Phytoremediation of contaminated soils using ornamental plants

Abstract

Phytoremediation has attracted increasing attention and is a promising technology for addressing soil contamination problems. Unlike other kinds of remediation plants, ornamental plants grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects have been an important source of remediation plants in recent years. In addition to beautifying the environment, some ornamental plants can not only grow well but also accumulate or degrade contaminants when growing in soil contaminated with heavy metals or organic pollutants. Especially in contaminated urban areas, it is comparatively rare and commendable when remediation plants with ornamental value are applied. In this review, we summarized the current research on the phytoremediation of contaminated soils using ornamental plants, evaluated the phytoremediation capacity of ornamental plants in heavy-metal and organic pollutant-contaminated soils, and highlighted specific ornamental plants with a strong accumulation ability and tolerance to pollutants. The findings related to the main mechanisms of the phytoremediation of contaminated soils were explained. Enhancement measures aimed at promoting the bioavailability of contaminants and the tolerance of ornamental plants were also reviewed in this article. It is hoped that this study will draw attention to a new path for phytoremediation technology.