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    Six Types of Phytoremediation

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    Chan Kian
    Plants can be used to clean up contaminated soil, water, and air through a process called phytoremediation. There are six main types of phytoremediation: 1) Phytosequestration immobilizes contaminants through absorption and adsorption around plant roots. 2) Rhizodegradation stimulates bacteria around roots to degrade soil contaminants. 3) Phytohydraulics uses deep-rooted plants to contain and degrade groundwater contaminants. 4) Phytoextraction removes contaminants from the environment by taking them up into harvestable plant tissues. 5) Phytovolatilization transpired volatile compounds through leaves into the atmosphere. 6) Phytodegradation metabolizes contamin

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    Six Types of Phytoremediation

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    Chan Kian
    193 views5 pages
    Plants can be used to clean up contaminated soil, water, and air through a process called phytoremediation. There are six main types of phytoremediation: 1) Phytosequestration immobilizes contaminants through absorption and adsorption around plant roots. 2) Rhizodegradation stimulates bacteria around roots to degrade soil contaminants. 3) Phytohydraulics uses deep-rooted plants to contain and degrade groundwater contaminants. 4) Phytoextraction removes contaminants from the environment by taking them up into harvestable plant tissues. 5) Phytovolatilization transpired volatile compounds through leaves into the atmosphere. 6) Phytodegradation metabolizes contamin

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    Plants can be used to clean up contaminated soil, water, and air through a process called phytoremediation. There are six main types of phytoremediation: 1) Phytosequestration immobilizes contaminants through absorption and adsorption around plant roots. 2) Rhizodegradation stimulates bacteria around roots to degrade soil contaminants. 3) Phytohydraulics uses deep-rooted plants to contain and degrade groundwater contaminants. 4) Phytoextraction removes contaminants from the environment by taking them up into harvestable plant tissues. 5) Phytovolatilization transpired volatile compounds through leaves into the atmosphere. 6) Phytodegradation metabolizes contamin

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    193 views5 pages

    Six Types of Phytoremediation

    Uploaded by

    Chan Kian
    Plants can be used to clean up contaminated soil, water, and air through a process called phytoremediation. There are six main types of phytoremediation: 1) Phytosequestration immobilizes contaminants through absorption and adsorption around plant roots. 2) Rhizodegradation stimulates bacteria around roots to degrade soil contaminants. 3) Phytohydraulics uses deep-rooted plants to contain and degrade groundwater contaminants. 4) Phytoextraction removes contaminants from the environment by taking them up into harvestable plant tissues. 5) Phytovolatilization transpired volatile compounds through leaves into the atmosphere. 6) Phytodegradation metabolizes contamin

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    Six Types of Phytoremediation

    BY THERESA PHILLIPS Updated October 30, 2017

    Phytoremediation is a form of bioremediation and applies to all chemical or physical processes that
    involve plants for degrading or immobilizing contaminants in soil and groundwater. The word
    (which does not roll off the tongue) actually makes sense. It comes from the Greek
    word phyto meaning "plant" and the Latin word remedium meaning "restoring balance." When put
    together, the two words refer to the technologies that use living plants to clean up soil, air, and
    water contaminated with hazardous chemicals.

    Why People Use Phytoremediation


    Phytoremediation is a cost-effective plant-based approach of remediation that takes advantage of
    the ability of plants to concentrate elements and compounds from the environment and to
    metabolize various molecules in their tissues. It refers to the natural ability of certain plants called
    hyperaccumulators to bioaccumulate, degrade, or render harmless contaminants in soils, water, or
    air. Toxic heavy metals and organic pollutants are the major targets for phytoremediation.
    Knowledge of the physiological and molecular mechanisms of phytoremediation began to emerge
    in recent years together with biological and engineering strategies designed to optimize and
    improve phytoremediation. In addition, several field trials confirmed the feasibility of using plants
    for environmental cleanup.

    While the technology is not new, current trends suggest its popularity is growing. The following is a
    list of six different types of phytoremediation with explanations describing how they work.

    01 Phytosequestration

    •••
    Also called phytostabilization. Many different processes fall under this category which can involve
    absorption by roots, adsorption to the surface of roots or the production of biochemicals by the
    plant that are released into the soil or groundwater in the immediate vicinity of the roots, and can
    sequester, precipitate, or otherwise, immobilize nearby contaminants.
    02 Rhizodegradation
    This takes place in the soil or groundwater immediately surrounding the plant roots. Exudates
    from plants stimulate rhizosphere bacteria to enhance biodegradation of soil contaminants.
    03 Phytohydraulics
    Use of deep-rooted plants (usually trees) to contain, sequester or degrade groundwater
    contaminants that come into contact with their roots. In one example of this, poplar trees were
    used to contain a groundwater plume of methyl-tert-butyl-ether (MTBE) (Hong et al. 2001.
    Environmental Science and Technology 35(6):1231-1239).

    04 Phytoextraction
    Also known as phytoaccumulation. Plants take up or hyper-accumulate contaminants through their
    roots and store them in the tissues of the stem or leaves. The contaminants are not necessarily
    degraded but are removed from the environment when the plants are harvested. This is particularly
    useful for removing metals from soil and, in some cases, the metals can be recovered for reuse, by
    incinerating the plants, in a process called phytomining.
    05 Phytovolatilization
    Plants take up volatile compounds through their roots, and transpire the same compounds, or their
    metabolites, through the leaves, thereby releasing them into the atmosphere.

    06 Phytodegradation
    Contaminants are taken up into the plant tissues where they are metabolized, or biotransformed.
    Where the transformation takes place depends on the type of plant, and can occur in roots, stem or
    leaves.

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