Beatriz, Marl Denver

Makatangay, Allysa Lhemuel

Reyes, Monica Pauline
Q3A
LATIN: “PHYTO”, meaning “plant” “REMEDIUM”,
meaning “restoring balance”

thus, “PHYTOREMEDIATION” is a generic term for

the group of technologies that use plants to:
• remediate soils and sludges
• remediate water with organic and
inorganic contaminants
I. TREATING SOIL CONTAMINANTS
• Excavation
• thermal treatment
• acid leaching
• electro reclamation

II. TREATING WATER CONTAMINANTS

• sedimentation
• thermal treatment with
mechanical filtration
Pollutants from soil, sediment and water

PLANTS
- acts as filter to stabilize metal
contaminants
- Breakdown and degrade organic
pollutants

Examples of Phytoextraction from soil:

• Arsenic (SUNFLOWER)
• Cadmium (WILLOW)
• Cadmium and Zinc (ALPINE PENNYCRESS)
• Lead (INDIAN MUSTARD)
• Mercury, Selenium and Organic pollutants
(POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS)
1. Phytoextraction (subprocess to remove harmful
elements from soil or water)

2. Phytostabilization (immobilization of heavy metals)

3. Phytotransformation (phytodegradation,
breakdown of organic contaminants)

4. Phytostimulation (enhanced rhizosphere

biodegradation, use of microbial activity)

5. Phytovolatilization (uptake and transpiration of

contaminants)

6. Rhizofiltration (use of hydroponically cultivated plant

roots to remediated pollutants)
NOTE: takes to clan up a site with
phytoremediation

FACTORS
• type and number of plant used
• type and amount of harmful chemical
present
• size and depth of polluted area
• type of soil and condition present
GENETIC ENGINEERING
• enhanced natural phytoremediation capabilities
• introduce new capabilities into plants
Example
o Gene encoding (enhanced resistance to toxicity of TNT)
o Methyl-mercury
a strong neurotoxc agent (detoxifiy by transgenic
plants like Arabodopsis and TOBACCO)
See-through solar window • utilizes several processes to
cells decontaminate polluted
Clean up technology sites
Green Freezers from Ben • saves energy
and Jerry’s • there are substantial cost
saving
• reduces erosion and dust
emission
• improves air quality
• Hydrangeas (responsible for drawing aluminum out of the
soil)
• Willow trees (absorb cadmium, zinc and copper)
• Nicotiana tabaccum (high tolerance to cadmium)
• Water Hyssop (removed lead, mercury, cadmium, and
chromium from bogs and wetland)
• Arabidopsis thaliana (high tolerance to mercury)