The 10,000 plants in Igelbäcken were planted as part of a pilot project financed by the city of Solna with the help of grant money from the county government.
Jarmo Spiik, project manager, believes that more actors, such as municipalities, will be forced to take measures as the limit values for PFAS are lowered.
– It is often very expensive, normal methods, compared to this, he says.
More molecules
One lesson learned from the project is that the cattail plant is particularly good at absorbing water-soluble molecules – a form of PFAS that is more difficult to capture with other methods such as carbon filters.
– We believe in a combination; a conventional method along with planting plants. Then you get the whole spectrum of molecules, says Jarmo Spiik.
“Fantastic results”
After the pilot project in Järva, the research has been taken further to an area in Brunna, north of Stockholm. There, the project has been able to grow, among other things, because the area, unlike Igelbäcken, is not a nature reserve.
– We have fantastic results there, much better than expected, says Jarmo Spiik.
In the clip, Jarmo Spiik tells how the purification in Igelbäcken is done.