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Phytoremediation pp 3–19Cite as

Phytoremediation of PCBs and PAHs by Grasses: A Critical Perspective

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Abstract

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are two major environmental contaminants which threaten our health and environment. The removal of these key environmental pollutants from the environment is therefore paramount. Among the cleanup methods currently being used, traditional methods such as chemical and physical treatments tend to be expensive, laborious and may cause secondary contamination. Phytoremediation, the use of plants and associated microorganisms, represents a promising, nondestructive and cost-effective in situ technology for the degradation or removal of contaminants. Grasses belonging to the Poaceae family have drawn significant attention in this regard due to their fast growth, dense, fibrous root systems, and the demonstrated fast removal of PAH and PCB compounds from soils in which these plants have been grown. In this review, we review research on the use of grasses for the degradation of PAHs and PCBs and highlight the benefits of this phytoremediation approach.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Environmental Sustainability and Remediation, School of Science, RMIT University, Bundoora, VIC, 3083, Australia

    Esmaeil Shahsavari, Arturo Aburto-Medina, Mohamed Taha & Andrew S. Ball

  2. Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Agriculture, Benha University, Moshtohor, Toukh, 13736, Egypt

    Mohamed Taha

  3. Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM), Puebla, 72800, Mexico

    Arturo Aburto-Medina

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  1. Esmaeil Shahsavari
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  2. Arturo Aburto-Medina
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  3. Mohamed Taha
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  4. Andrew S. Ball
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Correspondence to Esmaeil Shahsavari .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology Faculty of Science, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia

    Abid A. Ansari

  2. Centre for Biotechnology, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, Haryana, India

    Sarvajeet Singh Gill

  3. Centre for Biotechnology, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, Haryana, India

    Ritu Gill

  4. Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, College of Environmental Science and Forestry State University of New York, Syracuse, New York, USA

    Guy R. Lanza

  5. Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, College of Environmental Science and Forestry State University of New York, Syracuse, New York, USA

    Lee Newman

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Shahsavari, E., Aburto-Medina, A., Taha, M., Ball, A.S. (2016). Phytoremediation of PCBs and PAHs by Grasses: A Critical Perspective. In: Ansari, A., Gill, S., Gill, R., Lanza, G., Newman, L. (eds) Phytoremediation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-41811-7_1

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