Phytoremediation Review: Bioavailability of heavy metals and the role of bioaccumulative plants in the remediation of contaminated soils

Soil pollution by heavy metals has become a global problem, as soil contamination by pollutants of mineral origin poses many risks to the environment and human health. To cope with this problem, researchers have developed many treatment techniques, and among these techniques is a botanical treatment which depends on the use of plants called heavy metal bioaccumulating plants to clean up contaminated soils, this technique has several processes such as phytoaccumulation, phytovolatilization, phytoextraction, phytodegradation etc. this review deals with the different mechanisms involved in phytoremediation, their advantages/limitations, the factors influencing bioaccumulation and mobility of metals in soil, and the different families of heavy metal bioaccumulating plants