Approaches exploiting plants for sediment treatments might be greatly improved by using genetically modified plants specifically tailored for remediation purposes. Plants may be modified by introduction of bacterial genes responsible for degradation of particular organic xenobiotics or genes improving metal uptake and accumulation. Also the resistance of plants, growth characteristics, production and release of compounds improving bioavailability of xenobiotics, or compounds supporting the activity of bacterial degraders are parameters which can be addressed in order to increase the effectivity of ex-situ treatment systems. In literature are already different models available.
GM plants prepared in our laboratories illustrate the possibility to increase cadmium accumulation by introducing novel metal binding peptides in fusion with some other protein, or to improve the ability of plants to degrade polychlorinated biphenyls by the help of gene bphC from the bacterial biphenyl operon.
Using technology crops or energy crops might achieve economical feasibility of the process.
Macek T., MackováM., Pavlíková D., Száková J., Truksa M., Singh Cundy A., Kotrba P., Yancey N., Scouten W.H. Acta Biotechnologica 22, 101-106, (2002)
Macek, T., Francova, K., Kochankova, L., Lovecka, P., Ryslava, E., Rezek, J., Sura, M., Triska J., Demnerova K. and Mackova M., Rev. Environ. Health 19, 63-82, (2004).
Francova K., Sura M., Macek T., Szekeres M., Bancos S., Demnerova K., Sylvestre M. and Mackova M. Fres. Environmental Bulletin 12, 309-313, (2003)