Phytoremediation: Mechanisms, plant selection and enhancement by natural and synthetic agents

With current intensive agriculture practices and industrialization, pollution of natural resources like land and water with heavy metals, organic pollutants, radionuclides, pesticides, and fertilizers has become a major concern. Phytoremediation is a cost-effective and environmentally friendly technique that utilizes plants to immobilize, uptake, reduce toxicity, stabilize, or degrade the compounds that are released into the environment from different sources. Studies have shown that heavy metals, organic contaminants, radionuclides, antibiotics, and pesticides can be remediated using plants. Though phytoremediation has been practiced since decades, it is still an emerging technology. This review article…