review · Tropical Aquatic and Soil Pollution
Urbanisation and industrial activity release emerging pollutants into water, soil, air, and dust. Although present at low concentrations, these substances can trigger endocrine disruption and other health risks in humans, alongside oxidative stress in other organisms. Phytoremediation uses plants and associated microorganisms as a cost-effective, green biotechnology to remediate contaminated sites. The uptake and processing of emerging pollutants aligns with the green liver model, which covers translocation, internal transformation and conjugation, and sequestration. Nevertheless, phytoremediation generally requires longer timeframes than alternative technologies, and efficacy remains constrained by plant biological conditions and ecological factors. Key barriers include a lack of data on pollutant metabolism inside plants, absent modelling frameworks, non-standardised monitoring practices, and limitations in analytical and remediation technologies. Sustainable phytomanagement approaches are proposed to address these limitations.
Emerging pollutants pose severe ecological and human health threats, including endocrine disruption, even when present in minute quantities. Identifying how vegetation and microbes neutralise these compounds provides a foundation for sustainable, low-cost ecological restoration. Clarifying the technical and biological bottlenecks helps environmental managers and scientists direct future efforts towards standardised, effective decontamination practices.
The findings could inform nature-based cleanup services for environmental remediation providers, municipal managers, and industrial site operators. However, the technology remains at an early research stage, as practical and scalable application is currently hindered by the lack of standardised monitoring practices, absent modelling frameworks, and technical limitations in sampling, analysis, and plant-based treatment methods.
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As a result of urbanization and industrialization, emerging pollutants have become a global concern due to contamination and their potential adverse effects on the ecosystem and human health. However, the characteristics and environmental fate of emerging pollutants remain unclear due to the limitations of current technologies. Emerging pollutants are predominantly released into the environment through anthropogenic activities and accumulate in water, soil, air, and dust. Despite their typically low concentrations in the environment, exposure to these pollutants can result in endocrine disruption and other health impacts on the human body, as well as oxidative stress in organisms. Phytoremediation is a green biotechnology that utilizes plants in association with microorganisms to mitigate pollutants in contaminated areas through various mechanisms. It represents a cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach, although its efficacy can be hindered by both the biological condition of plants and ecological factors. Moreover, phytoremediation generally requires a longer remediation timeframe compared to alternative technologies. The remediation of emerging pollutants aligns with the "green liver model" theory, which encompasses translocation, internal transformation and conjugation, and sequestration as classification categories. Presently, several challenges are being encountered in this field, including a lack of information regarding emerging pollutants and their metabolism in plants, the absence of a modeling framework and standardized monitoring practices, limitations in sampling and analysis technologies, as well as phytoremediation technologies. Therefore, further research is warranted to delve into the behavior of emerging pollutants and their interactions with plants, aiming to develop or enhance existing technologies. Additionally, the concept of phytomanagement should be considered, as it offers a sustainable approach to environmental remediation.
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DOI: 10.53623/tasp.v3i1.222
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