Phytoremediation of contaminated soils by using Cannabis sativa L. and the associated valorization of the resulting biomass

Increasing urbanization, industrialization and over population cause fast and considerable degradation of soil and vegetation cover, which necessitate pursuing the methods of managing derelict industrial lands. On such chemically devastated lands vegetation plays increasingly important ecological and sanitary role. Proper management of plants from such areas may significantly contribute to restoring the natural environment. Numerous efforts have been undertaken recently to find methods of cleaning up soils contaminated by xenobiotic compounds, such as phytoremediation. The aim of this thesis work is to analyse the influence of heavy metals and organic contaminants of soil on the growth yield and content of pollutants in Cannabis sativa L. This plant was selected because a) it grows rapidly, reaching full harvest in just 100-120 days (depending on local conditions) and produces a sphere of roots that extends from 1.5 to 2.5 meters into the soil, without requiring nutrients, herbicides and pesticides; b) it is a non-food crop, suitable for the production of a wide variety of renewable products more efficiently than what can be done with other non-food crops; and c) it produces components with relevant market opportunities through a stepwise breakdown. Hemp biomass can be used for the preparation of several commercial items, including paper, textiles, clothing, biodegradable plastics, paint, insulation, biofuel, food, and animal feed. However, hemp presents a key disadvantage: it is also used as an illegal narcotics and often that costs discriminates between fiber types and drug type use of hemp crop. Consequently, only cultivars which set seed in a given member state are permitted to be grown in the EU.