Green technologies for the remediation of heavy metals in the environment

Contaminations of water and soil by heavy metals in the environment have led to several health impacts on aquatic organisms, plants and humans. The accumulation of heavy metals in soils has been on a rising scale over the past few years due to increased industrialization. Heavy metals are persistent and non-biodegradable and have contributed immensely to hidden threats to the human food chain. The use of green technologies such as bioremediation and phytoremediation has benefitted man by reducing the build-up of heavy metals in plant parts. In light of the numerous advantages of these techniques over other techniques such as soil washing, membrane filtration and electrokinetic method, this review paper discussed phytoremediation and bioremediation as sustainable environmental remediation techniques. It also delineates possible heavy metal uptake mechanisms. These processes combine the benefits of low-cost, natural and eco-friendly solutions to heavy metal pollution from the environment.