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Updated: Jul 2, 2026

Integrated Field Lysimetry and Porewater Sampling for Evaluation of Chemical Mobility in Soils and Established Vegetation
Published on: July 4, 2014
Phytoremediation of organic contaminants in soil and groundwater
Thomas G Reichenauer1, James J Germida
1Department of Environmental Research, Austrian Research Centers GmbH-ARC, Seibersdorf, 2444, Austria. thomas.reichenauer@arcs.ac.at
Abstract:
Phytoremediation is an emerging technology for the clean-up of sites contaminated with hazardous chemicals. The term phytoremediation refers to a number of technologies that use photoautotrophic vascular plants for the remediation of sites contaminated with inorganic and organic contaminants. Phytoremediation of organic contaminants can be organized by considering 1) the green liver concept, which elucidates the metabolism of contaminants in planta versus that of contaminants ex planta (e.g. rhizosphere), 2) processes that lead to complete degradation (mineralization) of contaminants as opposed to those that only lead to partial degradation or transformation, and 3) active plant uptake versus passive processes (e.g. sorption). Understanding of these processes needs an interdisciplinary approach involving chemists, biologists, soil scientists, and environmentalists. This Review presents the basic concepts of phytoremediation of organic contaminants in soil and groundwater using selected contaminants as examples.
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