Phytoremediation

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Phytoremediation uses plants to clean the air, soil, and water of contaminants.

It’s an environmental cleanup technique that uses plants to remove, detoxify, or immobilize contaminants. The method leverages the natural processes of plants and their associated microorganisms to address pollutants in a cost-effective and sustainable way.

The following database has been used by the EPA, landscape architecture and engineering firms, and government agencies for this purpose.

Key terms

A plant that accumulates contaminants from the soil, air or water
A plant that takes up more contaminants from the soil, air or water
A plant that indicates through color that a contaminant is in the soil, air or water
The process of breaking apart or degrading a contaminant or pollutant
The process of taking in the contaminant to the roots, stem or leaves
The process of holding the contaminant in place (stabilizing it) but not taking it in
A plant that prepares the site for further stages of growth and accumulation of tolerants
A plant that is able to tolerate or endure and grow with the contaminants on site

The Phytoremediation Database

Contaminant Types

There are multiple people who help keep this database running and growing. They include: Kyla Witz, Jennifer Russo, and Michael Naughton most notably. The phytoremediation society has also been generous with research for updating the database, as well some members who gave early reviews. Please feel free to contact me with more studies, research or questions about phytoremediation or how it works on different sites.