Phytoremediation of Lead in Soil: Recent Applications and Future Prospects

Lead is a very serious contaminant in soil because of its widespread previous application in residential, agricultural, and industrial environments combined with its severe impacts upon human health, particularly upon children. Phytoremediation is a nontraditional approach to remediate contaminated soil involving the use of green plants. Phytostabilization involves the use of plants to stabilize contaminants to reduce human exposure. Phytoextraction involves the use of plants to accumulate contaminants in aboveground shoots, which can be harvested to recycle or discard. Recent phytomediation work has indicated the importance of determining the chemical forms of lead present at a site to develop the most appropriate remediation strategy. Lead phytoextraction typically involves the addition of a chelating agent in order to increase the bioavailability of this contaminant. Because concerns have been raised regarding the persistence of chelating agents in the environment, several research teams have investigated the use biodegradable compounds for this application. It is anticipated that phytoremediation will continue to be a low-cost approach for the remediation of lead in soil.