PJB-2023-284
Phytoremediation of heavy metals: An ecofriendly green approach.
Saira Mumtaz
Abstract
The environment has been contaminated with heavy metals derived from various anthropogenic activities such as fuel production, insecticides, smelting process, and toxic chemicals. Heavy metals entering the plant body make their own way and are accessible to the food chain through successive trophic levels, exerting severe effects on human health. Currently, huge amounts of heavy metals are present in the environment, such as arsenic, nickel(Ni) , cadmium(Cd), copper (Cu), chromium(Cr) , lead(Pb), and mercury(Hg), which affect both surface and ground water. . Various physiological, biological, and chemical practice are being used for the decontamination of heavy metals. Although these techniques are efficient but some of these strategies are time-consuming, expensive, and create destruction in environment. Recently, scientists and engineers have developed phytoremediation, an environmentally friend technology in which living plants or microorganisms are used. In principle, phytoremediation utilizes solar energy to restore polluted environments containing metals and metalloids. Hyperaccumulator plant species tolerate high amount of heavy metals. The types of phytoremediation have often been used in decontamination processes: phytodegradation, phytostabilization, rhizofiltration, phytoextraction, and phytovolatization. etc. Various transgenic plants have been developed for heavy metal tolerance. In recent years, knowledge of molecular and physiological phytoremediation has emerged, along with biological and engineering techniques to optimize and improve phytoremediation strategies. This review discusses eco-friendly, cost-effective, and green phytoremediation technology that can be used to eliminate heavy metals and other pollutants from the environment.
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