Vetiver: a plant and water filtering machine

Imagine standing on a beach with your toes in the sand and without a care in the world. Breathe in that salty air and hear the seagulls caw (or mew, purr, or squeal, depending on where you are from). You are incredibly thirsty all of the sudden and return to your belongings further up the beach, only to find that you have run out of water. You drive to the store to discover that they no longer have fresh water either. Neither do the next five stores. You reach out to friends and family and realize that what you have feared for years has finally happened: all the freshwater sources have become contaminated or polluted to the point of no return. The plants that recycle water through the process of transpiration no longer can. The soil is ruined. This hypothetical scenario is on its way to becoming reality if there is no action taken soon to prevent or, at the very least, delay it.

Running out of water seems impossible sometimes, especially for those of us at Stevens, where we overlook the Hudson River as we study. According to the United States Geographical Survey, the Earth’s surface is 71% water. When converted to miles, the world’s total water supply is about 332.5 million miles cubed. This water is mainly contained in expansive bodies of water. We’re talking oceans, seas, and bays. These hold nearly 96% of all the world’s water and… cannot sustain human and most plant life. Humans and terrestrial plants physically cannot process the water contained in said bodies of water in large amounts because of the salt content. Of the nearly three-quarters of the Earth that is covered in water, only 1% of that is freshwater. These sources are becoming increasingly contaminated with the byproducts of human industrial processes.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) report on water scarcity, written in 2003, states that the “average supply of water available per person will drop by one third within 20 years.” This drop in water supply is due not only to climate change but also to contamination of water due to wastewater treatment plants and the decay of outdated infrastructure. Large amounts of water infrastructure, especially pipes, are made of lead. As the crises in Newark, New Jersey, and Flint, Michigan, prove, this is not only an environmental crisis, but a public health concern. Removing lead and other chemical, biological, and physical contaminants from water and soil is an arduous process which has left cities without access to water and the risk of developing lead-related illnesses.

Now, what if I told you that there are easily-cultivated plants that can decrease the impact of this crisis by filtering lead and other contaminants out of soil and water to eliminate runoff?  From the information that was provided, it may be difficult to believe that plants have such strong filtering, or more appropriately, recycling skills. These effective recycling systems belong to what are called “accumulator plants.” While there are quite a few plants with similar properties, a well-researched example of an accumulator plant is the grass vetiver.

Research regarding the plant’s water-decontaminating properties is going on right here at Stevens by a brilliant research team lead by Dr. Dibyendu Sarkar, an accomplished geologist and professor. Dr. Sarkar completed his Bachelor of Science in Geology and his Master of Science with a concentration in Geology at the University of Calcutta, India. After leaving India, Dr. Sarkar continued studying geology at the University of Maryland before completing his Ph.D. at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in geochemistry. Dr. Sarkar did not stop there. He continued to spread his knowledge of soil and water chemistry as a professor, Ph.D. advisor, and eventual founder of the Environmental Management program at Montclair State University. His various positions lead him to Stevens, where he teaches Environmental Engineering and founded the Sustainability Management Program in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Ocean Engineering.

During our phone interview, Sarkar was quick to point out that vetiver has been used for hundreds of years all over the world. Indigenous to India, vetiver is the basis of many perfumes (Chanel No.5, to name one), and has traditionally been kept in households as a form of air conditioning. Because vetiver can hold large amounts of water, when hot air passes through the plant, it immediately cools the air while also releasing an earthy aroma. Although Sarkar’s team is not making perfume any time soon, the possible uses of vetiver are growing with new discoveries everyday. 

The success of the vetiver plant as a filtration system is largely due to its extensive root system. According to Dr. Sakar, “after one year of growth, the roots of Vetiver will be as tall as you!” These roots regularly reach lengths of 6 feet. Dr. Sarkar’s team is focusing on using the characteristics of vetiver to create floatable treatment platforms where the plant can be grown hydroponically without soil. These platforms can take in incredible amounts of contaminated water that would normally kill other plants. Vetiver has a unique way of storing contaminants while also obtaining nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, necessary for its continued growth. Because filtering water is a process that happens rather quickly, it is difficult for vetiver to filter out all of the lead and other contaminants in the water. However, long term, vetiver is a sustainable solution that can dramatically decrease the damage done to the purity of our soil and water. As the plant grows rapidly, there is hope that it will eventually be able to be converted into a form of biofuel.

Dr. Sarkar’s passion for his projects truly reflects his “firm belief in a holistic, multidisciplinary framework for developing a sustainable environment.” Dr. Sarkar and his research team are working non-stop to develop a solution for growing environmental crises, and they are going beyond soil filtration. During our interview, Dr. Sarkar made it clear that there is an urgent need for scientists to enter similar fields in order to combat the effects of climate change. If you’ve made it this far through the article, you must be interested. Could you be the one that solves one of these major issues?