Removal of Refractory Pollutants from Wastewater Treatment Plants

Abstract

Phytoremediation deals with the use of plants and associated microbes for the removal or treatment of organic and inorganic pollutants. Most organic pollutants (e.g., fuels, solvents, pesticides, etc.) are man-made, whereas inorganic pollutants are naturally present in the Earth’s crust, atmosphere, or are caused as a result of human activities (e.g., mining, agriculture, etc.). The treatment by phytoremediation can be applied to all three phases of substrates, i.e., solid, liquid, and gas. The solid phase includes the treatment of polluted soil and sediment near mining, agricultural, and explosives industries. The liquid phase includes the treatment of sewage or municipal wastewater, agricultural runoff, and industrial effluents. Lastly, the gaseous phase involves the filtering of air from various gaseous pollutants such as SOx, NOx, etc. As a result of its ability to treat such a diverse group of environmental pollutants, phytoremediation has gained interest among governmental organizations and private industries in the last decade. Thus, the chapter deals with the role of phytoremediation, using scenario-based examples, in the treatment of various forms of pollutants, its limitations, along with its future prospect in commercial sectors.