A Systematic Review on the Phytoremediation Potential of Grass Species in Ethiopia

Environmental contamination has shown an increasing trend due to urbanization, industrialization, and the intensive use of pesticides and fertilizers in Ethiopia. In response to this, phytoremediation has gained attention as an inexpensive and eco-friendly approach to the protection of soil, water, and air from contamination. However, scientific works that reviewed studies in the area are scarce. Thus, this review is aimed at compiling findings and evaluating the potential role of grass in phytoremediation in Ethiopia. Information of this type was retrieved from international scientific databases of Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Keywords include "native grasses," "phytoremediation," "Ethiopia," and "heavy metals." The data was extracted on the grass species, the phytoremediation mechanism, the bioaccumulation factor, the translocation factor, biomass production, growth rate, and others. This systematic review attempts to gather articles on grasses used for phytoremediation in Ethiopia. Following PRISMA guidelines, relevant keywords were used to search articles. A total of 17 grass species have been recognized for their phytoremediation ability. The results found that grass species such as Chrysopogon zizanioides, Rumex nepalensis, Chloris gayana, and Cyperus spp. are highly used for phytoremediation. This review confirms that Ethiopia's indigenous grassland is a precious and still relatively underexploited resource for developing cost-effective environmental improvement practices. Thus, it is highly recommended that future efforts focus on large-scale in situ field trials using grass species and explore methods to maximize remediation effectiveness.