A Test of Plant-Aided Petroleum Hydrocarbon Degradation

A greenhouse-based phytoremediation experiment was performed to assess the potential impacts of three
treatment factors on the degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons in contaminated soils. A 2° factorial
experimental design - replicated twice for a total of 16 experimental units — was used. The three factors tested were: 1) turfgrass (a 50:50 mixture of tall fescue and perennial ryegrass); 2) BuRIZE™ (a commercial
“vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal”, or VAM, inoculant); and 3) fertilizer (a commercial liquid formulation).
Controls consisted of untreated contaminated soil. The design allowed for testing of any significant differences in contaminant degradation rates resulting from use of the three treatments, individually and jointly. Four sampling events (i.e., an initial, two interim, and a final) occurred over a study period of 180 days. Statistical evaluation of the experimental results revealed a consistent, significant treatment effect for the “fertilizer” factor and a periodic treatment effect for the “grass” and “grass/VAM inoculant” interaction.