Ecopiling: Beneficial Soil Bacteria, Plants, and Optimized Soil Conditions for Enhanced Remediation of Hydrocarbon Polluted Soil

Hydrocarbon pollution is prominent due to the essential functions petroleum products provide in modern society and as a result the demand on petroleum has led to a large number of environmental pollution events. There is an array of ways to remediate hydrocarbon contaminated soil such as thermal treatment, soil washing, chemical oxidation, use of nanotechnology, phytoremediation, and mycoremediation. Bioremediation is the exploitation of the metabolic capabilities of bacteria, fungi, algae and plants to degrade or sequester pollutants in the environment. Biopiles, also known as biocells, bioheaps, biomounds, and compost piles, are used to reduce concentrations of petroleum constituents in excavated soils through the use of biodegradation. Phytoremediation is the use of plants and their associated microorganisms to remove pollutants from either soil or water. Ecopiling is a modification of traditional passive biopiling in that, instead of enclosing the biopile with black plastic, the pile is planted with suitable phytoremediation plants in order to promote phytoremediation.