EDTA assisted phytoremediation of cadmium, lead and zinc.
Soils are extensively contaminated with different types of heavy metals worldwide and causing a severe disturbance to living biota of world. It is the need of time to remediate the soils from these contaminants; the most reputed cheap and economically feasible method is phytoremediation and phytoextraction of these contaminants. Different types of plants are used to remediate these contaminates from soils that are mostly known as hyperaccumulator. In most soils different types of metals are less bioavailable for plant uptake such as Pb, while Cd and Zn are readily bioavailable for plants in some soils. There is a need to make this process more time efficient and beneficial, the addition of chelating agent is required that can speed up this process. Chemical Chelator like EDTA has the capability to boost up the uptake by dissolving components of metals and has proven to enhance the metal accumulation. Addition of EDTA results in increase in plant growth parameters, dry matter stress tolerance index and accumulation of different metals such as Cd, Zn and Pb. Chemically enhanced phytoremediation has been recognized as one of the most beneficial, effective and economically viable method of bioremediation.