Next-generation phytoremediation approaches for environmental sustainability

Abstract

Environmental contamination by heavy metals, organic pollutants, and industrial waste poses a pressing global challenge that demands advanced, sustainable remediation technologies. Conventional remediation approaches, including soil excavation and chemical treatment, are costly, generate secondary pollutants, and lack versatility across contamination types. Phytoremediation offers a cost-effective and environmentally safe alternative; however, it is constrained by slow pollutant uptake rates, limited degradation efficiency for persistent organic compounds, and inadequate real-time monitoring capabilities. This review presents a novel interdisciplinary framework that synergistically integrates phytoremediation with nanotechnology, biotechnology, and information technology (IT) to overcome these inherent limitations. Nanotechnology facilitates pollutant detoxification through engineered nanoparticles (NPs) that enhance metal bioavailability and degrade organic pollutants. Biotechnology encompassing genetic engineering and microbial-assisted remediation enhances plant metal accumulation, stress tolerance, and pollutant degradation pathways. IT approaches, including artificial intelligence (AI), remote sensing, and big data analytics, enable real-time monitoring, adaptive strategy optimization, and predictive modelling of remediation outcomes. Together, these technologies constitute a multi-dimensional remediation framework aimed at minimizing environmental damage and promoting ecological sustainability. This review synthesizes recent advancements, highlights key knowledge gaps, and identifies future research directions for next-generation phytoremediation. • Integrated approaches use plants, nanotechnology, biotechnology, and information technology for better remediation of trace and heavy metal pollutants. • Nanotechnology improves the pollutants breakdown, metal uptake, and plant stress tolerance. • Genetic engineering and microbes boost plant pollutant uptake and stress resilience. • Information technology enables real-time monitoring, optimization, and predictive modeling for remediation. • Standardized protocols, regulations, collaboration needed for safe, scalable phytoremediation.

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