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Phytoremediation of Metals and Radionuclides

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Microbial Technologies in Industrial Wastewater Treatment

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Abstract

Phytoremediation is a technique implementing the sources of plants for the removal of toxic contaminants from land, soil, and air. Heavy metals like cadmium, chromium, arsenic, mercury, lead, zinc, iron, manganese, nickel, etc., are highly toxic in accumulation, thereby leading to various ill-effects on the environment and living beings. Radionuclides might get deposited in the soil due to mining, milling, leaching, natural weathering, and the time of deposition is a major factor taken into consideration for its quantum. Radionuclides like uranium (234,235,238), radium, cesium-137, plutonium- (238–241), and strontium-90 available in the form of solution create a chance to get along easily with the food chain and henceforth, resulting in the genetic mutations and life-threating diseases. Phytostabilization, phytodegradation, phytovolatalization, phytoextraction, phytoimmobilization, chelate-enhanced phytoremediation, rhizodegradation, and rhizofiltration are the various mechanisms adopted for the treatment of metals and radionuclides. The main advantages of phytoremediation are low cost, ecofriendly, pollution-free, less disruptive, and leading a sustainable environment for the future generations. The recent technique adopted is to increase the production of phytoremediating plants and how to improve the accumulation and uptake rate of heavy metals and radionuclides. This review also comprises the different techniques involved, advantages, disadvantages, limitations, and challenges faced in phytoremediation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biotechnology, Rajalakshmi Engineering College, Chennai, 602105, India

    Anitha Thulasisingh, Vishal Amit Kannan & Srivarshini Govindarajan

  2. Department of Chemical Engineering, Sri Sivasubramaniya Nadar College of Engineering, Chennai, 603110, India

    Sathishkumar Kannaiyan & Sathishkumar Kannaiyan

Authors
  1. Anitha Thulasisingh
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  2. Sathishkumar Kannaiyan
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  3. Vishal Amit Kannan
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  4. Srivarshini Govindarajan
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Correspondence to Sathishkumar Kannaiyan .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Microbiology Lab, Ankleshwar, Gujarat, India

    Maulin P. Shah

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Thulasisingh, A., Kannaiyan, S., Kannan, V.A., Govindarajan, S. (2023). Phytoremediation of Metals and Radionuclides. In: Shah, M.P. (eds) Microbial Technologies in Industrial Wastewater Treatment. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-2435-6_11

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