Phytoremediation of Arsenic: Fundamental Studies, Practical Applications, and Future Prospects

Arsenic is a toxic element that is naturally present but is also introduced through a variety of anthropogenic activities. Phytoremediation, which is the use of green plants to minimize the impact of toxic substances, has been widely used for arsenic. Phytoextraction employs plants to accumulate toxins into aboveground biomass. Pteris vittata, commonly known as the brake fern, was the first species used for phytoextraction and the most widely investigated, although other Pteris plants have been successfully employed. Several studies have investigated the accumulation of arsenic in food plants to assess possible impact upon human health. Phytostabilization, which involves the use of contaminant-immobilizing soil amendments with plants to reduce contaminant availability, has been successfully employed for arsenic. It is expected that phytoremediation will be employed in the future as a low-cost alternative for the remediation of arsenic in soil.