Phytoremediation is the process of using plants to naturally clean up impacted soils and groundwater. The phytoremediation project on the riverfront in Wood River is one of BP's largest.
At a former refinery location in Wood River, Illinois, BP has launched one of the largest phytoremediation project it has ever built at any of its industrial cleanup sites. Phytoremediation refers to environmental cleanup technologies that use plants to naturally clean up chemical compounds and petroleum impacts in soils and groundwater.
After more than a decade of research and testing, both in the lab and in the field, BP has planted 3,500 trees in five groves on a 24-acre closed disposal facility. These specially selected species of trees, including river birches, swamp oaks, bald cypresses, willows and poplars, are designed to draw out water from the site.
The riverfront parcel was filled with water during the Great Flood of 1993. Because of the bathtub-like construction of the disposal facility, high levels of water have remained in the facility. The willows and poplars were selected in part because they draw more water through their roots and will help bring down water levels to minimize any risk of impacted water escaping. In addition, a benefit of this process is that the trees will help to break down residual petroleum and other chemical compounds from groundwater at the site.
Over time, this mini-forest is expected to accomplish the project's cleanup goals on this 24-acre land parcel, as well as enhance the local environment. The trees will provide nesting areas for birds, improve the natural habitat and blend greenspace with existing commercial activities at the riverfront.
The project is being closely watched by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency research scientists as part of its Green Remediation Initiative. The program is designed to study the benefits of replacing traditional mechanical cleanup technologies with more environmentally friendly, sustainable technologies, like phytoremediation, when appropriate. In the last several years, BP has become a leader in developing and implementing sustainable remediation technology.
Harnessing the power of nature to heal damage to the environment is both cost-effective and aesthetically satisfying, but it also provides other benefits. Phytoremediation is more sustainable and energy-efficient and reduces the project's carbon footprint, while still providing the same level of protection to the environment and human health. Also, by replacing mechanical processes with natural ones, the project will be safer and less likely to pose a serious injury risk to workers.
While the tree planting initiative is the largest phytoremediation effort on the Wood River site, it is not the only one. In the past, BP has planted wildflowers and grasses to help break down residual petroleum compounds. It also has introduced worm casings into the ground. As worms bore through soil, they increase subsurface oxygen levels, which, in turn, encourages the growth of microbes that break down petroleum compounds. BP also has accepted leaf disposal from the City of Wood River and mulched it into the soil in order to promote molds that also work to break down chemical compounds.
Currently, BP is exploring the introduction of microturbines onto the site that will create energy while removing methane that remains in subsurface soils as a by-product of the breakdown of petroleum.
