| Abstract |
Environmental decontamination is an integral part of sustainable development. In recent years there has been growing interest in using plants for decontamination. On the other hand, water, soil and air are increasingly contaminated. Large amounts of toxic waste have been dispersed in thousands of contaminated sites spread all over the globe. These pollutants belong to two main classes: inorganic and organic. The challenge is to develop innovative and cost-effective solutions to decontaminate polluted environment. Phytoremediation is emerging as an invaluable tool for environmental cleanup. Various strategies are being applied to reduce the accumulation of toxic metals in plants. Cultivation of edible crops in contaminated soils is a subject of human health concern if the contaminant concentration in the edible parts of crops plant exceed the permissible level. In such cases non-food crop production viz. value chain and value additions appears profitable. In this review: (1) the contamination due to industrial effluents in peri urban region of greater Hyderabad, and (2) the strategies to use contaminated soil and water for raising phytoremediation crops, and generation of value products. Crops and products include medicinal and aromatic plants, ornamental plants, biofuels, tree crops, fiber crops, dyes, and plants for carbon sequestration. |