A Burst of Sunshine for Radiation: Using Sunflowers to Extract Heavy Metals

Breaking down heavy metals (HM) usually calls for invasive and environmentally destructive techniques. However, phytoremediation is a rising, cost-effective method that uses plants to clean up contaminated soil. Such plants need to be able to tolerate the accumulation of HM without a detrimental impact to growth and productivity, and sunflowers (Helianthus annus.) can be a promising candidate for this approach. To research the effectiveness of phytoremediation, we conducted an explanatory review of the empirical and theoretical research in academic databases and three lab experiments done in Nigeria of 2009, in Germany of 2014, and India of 2019. Results demonstrate that sunflowers have the strongest potential for removing lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) from metal impacted soils, and while Zn is an essential nutrient, it can become toxic if it reaches a concentration level of 100 to 400 mg/kg. The exposure to these HM can have adverse consequences on our health if resurfaced from human activity, such as the ingestion of dirt, gardening, or mining, and can easily become airborne. Besides addressing soil contamination, findings suggest that harnessing the phytoremediation potential of sunflowers can improve environmental sustainability and raise awareness about toxic waste materials. While experiments have proven sunflowers effectiveness to remove HM, further research needs to be done to improve our understanding about HM uptake. More notably, we need in-depth studies on micro-biochemical approaches, and the long-term effects of using different fertilizers. Investigating the mechanisms at a physiological and molecular level will also magnify the promising future of phytoremediation