Incorporating functional traits into heavy metals phytoremediation: The future of field-based phytoremediation

Abstract

Phytoremediation is acknowledged as a sustainable solution for mitigating heavy metals contamination in soils yet faces challenges in transitioning from laboratory experiments to practical field applications, essential for widespread adoption and commercialization. Phytoremediation techniques employing high biomass plants and hyperaccumulators have demonstrated promise in various contexts, such as extracting heavy metals from tailings using short rotation forestry. However, the disparity between laboratory and field results underscores the need for a framework to bridge this gap. This review screened and reviewed papers published in international peer-reviewed journals indexed in Web of Science Core from 2014 to 2024. The potential of effect and response traits as early plant selection tools and predictors of phytoremediation efficacy, respectively, to assess plant performance and response in heavy metal phytoremediation is outlined. In addition, a comprehensive framework for heavy metal phytoremediation is proposed to enhance the understanding and practical application of phytoremediation technologies.

Keywords

• Traits
• Functional traits
• Heavy Metals
• Phytoremediation