Phytoremediation Mechanisms of Heavy Metal Contaminated Soils: A Review

Abstract

Phytoremediation is a green emerging technology used to remove pollutants from environment components. Mechanisms used to remediate soils contaminated by heavy metal are: phytoextraction, phytostabilisation, phytovolatilization and rhizofiltration. The two first mechanisms are the most reliable. Many factors influence the choice of the suitable phytoremediation strategy for soil decontamination. It depends on soil properties, heavy metal levels and characteristics, plant species and climatic conditions. The present review discusses factors affecting heavy metals uptake by plant species, the different phytoremediation strategies of heavy metal contaminated soils and the advantages and disadvantages of phytoremediation and each of its mechanisms.

Serratiasp.CP‐13 augments the growth of cadmium (Cd)‐stressedLinum usitatissimumL. by limited Cd uptake, enhanced nutrient acquisition and antioxidative potential

“…Numerous methods have been used for remediation of heavy metal contaminated soils including thermal desorption, vitrification, soil flushing and solidification/stabilization (Laghlimi et al . ). By burying and diluting the polluted soil with cleaner one, it is possible to remediate the metal contaminated soils making them useful for crop cultivation.…”

“…At high concentration, it reduces the metabolic processes of plants, including photosynthesis, respiration, cell division, nitrogen metabolism and mineral nutrition (Gallego et al 2012;Rehman et al 2017). Numerous methods have been used for remediation of heavy metal contaminated soils including thermal desorption, vitrification, soil flushing and solidification/stabilization (Laghlimi et al 2015). By burying and diluting the polluted soil with cleaner one, it is possible to remediate the metal contaminated soils making them useful for crop cultivation.…”

Bacterial inoculants for enhanced seed germination of Spartina densiflora: Implications for restoration of metal polluted areas

“…But recently phytoremediation, the use of plants to act upon the pollutants, by extracting, degrading or immobilizing them, is gaining momentum, due to its cost-effectiveness, long-term applicability and ecological compatibility (Tangahu et al, 2011;Laghlimi et al, 2015). Among plant species with phytoremediation potential, the halophyte cordgrass Spartina densiflora possesses a high capacity for accumulating heavy metals in its tissues, particularly in roots (Mateos-Naranjo et al, 2008a, 2008b, 2015a, as well as for phytostabilizing them in its rhizosphere (Cambrollé et al, 2008;Redondo-Gómez et al, 2011;Redondo-Gómez, 2013).…”

Phytoremediation performance of floating treatment wetlands with pelletized mine water sludge for synthetic greywater treatment

“…Zn, Cu and Ni are elements that are smoothly absorbed and transported to plant shoots. Finally, Cd has serious negative effects on the plant food chain [71].…”

“…Although it has been reported that concentrations of metals in below−ground plant tissues are higher than in plant parts located aboveground, it is necessary to consider the biomass of each plant part to evaluate the total accumulation amount [71]. Translocation of accumulated metals in plant tissues could be affected by the interference of several factors such as water pH, microorganism activities as well as plant species and their enzymes [66].…”