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| In December, the Battelle Geneva Research Center was host to an academic working group examining the role of plant enzymes in the metabolism of organic pollutants as part of a research program, Plant Biotechnology for the Removal of Organic Pollutants and Toxic Metals from Wastewaters and Contaminated Sites. The program is sponsored by COST, a European initiative for scientific and technical cooperation.
The meeting united 40 scientists from 16 countries for the presentation and discussion of 20 papers. Topics covered included properties and effects of enzymes, metabolism of xenobiotics, and plant physiology. Battelle, with the Geneva Lullier Agronomy Research Station, gave a presentation of greenhouse research.
During an excursion to the Station, participants took a closer look at growth and phytotoxicity tests of plants on hydrocarbon-polluted soil and research into metals uptake by agricultural plants.
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COST research programs fall within the overall framework of the European Union support to research and development. Objectives are to encourage scientific exchange between countries and to create a network of contacts, exchanges of staff, and collaborative efforts in well-defined topics proposed by the scientific community.
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