Abstract
Accelerated urbanization has induced the accumulation of toxic substances in urban soils, calling for sustainable remediation methods such as phytoremediation. Here, we review the phytoremediation of contaminants in urban soils with focus on species selection for remediation, mechanisms of remediation, and strategies for enhancing remediation. Plants can remove up to more than 95% of contaminants in soils. The choice of plants varies depends on the specific pollutants present in the soil. For instance, Bidens pilosa L. can be utilized to remove cadmium, while Pelargonium roseum is effective in removing nickel and lead. The mechanisms of phytoremediation involve absorption, translocation, stabilization, and volatilization of contaminants by plants. The phytoremediation efficiency can be enhanced by the addition of microorganisms, chelating agents, and biochar in soils, and by genetic engineering and nanotechnology.
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References
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia, under the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS) Phase 1/2022 for supporting this project (Reference No: FRGS/1/2022/TK08/UMT/01/1), Vot No: 59703). The manuscript is supported by the Program for Innovative Research Team (in Science and Technology) in the University of Henan Province (No. 21IRTSTHN020) and Central Plain Scholar Funding Project of Henan Province (No. 212101510005). The authors would like to thank Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences for the facilities and support provided.
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YZ contributed to data curation, validation, writing—original draft, methodology, and writing—review & editing. HG contributed to methodology and writing—review & editing. HL contributed to methodology and writing—review & editing. SSL contributed to methodology, writing—review & editing, and supervision. CS contributed to writing—review & editing. MV contributed to writing—review & editing. HSN contributed to writing—review & editing. RKL contributed to writing–review & editing. WP contributed to funding acquisition, writing—review & editing, and supervision.
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Zhu, Y., Gu, H., Li, H. et al. Phytoremediation of contaminants in urban soils: a review. Environ Chem Lett 22, 355–371 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-023-01663-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-023-01663-6