Phytoremediation Cleaning the Soil with Flowers

According to the International Phytotechnology Society website, phytotechnology is defined as the science of using plants to solve environmental problems such as pollution, reforestation, biofuels, and landfilling. Phytoremediation, a subcategory of phytotechnology, uses plants to absorb pollutants from soils or from water. The pollutants involved can include heavy metals, defined as any elements considered as a metal that may cause pollution or an environmental problem, and that cannot be further degraded. A high accumulation of heavy metals in a soil or water can be considered toxic to plants or animals. Why Use Phytoremediation? Other methodologies used to remediate soils polluted with heavy metals can cost $1 million US per acre, whereas phytoremediation was estimated to cost between 45 cents and $1.69 US per square foot, lowering the cost per acre to the tens of thousands of dollars. How Does Phytoremediation Work? Not every plant species can be used for phytoremediation. A plant that is able to take up more metals than normal plants is called a hyperaccumulator. Hyperaccumulators can absorb more heavy metals than is present in the soil in which they are growing. All plants need some heavy metals in small amounts; iron, copper, and manganese are just a few of the heavy metals which are essential to plant function. Also, there are plants that can tolerate a high amount of metals in their system, even more than they need for normal growth, instead of exhibiting toxicity symptoms. For example, a species of Thlaspi has a protein called a metal tolerance protein. Zinc is heavily taken up by Thlaspi due to the activation of a systemic zinc deficiency response. In other words, the metal tolerance protein tells the plant that it needs more zinc because it needs more, even if it doesnt, so it takes more up! Specialized metal transporters within a plant can assist in the uptake of heavy metals also. The transporters, which are specific to the heavy metal to which it binds, are proteins which assist in the transport, detoxification, and sequestration of heavy metals within plants. Microbes in the rhizosphere cling to the surface of plant roots, and some remediating microbes are able to break down organic materials such as petroleum and take heavy metals up and out of the soil. This benefits the microbes as well as the plant, as the process can provide a template and a food source for microbes that can degrade organic pollutants. The plants subsequently release root exudates, enzymes, and organic carbon for the microbes to feed upon. History Of Phytoremediation The godfather of phytoremediation and the study of hyperaccumulator plants may very well be R. R. Brooks of New Zealand. One of the first papers involving an unusually high level of heavy metal uptake in plants in a polluted ecosystem was written by Reeves and Brooks in 1983. They found that the concentration of lead in Thlaspi located in a mining area was easily the highest ever recorded for any flowering plant. Professor Brooks work on heavy metal hyperaccumulation by plants led to questions as to how this knowledge could be used to clean polluted soils. The first article on phytoremediation was written by scientists at Rutgers University about the use of specially-selected and engineered metal-accumulating plants used to clean polluted soils. In 1993, a United States patent was filed by a company called Phytotech. Titled Phytoremediation of Metals, the patent disclosed a method to remove metal ions from soil using plants. Several species of plants, including radish and mustard, were genetically engineered to express a protein called metallothionein. The plant protein binds heavy metals and removes them so that plant toxicity does not occur. Due to this technology, genetically engineered plants, including Arabidopsis, tobacco, canola, and rice have been modified to remediate areas contaminated with mercury. External Factors Affecting Phytoremediation The main factor affecting a plants ability to hyperaccumulate heavy metals is age. Young roots grow faster and take up nutrients at a higher rate than older roots, and age may also affect how the chemical contaminant moves throughout the plant. Naturally, the microbial populations in the root area affect the uptake of metals. Transpiration rates, due to sun/shade exposure and seasonal changes, can affect plant uptake of heavy metals as well. Plant Species Used For Phytoremediation Over 500 plant species are reported to have hyperaccumulation properties. Natural hyperaccumulators include Iberis intermedia and Thlaspi spp. Different plants accumulate different metals; for example, Brassica juncea accumulates copper, selenium, and nickel, whereas Arabidopsis halleri accumulates cadmium and Lemna gibba accumulates arsenic. Plants used in engineered wetlands include sedges, rushes, reeds, and cattails because they are flood tolerant and are able to uptake pollutants. Genetically engineered plants, including Arabidopsis, tobacco, canola, and rice, have been modified to remediate areas contaminated with mercury. How are plants tested for their hyperaccumulative abilities? Plant tissue cultures are used frequently in phytoremediation research, due to their ability to predict plant response and to save time and money. Marketability Of Phytoremediation Phytoremediation is popular in theory due to its low establishment cost and relative simplicity. In the 1990s, there were several companies working with phytoremediation, including Phytotech, PhytoWorks, and Earthcare. Other large companies such as Chevron and DuPont were also developing phytoremediation technologies. However, little work has been performed recently by the companies, and several of the smaller companies have gone out of business. Problems with the technology include the fact that plant roots cannot reach far enough into the soil core to accumulate some pollutants, and the disposal of the plants after hyperaccumulation has taken place. The plants cannot be plowed back into the soil, consumed by humans or animals, or put into a landfill. Dr. Brooks led pioneering work on the extraction of metals from hyperaccumulator plants. This process is called phytomining and involves the smelting of metals from the plants.

