficient water to achieve containment of the contaminants. The uptake and translocation of the contaminants to aboveground biomass should be small enough to allow the plant biomass to be used for a commercial purpose. Miscanthus is among the most promising energy crops for phytoremediation: it grows well in contaminated soil, evaptranspires large quantities of water, and produces high-quality cellulose. The use of soil amendments can help to minimize contaminant uptake and improving soil quality is an important issue. Several other energy crops that have good potential for phytostabilization application are introduced in this chapter as well.
