REMEDIATION TECHNOLOGIES DEVELOPMENT FORUM
PHYTOREMEDIATION OF ORGANICS ACTION TEAM

Progress Report
First Quarter 2002

Introduction

The Phytoremediation of Organics Action Team is one of the six active Action Teams under the Remediation Technologies Development Forum (RTDF). The Phytoremediation of Organics Action Team includes representatives from industry, government, and academia who share an interest in further developing and validating the of use of plants and trees to remediate organic hazardous wastes in soil and water.

This report documents progress of the Phytoremediation of Organics Action Team during the first quarter of 2002.

Accomplishments

1. The Team's Chlorinated Solvents Subgroup is developing a protocol that will describe how to determine whether phytoremediation is appropriate to use at a given site with CVOC contamination and how to evaluate the technology's performance. A draft protocol was completed in March 2002, and a final draft should be distributed by late Spring based on the comments received. After completion, the Subgroup would like to use the protocol in assessing specific sites, subject to funding availability.
2. The Team's TPH in Soil Subgroup is finalizing its second annual report and expects to issue it by early Fall 2002. Once finalized, it will be posted on the RTDF web site.
3. Work continues on the 13 TPH field demonstration sites. Periodic progress at each of these sites is included in summaries of the Subgroup's conference calls (www.rtdf.org/public/phyto/).
4. The next Phytoremediation of Organics Action Team meeting will coincide with the planned State of Phytoremediation Science Conference, to be held in Chicago, Illinois sometime in late 2002 or early 2003. The TPH in Soil Subgroup has a conference call scheduled for April 10, and is planning to meet in late August or early September in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Chlorinated Solvents Subgroup has a conference call scheduled for April 18.