Motivation and Conflict Management Essay - 1023 Words

Motivation and Conflict Management Organizations strive for creative ways to enhance employee motivation and resolve conflicts with the desire to have employees perform better within the workplace. To motivate one has to be motivated. Motivation within the workplace has to be constant and requiring a goal. Motivation, if not repeated will not last. Therefore, learning to determine how different organizations apply motivation theories to motivate employees, analyzing conflict management strategies and what approaches work best in different organizations will influence the success of an organization. Motivation Theories and Organizational Behavior Motivation is the concept of stimulating or arousing a person to achieve a goal.†¦show more content†¦. In each organization this may vary based on each company’s Vision and Goals. The Two Factor theory (Hygiene Factors and Motivator Factors) are two tools that business uses concerning the development of ideas and tools to motivate workers. â€Å"Herzberg explained these results using the two-factor theory, also known as the motivator-hygiene theory, because this theory identifies two different factors as primary causes of job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction,† (Schermerhorn, Hunt, Osborn, 2008, p115). In a nut shell, workers need positive motivators to be productive. Many organizations today have to gain the trust and respect of their workers to convince them to be loyal to the company. A good tool or theory to use is persuasion, this helps the manager better communicate and develop the trust needed to establish the direction the company is heading. The ability to give financial incentives and recognition to some individual workers can go a long way in the workplace. Organizations have a variety of tools to jump-start and motivate their employees to ensure job satisfaction. Conflict Management â€Å"Conflict management and resolution must address everyones needs and concerns, so in turn all employees will be more effective and have greater job satisfaction† (Swinton, 2006, p. 1). People hear the words conflict management they assume there is a problem. Employers design conflict management to hire new employees or toShow MoreRelatedMotivation, Ethics, and Conflict Management1805 Words   |  8 PagesMotivation, Ethics, and Conflict Management Southwest Airlines has come a long way since its start in 1971 with only about 30 employees. Southwest now employs over 30,000 employees. The company has put customers first from the very beginning and many believe that this is the reason for Southwest s great success. 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Cousin Kate and The Seduction Essay Example For Students

Cousin Kate and The Seduction Essay I am going to compare the two poems, Cousin Kate and The Seduction. In both poems, the main characters are female and single. In Cousin Kate the poet narrates is first person thus adopting the perspective of the young cottage maiden featured but in The Seduction the poet narrates in the third person and tells a story, however she does communicate with us the intimate thoughts and feelings of the schoolgirl. Cousin Kate begins by setting the scene and so does The Seduction. The girl in Cousin Kate has little or no education and yet seems to have a quite high standard of life whereas the girl in The Seduction is about to do her O Levels (G. C. S. E s) and seems under-educated with a poor quality of life. Eileen McAuley (author of The Seduction) uses idiomatic, conversational speech and is not governed by a rhyming scheme, although one is present. An example of her idiomatic speech would be She was three months gone An example of a rhyming scheme would be He spat into the river, fumbled in a bag nd he muttered little slag but on lines 30-32 a half-rhyme is found: Listerine Magazines. In both poems the poets begin by setting the scene and telling you what has happened previously (a short time beforehand) and both express vividly the emotions of the main characters. For example, in Cousin Kate, a 19th Century poem, we can pick up that the main character is bitter towards her cousin, Kate, through lines thirty seven and thirty eight: won me with his love nor bought me with his land. This could also suggest jealousy, that Kate has a lot of land and she does not, or that Kate is loved, and she is not. Cousin Kate was written in the 1800s and The Seduction was written in the 1900s. In the 1800s women tenants, like the main character in Cousin Kate had no social status and in that period of time there was no legal obligation upon a father to his child. If a woman wanted to