PHYTO-REMEDIATION

The use of plants to cleanse polluted and contaminated soils. Under this process, certain plants (e.g., sunflowers and Indian mustard) are highly effective in removing heavy metals and other toxic wastes through their uptake of water in the soil, a process which may be enhanced by the addition of chemicals to facilitate the absorption process. The plants are then harvested and discarded in a specially designated site of sent to a smelter where the metals can be extracted and sold off. The process, of course, is limited to the depth of the plant's roots.