Phytoremediation: A new technology for the environmental cleanup of toxic metals

Toxic metal-contaminated soils, aqueous waste streams and ground waters pose a major environmental and human health problem. The use of plants to remove these pollutants would provide an efficient, low cost, in situ cleanup technology able to remove toxic metals from the site leaving it intact for normal ecosystem redevelopment. We have demonstrated that the Indian mustard plant Brassica juncea can efficiently accumulate Pd, Zn, Cd, Cr(VI), Ni and Cu from soils or water into both roots and shoots. These uptake characteristics coupled with B. juncea high biomass and good agronomic practices make this an ideal plant for phytoremediation.