Vegetative remediation process offers advantages over traditional pump-and-treat technologies

The use of bioremediation technologies to clean up contaminated soil and groundwater is increasingly winning favor over more costly and often ineffective mechanical approaches. One new type of bioremediation process, known as TreeMediation^TM, uses trees and other vegetation to remediate soil by acting as a natural pump to extract and remediate contaminated groundwater in aquifers less than 30 feet deep. This article describes this innovative treatment method, shows its advantages over traditional pump and-treat techniques, and explains how TreeMediation is being used to extract nitrate and ammonium contamination from an aquifer in New Jersey.