Superfund Research Program
Enhanced Endophyte: Poplar System for Remediation of Organic Contaminants
Project Leader: Michael J. Blaylock
Grant Number: R44ES020099
Funding Period: Phase II: April 2011 - August 2015
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Endophytes Help Poplar Trees Clean Up TCE on Superfund Site
Research Brief - October 2017
Poplar trees can capture and remove trichloroethylene (TCE) from the soil and degrade it. Now, a method using endophytes, symbiotic microbes that live within a plant, has been successfully shown to boost the speed and effectiveness of this natural degradation process. Researchers led by Edenspace Systems Corporation, a Superfund Research Program (SRP)-funded small business, conducted the first large-scale experiment on a Superfund site using poplar trees fortified with a microbial endophyte to clean up TCE-contaminated groundwater.