An Overview on Phytoremediation as a Promising Technology for Environmental Depollution

The paper develops a succinct analysis of the phytoremediation process of soils polluted with heavy metals. A number of basic aspects regarding the pollution of soils with heavy metals and the consequences of this phenomenon are presented. Also, the mechanisms by which some plants absorb heavy metal ions are described, a series of studies are presented in which different categories of plants were used as hyperaccumulators to remove heavy metals from the soil and possibilities to intensify phytoremediation. Based on information from the literature, the removal of heavy metal ions (or associated with this group of chemical elements) from the soil, such as cadmium, arsenic, mercury, selenium was explored. The analysis presented in the paper could support and justify the application of phytoremediation as an alternative for environmental remediation in friendly conditions, with low costs and without additional negative impacts on the environment