Phytoremediation: Stratagem Against Heavy Metal Contamination

The concentration of heavy metals in soil has significantly risen due to a number of natural and anthropogenic processes. Heavy metals are indigestible by plants, persisting in the environment, can enter the diet through agricultural crops, and ultimately accumulate in the human body through biomagnification. Additionally, their toxic properties have caused a serious problem for both human well-being and the biosphere. This makes remediation of contaminated soil a vital issue. Serious drawbacks to many physical and chemical techniques employed in remediation include high cost, labor-intensive nature, change in soil qualities, and disruption of the soil's natural microbiota. Phytoremediation is a practical and ecologically favorable mitigation solution for the cost-effective revegetation of heavy metal-polluted soil. It involves reducing the negative impacts or levels of contaminants in the environment by utilizing plants and associated soil microbes. Furthermore, genetically engineered plants or microbes are used in combination with plants to enhance their capacity for phytoremediation. To increase efficiency, it is important to know the underlying mechanism behind the buildup of heavy metals and plant tolerance. In this review, we have tried to discuss the ways in which plants absorb, move, and eliminate heavy metals from the environment. We have attempted to focus on techniques that improve the efficiency of phytoremediation solutions aided by genetic engineering and microbes.