Phytoremediation

Contamination of soil and sediment causes adverse affects on human health through various routes of exposure such as inhalation of particulate matter, direct contact and ingestion through the food chain. Nevertheless, it is possible to safeguard public health through the remediation of contaminated sites, which can then be reused for various future activities. Ecologically sustainable remediation techniques show some advantages over chemical–physical treatments, such as a substantial reduction in waste volumes compared with techniques such as soil incineration or excavation and transfer to landfill sites. Eco-friendly methods achieve the destruction of pollutants when possible, or their conversion into harmless, or at least less dangerous, substances. There are several bioremediation techniques, one of which is phytoremediation. It is an environmentally friendly technique that uses plants and microorganisms for soil remediation. Phytoremediation does not interfere with the ecosystem and requires little manpower and therefore is advantageous from the economic point of view compared with traditional chemical–physical techniques. This chapter describes the phytoremediation process, analyzing the techniques currently available, its use throughout the world and the future prospects of this eco-friendly method that is increasingly attracting the interest of the technological and scientific community, but also public opinion and public administration, thus offering the reader an overview of one of the emerging technologies used in environmental remediation.