Environmental implications of coal mining and its sustainable mitigation by Phytoremediation: A comprehensive review

Coal mining activities are widely recognised for their adverse impacts on air quality, soil integrity, water resources, and ecosystem health, posing significant environmental and public health challenges in mining regions worldwide. While conventional mitigation measures such as topsoil replacement, water spraying, and sedimentation systems are commonly implemented, their effectiveness remains limited, site-specific, and often associated with high economic and environmental costs. In this context, phytoremediation has emerged as a sustainable, nature-based alternative for mitigating pollution associated with coal mining operations. This review synthesises and critically evaluates recent 5 years literature on the application of phytoremediation for the remediation of coal mining-impacted environments, drawing evidence from studies indexed in major scientific databases including web of sciences, google scholar, Scopus. Emphasis is placed on the comparative roles of different plant functional groups in the stabilisation, extraction, and attenuation of heavy metals and other mining-related contaminants across soil and water systems. The review further examines the effectiveness of phytoremediation under field-scale conditions, identifies key factors influencing remediation performance, and highlights limitations related to plant selection, contaminant bioavailability, and long-term site recovery. In addition, recent advancements that enhance phytoremediation efficiency, including genetic improvement of plants, nano-assisted phytoremediation, biochar integration, and microbe-assisted approaches, are critically discussed within the context of mining site rehabilitation. By consolidating current evidence and identifying persistent knowledge gaps, this review provides a focused and application-oriented framework to support the development of effective, scalable, and ecologically sustainable phytoremediation strategies for coal mining degraded landscapes.