Phytoremediation of Cadmium Toxicity in Water and Soil: A Sustainable, Multidisciplinary and Eco-Friendly Approach

In the modern era, pollution has become a major issue of concern worldwide. This might be due to the rapid advancement of industrialization, urbanization and agricultural practices. Indiscriminate disposal of heavy metals, especially cadmium and lead-loaded waste, presents a severe risk to human life and the ecosystem and seems to be a major issue of concern in the modern era. These pollutants finally settle in each and every phase of the earth contaminating the whole biosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere and hydrosphere. Phytoremediation is the method of utilization of plants for the treatment of contaminants from the environment or transformation of harmful into harmless forms. Phytoremediation proved to be the efficient, green approach, pollution-free, economical and ecofriendly alternative for the removal of hazardous heavy metals from polluted areas. Certain characteristics of plants which make them appropriate for the process of phytoremediation are fast growth, increased biological mass, hairy and high bioaccumulation coefficient and deep root system.