Phytoremediation

The accumulation of large amounts of contaminants occurs in the environment due to industrialization and various other anthropogenic activities. These contaminants ultimately affect plant, animal, human, and environmental health worldwide. Organic, inorganic, and radioactive substances are the prevalent forms of environmental contaminants and their complete remediation in soils and sediments is rather a difficult task. Concerns of their toxicities led to the emphasis on development of effective techniques to assess the presence and mobility of contaminants in air, water, and soil. Many technologies are now in use to clean and eliminate hazardous contaminants from the environment; however, these technologies can be costly, labor intensive, and often distressing to the general public. Phytoremediation is a simple, cost-effective, environmentally friendly and fast-emerging new technology for eliminating toxic contaminants from different environments. Phytoremediation refers to the natural ability of certain plants and their associated microbiome (including hyper-accumulators or bio-accumulators) to remove, degrade, or render contaminants harmless. Researchers have recognized the potential of phytoremediation to offer a green, cost-effective, eco-friendly and feasible application to address some of the world’s many environmental challenges. Phytoremediation: Management of Environmental Contaminants, Volume 7 highlights the various prospects that are involved in current global phytoremediation research. This book delivers a content-rich source to the reader and can act as a platform for further studies. It should meet the needs of all researchers working in, or have an interest in this particular field.