Plant Processes for Persistent and Polar Pollutants

Plants are able to assimilate and influence the fate of pollutants, both in the rhizosphere and through phytotransformation. Understanding this is critical to protecting human health (i.e., through food exposure) and using vegetated systems to improve water quality and remediate soils. We have discovered novel pollutant pathways and processes related to the uptake and transformation of trace organic contaminants, plant processes associated with recycled water, as well as how plant root exudates impact sorption/bioavailability of legacy contaminants. Continuing and future work includes understanding plant interactions with pollutants under climate change and mitigation of emerging contaminants in stormwater, agricultural drainage, and water reuse.

       Discovery of novel pollutant transformation pathways.

Discovering new uptake phenomenia.

  Plant seeding separating roots and shoots.

Plant root exudates alter the sorption dynamics of legacy pollutants.