PHYTOREMEDIATION: USING PLANTS TO CLEAN UP CONTAMINATED SOILSWITHHEAVYMETALS

Understanding how plants accumulate and store metal ions is relevant to two important applications: metal nutrition for humans and in agriculture; and metal detoxification using plants as biological detoxification systems for the ‘phytoremediation’ of metal contamination in the environment. Human activities all over the earth have increased environmental pollution by heavy metals in agricultural soil. Phytoremediation is a new technology in which plants are used to remove pollutants from water and soil. The use of metal-accumulating plants to clean environment contaminated with heavy metals is the most rapidly developing component of this environmentally friendly and cost-effective technology. The ever-increasing environmental pollution in agricultural soil caused by heavy metals due to application of sewage sludge, city refuse, and heavy metals containing fertilizers or pesticides, is becoming a major problem in modern agriculture. This article reviews recent discovery, remediation technologies as well as heavy metal accumulation in medicinal plants.

MOHAMMAD RAHIMI, REZA FARHADI1, RAHMANMEHDIZADEH2