Phytoextraction: Plants That Clean Up Polluted Soil
Mining and metallurgical activities severely degrade and erode the soil, preventing vegetation from growing there.
It is possible to restore ecosystems using phytoextraction: certain plants extract metal elements from the soil and store them in their leaves.
This technique is inexpensive, creates a circular economy, and enables soil rehabilitation as part of an ecological restoration approach.
However, phytoextraction has certain limitations, such as the total duration of the process or the natural capacities of the plants.
The same process is being developed for water remediation using aquatic plants: this is known as rhizofiltration.
Polytechnique Insights
, April 19, 2023