Published: Just now
Willow plants can clean soil from pollution by up to 80 percent over a ten-year period. This is shown by a study by Maria Greger, associate professor of plant physiology at Stockholm University. She has been researching phytoremediation for 30 years, which is the study of methods where plants are used to purify soil, water and air from pollutants.
In the study, willow plants were planted on a plot where there was a mechanical workshop during the 20th century. The willow plant used is a specific clone, which is good at absorbing heavy metals from the soil.
Soil samples were collected annually and analyzed for heavy metals, arsenic, PCBs and PAHs.
“This is the first time it has been shown that plants can really clean the soil from pollution on industrial land in a long time. We observed a significant reduction in most pollutants in the soil already after one year “, says Maria Greger in a press release.
The method could be used on other contaminated plots instead of the usual and more expensive method of digging away the soil.
The study is published in the scientific journal Sustainability.