David J. Glass, Ph.D.
D. Glass Associates, Inc.
(617) 653-9945

Christina Butkiewicus
Publications Marketing Manager
International Business Communications, Inc.
(508) 481-6400

Needham, Mass., July 8, 1997 -- The first published estimates of the size of the market for phytoremediation in the United States and its potential for growth were presented last month at International Business Communication's Second Annual International Phytoremediation Conference. The market estimates, presented by David J. Glass, Ph.D. of D. Glass Associates, Inc., were part of a market and technology workshop specially commissioned by IBC for this conference, held in Seattle, Wash. June 18-19, 1997.

Phytoremediation is the use of plants, including grasses and trees, to remove, degrade or sequester hazardous materials from contaminated media such as soil or groundwater. Dr. Glass estimated that the current U.S. market for phytoremediation is $3-7 million, of which $2-3 million was attributed to removal of organic contaminants from groundwater and $1-2 million arose from removal of heavy metals from soils. Although groundwater phytoremediation, which is largely conducted using deep-rooted trees to remove large volumes of water from aquifers, is today the largest and best established segment of the market, Dr. Glass estimates that the markets for metal and radionuclide cleanup are capable of more dramatic growth, due to the larger revenue that can be expected per site on such projects. Dr. Glass estimates that the overall U.S. phytoremediation market might grow to $24-50 million by 2000 and to $100-200 million by 2005 (see the table below).

Dr. Glass's presentation, which led off the two-day meeting that was attended by over 150 people from several countries, also included an overview of the emerging phytoremediation industry in the U.S. and Europe. Among the companies commercializing or investigating phytoremediation are several consulting/engineering firms, about a dozen chemical and oil companies researching the technology for their own sites, and eight small U.S. firms and four European companies developing phytoremediation methods as their sole or primary remediation technology. In addition, numerous university, government and other non-profit laboratories are conducting phytoremediation research, as are several key U.S. government agencies.

A manuscript version of Dr. Glass's IBC presentation will be available later this year as part of the conference proceedings, through the IBC Library Service (contact Christina Butkiewicus at 508-481-6400 for more information). Dr. Glass is also preparing an expanded version of this workshop presentation as a market report that is expected to be available for purchase from D. Glass Associates in early 1998. Contact Dr. Glass at 617-653-9945, fax 781-449-8045, or DGlassAssc@aol.com, for further information or to order a copy of this report.

International Business Communications, Inc., is one of the leading business information specialists. Over 25 years of international experience in conferences and publishing - IBC meets the business information needs of corporate management in over 13 countries and 100 different subject areas. This results in a rapidly growing organization which delivers optimal value to delegates, exhibitors, sponsors, and speakers over 400 times per year.

D. Glass Associates, Inc. is a consulting firm specializing in market and technology assessments and technology transfer in hazardous waste remediation, with particular emphasis on bioremediation and phytoremediation. David Glass has previously presented and published reports on international bioremediation activities and markets, and on the impact of biotechnology regulation on bioremediation and phytoremediation activities.

	1997	2000	2005
Removal of Organics from Groundwater	2-3	6-12	20-45
Removal of Metals from Soil	1-2	10-20	40-80
Remediation of Radionuclides	0-0.5	4-10	25-50
Metal Removal from Industrial Wastewater	0-0.1	1-2	3-5
Other	0-1.4	3-6	12-20
Total U.S. Phytoremediation Market	3-7	24-50	100-200
Microbial Bioremediation (for comparison)	200-250	300-500	400-700

Source: D. Glass Associates, Inc. estimates.