French firm finds flower power solution for cleaning tannery soil
12/11/2014
Valgo said the key to the new method’s success is geraniums.
The company explained that the idea of using plants to remove toxic substances from soil or wastewater is decades old; the process is known as phytoextraction. However, Valgo’s scientific director, Laurent Thannberger, has told French media that the process of absorption of metals by plants is slow. He also said examples of the use of plants for phytoextraction on industrial sites on a large scale are lacking.
In its new method, Valgo has used geraniums, but has also used solvents to dissolve metals first to make it easier for the flowers to absorb them. Valgo says the solvents it has used are already widely in use in medicine and in the chemical industry.
Tests at the Tarn tannery site showed success in the extraction from the soil of chrome, copper, lead and zinc. Mr Thannberger said his company now wants to see how well different combinations of plants and solvents work in different types of soil.
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