Phytoremediation of airborne polychlorinated biphenyls

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) contaminate every compartment of the environment including sediments, water, and air. Although their production has ceased, PCBs continue to contaminate the environment. The properties that make PCBs useful in industrial applications are the same properties that cause them to persistent in the environment. Phytoremediation has been proposed as an in situ treatment option for the remediation of these contaminants. Phytoremediation is the use of green plants to mitigate environmental pollution without excavation or treatment of the contaminated material. Hybrid poplar trees may be a feasible treatment candidate for scavenging airborne PCBs from nearby sources. PCBs are scavenged onto the leaves where a majority of the mass remains.