Phytoremediation is an emerging technology that uses
various plants to degrade, extract, contain, or immobilize
contaminants from soil and water. This technology has been
receiving attention lately as an innovative, cost-effective
alternative to the more established treatment methods used
at hazardous waste sites.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seeks
to protect human health and the environment from risks
associated with hazardous waste sites, while encouraging
development of innovative technologies such as
phytoremediation to more efficiently clean up these sites.
This document reports the results of phytoremediation
efforts as originally reported by researchers. No attempts
were made to validate data obtained from the literature.