PCB-Tinged Pond May Be Remediated With Switchgrass

An experimental water treatment project in California is hoping to clean up industrial contaminants that were banned by Congress in the '70s.

The experiment, recently approved by the town council in Alta Vista, CA, takes aim at Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs). The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) will conduct the experiment.

PCBs belong to a "broad family of man-made organic chemicals known as chlorinated hydrocarbons. PCBs were domestically manufactured from 1929 until their manufacture was banned in 1979. They have a range of toxicity and vary in consistency from thin, light-colored liquids to yellow or black waxy solids," according to the EPA.

Before the ban, products that could potentially include PCBs included plastics, adhesives, tapes, and oil-based paint, among others. Research shows that PCBs cause cancer and have other adverse health effects.

The project in California will aim to remediate water in a 6.1-acre overflow pond where PCBs were deposited, according to WDBJ.

"Under the proposal, scientists will plant switchgrass in the soil and inoculate plants with bacteria that can break down PCBs. Scientists hope that the switchgrass roots will secrete sugars to keep the bacteria alive, which will then inoculate the soil and spread the bacteria," the report said.

Scott Lowman, one of the scientists working on the experiment, explained why this method was chosen.

According to Lowman, “switchgrass was selected because it is perennial with an extensive root system that penetrates the soil completely and can do well in flooding.”

Michael Duncan, IALR's director of applied research, cautioned that positive results are not guaranteed.

“It might not work but we won’t know until we try,” he said, per a press release from IALR.

The findings could have global implications if the experiment has useful results.

“This is a worldwide problem,” Lowman said. “If this project is successful, it would not only benefit the town of Alta Vista but many other localities as well. It also represents IALR’s commitment to the health and prosperity of the region.”

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