Plants are able to clean the planet from radioactive contamination, scientists

The use of phytoremidiation economically advantageous because it does not need to use reagents, equipment and redeem a dumping ground for toxic waste.

When disaster comes, like chemical spills or radioactive contamination caused by any accident, suffer many of the inhabitants of the affected area. But there is one candidate who could really survive in the harsh conditions of postcatastrophe and even to clear the territory for themselves and other plants.

“This biotechnology is called “phytoremediation,” and she uses the natural processes of plants to make your regions are safe again, ” said Megan Phillips, environmental scientist from the University of Technology, Sydney: “I use local Australian plants, because, in the whole of Australia, we have strong seasonal thermal wave, fertile soil and poor, and sporadic rainfall.”

Plants play an important role in the restoration of the lands have already been documented after such catastrophes as Chernobyl in 1986. Phillips cites research showing that sunflowers were able to “soak” radionuclides also known as radioactive isotopes. It is also shown that the planting of Indian mustard can accumulate heavy metals from contaminated soils.

So why did the team focus on Australian plants?

“Our native plants are pre-adapted to harsher environmental conditions [and] much more likely to survive in the long run, if we put them in the contaminated areas,” said Phillips.

But, in fact, information on phytoremidiation Australian plants is not very much, as for Australia and many other countries this is not the most popular method to cleanse the area. At the same time, the use of phytoremidiation economically advantageous because it does not need to use reagents, equipment and redeem a dumping ground for toxic waste.

At the moment a study is going through the final stage, after which a team of scientists will publish the full report.

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