Phytoremediation of metals: using plants to remove pollutants from the environment.

Phytoremediation uses plants to remove pollutants from the environment. The use of metal-accumulating plants to clean soil and water contaminated with toxic metals is the most rapidly developing component of this environmentally friendly and cost-effective technology. The recent discovery that certain chelating agents greatly facilitate metal uptake by soil-grown plants can make this technology a commercial reality in the near future.