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Phytoremediation: General Account and Its Application

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Plant Biology and Biotechnology

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Abstract

Developmental activities have resulted in contamination of the environment and thus disturbed the ecosystem. One of the main agenda for scientific community has been remediation of contaminated sites which has been expensive and intrusive to the ecosystem. Phytoremediation is a set of different processes/techniques which uses plants for containment, destruction, or extraction of contaminants. Various processes involved in phytoremediation are phytodegradation, phytoextraction, rhizofiltration, phytostabilization, phytovolatilization, and hydraulic control. This chapter highlights various processes involved in phytoremediation along with the essential components of phytoremediation. Emphasis is also given on recent advancements in phytoremediation in which microbe-assisted phytoremediation and use of transgenic plants have been discussed. This technology has been receiving attention because of its cost-effectiveness and environment-friendly approach. Therefore, phytoremediation may open a new avenue for a broader and more efficient and sustainable solution for the remediation of contaminated sites.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Eco-System Division, CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI), Nehru Marg, Nagpur, Maharashtra, 400 020, India

    Jitendra K. Sharma & Asha A. Juwarkar

Authors
  1. Jitendra K. Sharma
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  2. Asha A. Juwarkar
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Correspondence to Asha A. Juwarkar .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Sri Biotech Laboratories India Limited, Hyderabad, Telangana, India

    Bir Bahadur

  2. Department of Genetics, University of Delhi, New Delhi, Delhi, India

    Manchikatla Venkat Rajam

  3. Division of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Bangalore, Karnataka, India

    Leela Sahijram

  4. Center for Pharmaceutics, Pharmacognosy and Pharmacology, School of Life Sciences, Institute of Trans-Disciplinary Health Science and Technology (IHST), Bangalore, Karnataka, India

    K. V. Krishnamurthy

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Sharma, J.K., Juwarkar, A.A. (2015). Phytoremediation: General Account and Its Application. In: Bahadur, B., Venkat Rajam, M., Sahijram, L., Krishnamurthy, K. (eds) Plant Biology and Biotechnology. Springer, New Delhi. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-2283-5_34

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