she could stop the placement of the fathers name on he birth certificate of the child for any reason, with or without the fathers consent. If a marriage ended in the 19th Century the woman could rarely marry again because after the break-up she was viewed by other men as the cast-off of another man, and that she was not good enough for another man. And if she did marry again, the new husband would more than likely be looked down upon as a lower being than the previous husband because he took a cast-off. Cousin Kate is a bitter, remorseful poem with a strong sense of emotion and resentment whereas The Seduction is what I would call a pity-full, empathetic and sympathetic poem. Cousin Kate makes me feel sorry for the main character because of the language she uses like Now I moan, an unclean thing, who might have been a dove(Line 15). The poem The Seduction makes me want to tell the girl how silly she was to do what she did whilst under the influence of alcohol and not to realise how untrue the boys intentions. It is hinted at that the two only met on the night of the party because there is no name given, no history given and had they known each other beforehand, the girl would have been shown where the boy went when he skipped school previously. The moral of the story in The Seduction would be to be very careful of what you do when you are drunk and take things slowly. When I take into account where this all takes place I am tempted to say that this is a tragic modern tale fed by ambitions and alcohol accessibility. The moral of the story in Cousin Kate would be that life is sometimes good and it is sometimes bad and that things can change in the blink of an eye. As it is a poem about a forlorn love, it also tells me that love is a very deep-impacting thing. .u56990455a884f6d27017cc773239e436 , .u56990455a884f6d27017cc773239e436 .postImageUrl , .u56990455a884f6d27017cc773239e436 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u56990455a884f6d27017cc773239e436 , .u56990455a884f6d27017cc773239e436:hover , .u56990455a884f6d27017cc773239e436:visited , .u56990455a884f6d27017cc773239e436:active { border:0!important; } .u56990455a884f6d27017cc773239e436 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u56990455a884f6d27017cc773239e436 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u56990455a884f6d27017cc773239e436:active , .u56990455a884f6d27017cc773239e436:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u56990455a884f6d27017cc773239e436 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u56990455a884f6d27017cc773239e436 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u56990455a884f6d27017cc773239e436 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u56990455a884f6d27017cc773239e436 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u56990455a884f6d27017cc773239e436:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u56990455a884f6d27017cc773239e436 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u56990455a884f6d27017cc773239e436 .u56990455a884f6d27017cc773239e436-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u56990455a884f6d27017cc773239e436:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: A Doll's House Externalizing Inner Problems EssayIt can affect you in so many ways, especially if a child is involved. Christina Rosetti (author of Cousin Kate) can be described as the narrator of the poem as well as the poet/author. She seems to be remorseful and resentful and induces sympathy from the reader. She tries to make the reader see her point of view whilst she finds fault in her cousin, Kate. She goes into detail about how much she was attached to the lord before he changed her like a glove and this indicates to me that love can be unkind and often end in discontent with one of the people feeling used and cast-off. Eileen McAuley could also be described as a narrator as she tells us what happened from a third-person perspective. She helps us feel the sorrow of the girl seduced. Eileen McAuley writes in this poem in shocking language stated so simply, it alarms the reader although in her narrative she gives insight into the girls feelings. The content of the poem somewhat contradicts the title. The Seduction suggests to me, a planned, romantic, candlelit arrangement. But in the poem we hear of a solvent-abusing, crafty, smoking and inconsiderate young man who is selfish enough to impregnate a lady about to do important exams and leave her alone with the baby. Cousin Kate has a very definite rhythm and rhyming pattern. The pattern can be described as A, B, C, B, D, B, D, B Eileen McAuley is not governed by a rhyming pattern. She also uses conversational speech and un-poetic language.

