Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

PHYTOREMEDIATION : A NEW TOOL FOR REMEDIATION OF SOILS SPOILED BY HAZARDOUS WASTE

A. Kumar and A.D. Sawant

Abstract

In recent past, many cases of land degradation due to effluent disposal from tanneries, distilleries, chemical and other allied industries have been reported. There has also been instances where farmers have unknowingly used effluents for irrigation and have realised that their land has been damaged. The area degraded is mostly left unused mainly due to unavailability of expertise for clearing the toxic chemicals, accumulated in the soil or due to lack of funds and interest. Pollutants normally accumulate in land environment and degradation takes place very slowly. This paper describes the economical and technological feasibility of phytoremediation technology for remediating the soil spoilt by hazardous waste. The limitations and advantages of this technology are also described in details.