Phytoextraction: a cost-effective plant-based technology for the removal of metals from the environment

Phytoremediation is an emerging technology that uses plants to clean up pollutants (metals and organics) from the environment. Within this field of phytoremediation, the utilization of plants to transport and concentrate metals from the soil into the harvestable parts of roots and above-ground shoots is usually called phytoextraction. Most traditional remediation methods do not provide acceptable solutions for the removal of metals from soils. By contrast, phytoextraction of metals is a cost-effective approach that uses metal-accumulating plants to clean up these soils. Subsequently, the harvestable parts, rich in accumulated metals, can be easily and safely processed by drying, ashing or composting. Some extracted metals can also be reclaimed from the ash, generating recycling revenues. Phytoextraction appears a very promising technology for the removal of metal pollutants from the environment and may be, at present, approaching commercialization.