Paper details

Title:

Soil Remediation with Energy Crops - A Renewable Energy Solution for Heavy Metal Contaminated Soils

Author(s):

Guisson, R., Van Ginneken, L., Vanslycken, S., Meers, E., Tack, F., Ruttens, A., Witters, N., Thewys, T., Vangronsveld, J., Adriaensen, K., De Schepper, S., Beeckman, E., Smis, J., Peene, A., Kegels, J., Fastenaekels, H., Dejonghe, W.

Document(s):

Abstract:

In June 2007, a project started in Flanders (Belgium) in which phytoremediation will be applied to clean soils that are diffusely polluted with heavy metals. Uptake ranges of heavy metals by rape seed, maize and wheat will be enhanced by increasing the bioavailability of these heavy metals by the addition of biodegradable physico-chemical agents and by stimulating the heavy-metal uptake capacity of the microbial community in and around the plant. In addition, the harvested biomass crops will be converted into bioenergy by using different energy­recovery-techniques. The energy and heavy metal mass balances will be compared for four different energy–recovery techniques (anaerobic digestion, incineration, gasification and production of biodiesel). All the information obtained will result in an economic evaluation of the use of phytoremediation combined with bioenergy production for the remediation of sites which are diffusely polluted with heavy metals. In the here presented review we will first explain the most important research steps investigated in our phytoremediation project. Secondly, an overview of literature discussing the phytoremediation capacity of rape seed to clean soils that are contaminated with heavy metals will be discussed in more detail.

Keywords:

bioenergy, energy crops, heavy metals

Topic:

Biomass resources

Subtopic:

Production, pretreatment, supply and logistics of feedstock

Event:

18th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition

Session:

VP1.2.20

Pages:

385 - 389

ISBN-13:

978-88-89407-56-1

ISBN-10:

88-89407-56-5

Paper DOI:

10.5071/18thEUBCE2010-VP1.2.20

Price:

FREE