Stealing is wrong free essay sample

The following essay will cover what I learned about stealing. I will cover the following topics: What is stealing? What trust issues it could cause with my fellow classmates, teachers, friends, community, and family. What the possible consequences could be if I was seventeen and committed this crime. Possible ways to keep myself from stealing. How my actions affect my relationships with family, friends, and community. What I can do to affect people in a positive way. How do I want people to look at me. What could happen if I didnt stop this behavior? I found the legal definition of stealing on legal-dictionary. It states that stealing (or the legal term, larceny) is the wrongful and fraudulent taking and carrying away, by one person, of the mere personal goods, of another, from any place, with a felonious intent to convert them to his, the takers use, and make them his property, without the consent of the owner. We will write a custom essay sample on Stealing is wrong or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Larceny is usually a nonviolent crime. It was made to punish criminals who stole without face to face encounters. Unlike robbery which is sometimes forced or violent. Grand larceny was any larceny of property worth more than a certain amount of money. Any larceny of property worth less than that amount was called petit larceny and was punished less severely. Trust issues could develop with your friends, family, school, and your community if the they are aware you are stealing. Once you lose someones trust it is very hard to earn it back. Your family may treat you differently and hide things from you and lock away anything they might think you would possibly steal. Also if you lie about stealing something but later is found out they will hardly ever believe you when you say you didnt do something even if you are really innocent. They might feel it ruins their reputation if they know or are friends with teachers or other students parents who know about it. Your friends may not want to hangout or be seen with you if everyone knows you are a thief. They might make fun of you or just be completely ashamed. Unless they are also known for stealing then you shouldnt be friends with them in the first place. Nobody likes a thief. So if word gets around and people in your community hear about a thief around they might be suspicious of you and if anything happens they will automatically assume you were the person who did it. At school the teachers and staff will always be suspicious of you and if you do the slightest thing wrong they will not give you another chance. They may not even like you and will punish you as severely as possible. It could bring shame to any siblings you go to school with and ruin your reputation. Your family and friends will be embarrassed and ashamed to be seen with you. Nothing good could ever come of being a thief. It will only ruin your life and your future. If you are convicted of stealing and get a felony it could be really hard to find a decent job. You could spend the rest of your life barely being able to provide for yourself and your family because of a stupid mistake you made when you were young. I found on www. mobar. org that if I was seventeen and caught stealing I would be tried as an adult. That means I would not have the possibility of seeing a juvenile officer and discussing the incident. I would immediately have to get a court date and could possibly go to jail depending on the seriousness of the crime. especially of it is a felony or not. I found this on Wikipedia: Stealing is a felony if the value of stolen property exceeds $500. It is also a felony if â€Å"The actor physically takes the property appropriated from the person of the victim† or the stolen property is a vehicle, legal document, credit card, firearm, explosive, U. S. flag on display, livestock animal, fish with value exceeding $75, captive wildlife, controlled substance, or ammonia. Anything not listed or below the value of 500 dollars is considered a misdemeanor. A misdemeanor crime is one for which the potential jail sentence is less than one year. Any crime that provides for a potential incarceration sentence of a year or more is categorized as a felony. A misdemeanor could result in jail time, fines, restitution, and probation. There are several ways to keep myself from stealing. One way is to just stop and think, nothing could be worth spending your life in jail or prison, never seeing your family or loved ones. They might not even want anything to do with you because they are so ashamed and embarrassed. Another way would be to think of how if you were caught think of how it would change how people look at you. They will look at you with disgust and some hatred and some wont even care enough to give you a look or even acknowledge you as a human. You just have to stop and ignore your impulses. With me it was just a spur of the moment thing. I know that it was wrong and I felt so stupid and embarrassed being led out of the school in handcuffs. I wonder how many people were laughing at me. I need to focus more on important things like my grades and what I need to take care of. I need to think about whats important in my life. If I ever get the urge to steal anything at all I need to think of my future, this is my last chance if I mess up again Ill be in serious trouble, no more help, no more slaps on the wrist. The consequences couldve been so much worst this time. I got really lucky and I will not let anything like this happen again. I need to think about not only how it would affect me, but the person Im stealing from. That person probably had to work hard or deserved that money. I had no right to take it from him. I didnt get mad that he told on me or get mad at the principle for kicking me out of school or even the school officer that arrested me. I was mad at myself for doing something so stupid and pointless. I would pay a lot more just to go back and stop myself from doing it. I havent ever had anything stolen from me so I dont really know how it feels but Im pretty sure I would be extremely angry and hurt. Especially if it was from one of my classmates or someone I knew. There is nothing worse than disappointing the few people who truly care and love you. I dont want to disappoint anyone anymore. I want to prove everyone wrong that has doubts about me.