Pytosequestration Research Paper

Phytosequestration"- Phytosequestration, also called phytostabilization, is a process within the root zone that limits the migration of metals through complexation, precipitation or change to less hazardous state. It generally alters the chemical and microbial composition of the soil. The transfer of pollutants between the plant cells is being facilitated by transport proteins, cells contain vacuole that acts as storage for waste in the plant. These vacuoles of root cells store contaminants that prevent any further translocation to the xylem.

Phytosequestration does not need harvesting and disposal of plant, as the pollutants are absorbed by the soil; however, assessment of the system is important to validate that translocation of pollutants

In natural phytoextraction, natural metal hyperaccumulametal phyhe ing plants have ability to remove appreciable quantity of metals from soil, and efficiently translocate metals from roots to shoots, and due to inbuilt mechanisms to detoxify metals, can collect and endure high metal concentrations in the tissues. On the contrary, in chemically induced phytoextraction, metal transfer and uptake to shoots is facilitated by chemical modification in soil. Another major difference between the natural and induced phytoextraction is that natural hyperaccumulators have low growth rate and produce poor biomass and it may require decades to cut the heavy metal concentration in soil to environmentally tolerable levels, whereas induced phytoextraction produces high biomass yields, in which metal hyperaccumulation is triggered through application of chemicals to soil that increase the metal phytoavailability and translocation from root to shoot. This technique uses metal chelators, such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), N-hydroxyethyl-EDTA (HEDTA) or citric acid. It was found that in Pisum sativum, after the addition of EDTA, an increase in Pb uptake was observed in shoots from 50 mg/kg to up to 11,000

The process, Rhizoremediation also involves microbial degraders associated with aquatic plants as in the atrazine degradation by hornwort. This type of rhizosphere phytoremediation can be used as an economical approach to remove organic pollutants from the soil. The rhizosphere serves as niche for microorganisms in soil to live which is continuously intensifying as roots grow and penetrate new soil zones. The rhizosphere may serve as energy source for microorganisms involved in degradation, or support the process of pollutant degradation. Another advantage of phytostimulation is the development of new microorganisms, which may be inoculated on plant seed to initiate specific organisms to the growing rhizosphere. Inoculated organisms may be genetically engineered that may perform a specific function of interest for detoxification.

Phytovolatilization - Photovolatilization is a process, in which growing plants absorb water and organic contaminants from soil and through its way from the roots to the leaves along the vascular system of the plant, and evaporate them as volatile form into the atmosphere. Phytovolatilization has been earlier used to eradicate mercury by converting the mercuric ion into less toxic elemental