The possibilities of water purification using phytofiltration methods: a review of recent progress

Abstract

Contaminated water can be purified using mechanical, chemical, or biological methods. Environmentally safe technology of phytoremediation involving plant metabolism is also an alternative solution. Phytofiltration, classified as one of the most promising among phytoremediation, is a technique that relies on remediation of contaminated water through absorption or precipitation and further concentration of pollutants. Currently, only very few plant species are known to be fully suitable to be used for this technology. Such species can efficiently remove toxic metal ions from a solution because of rapidly grown biomass. The selection of suitable plant material for phytofiltration is still considered the most difficult step, especially when purification of groundwater contaminated with a mixture of compounds is concerned. The advantages of this technique are presented herein, especially in relation to water reservoirs contaminated with trace metals.

Mechanisms of arsenic assimilation by plants and countermeasures to attenuate its accumulation in crops other than rice

“…The use of clean or purified irrigation water would be the most obvious approach; however, the exploitation of physico-chemical techniques is impractical from a techno-economic viewpoint. A sustainable option, which, however, implies periodical pumping of groundwater and its accumulation in treatment basins, might be represented by the phytofiltration, a range of techniques relying on plants/roots to perform water decontamination (Hanus-Fajerska and Kozminska, 2016). Aquatic, semi-aquatic, and terrestrial plants have been successfully used to perform arsenic removal from water (Haque et al, 2007).…”

“…However, for the sake of brevity, the vast subject of soil remediation techniques will not be taken into consideration in the present review for two main reasons. First, the topic has been faced thoroughly by very comprehensive reviews (Wang and Mulligan, 2006a;Butcher, 2009;Sarkar and Paul, 2016;Hanus-Fajerska and Kozminska, 2016). Second, and more importantly, the implementation of soil remediation techniques requires generally the set-aside of the treated soil until the achievement of clean-up goals.…”