title: Field note: hydraulic containment of a BTEX plume using poplar trees.
abstract: In 1999, 275 poplar trees were planted on a field site near a car factory in order to install a bioscreen. The aim was to combine the biodegradation activities of poplar and its associated rhizosphere and endophytic microorganisms for containing a BTEX contaminated groundwater plume. This BTEX plume occurred as the result of leaking solvents and fuel storage tanks. Monitoring, conducted overa 6-year period (1999-2005) after the planting of the trees suggested that the poplar trees and their associated microorganisms had, once the tree roots reached the contaminated groundwater zone, an active role in the remediation of the BTEX plume, resulting in full containment of the contamination. Analysis of the microbial communities associated with poplar demonstrated that, once the poplar roots got in contact with the BTEX contaminated groundwater, enrichment occurred of both rhizosphere and endophytic bacteria that were able to degrade toluene. Interestingly, once the BTEX plume was remediated, the numbers of toluene degrading rhizosphere and endophytic bacteria decreased below the detection limit, indicating that their population resulted from selective enrichment by the presence of the contaminants.
authors.affiliation: Hasselt University, Environmental Biology, Diepenbeek, Belgium.
authors.forename: Tanja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Barac
authors.forename: Nele
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Weyens
authors.forename: Licy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Oeyen
authors.forename: Safiyh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Taghavi
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: van der Lelie
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dubin
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spliet
authors.forename: Jaco
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vangronsveld
mesh_terms: D001555:Benzene Derivatives / Q000737:chemistry*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D005648:Fuel Oils; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D032107:Populus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001555:Benzene Derivatives; D005648:Fuel Oils; D012989:Soil Pollutants