Phytoremediation for Soil Pollution: A Comprehensive Review of Mechanisms, Applications, and Challenges

ABSTRACT

Heavy metal pollution of soil is an emerging environmental and public health concern resulting from mining, industrial discharge, wastewater irrigation, and intensive agriculture. The contaminants persist in the environment, degrading soil quality, undermining food security, and contaminating water sources. Phytoremediation, a green plant‐based technology, is an economical and environmentally sustainable way of countering such pollution by taking advantage of the intrinsic ability of certain plant species to accumulate, stabilize, degrade, or volatilize heavy metals. This review systematically evaluates key phytoremediation strategies, including phytoextraction, phytostabilization, phytovolatilization, phytofiltration, and phytodegradation. Strategy‐wise synthesis is emphasized, where comparative tables provide data on plant species, contaminant type, bioaccumulation and translocation factors, and total recovery efficiency, thereby providing practical recommendations for context‐based application. Although plant‐based mechanisms such as root uptake, translocation, chelation, and antioxidant responses contribute to detoxification, the operational success of phytoremediation hinges on selecting the right strategy for the right condition. Despite certain limitations such as long remediation durations and disposal challenges of biomass, advances in microbial synergy, genetic manipulation, and field‐based studies are enhancing the efficacy and scalability of these technologies. The review concludes by advocating evidence‐based selection frameworks and interdisciplinary research, making phytoremediation part of sustainable soil management and pollution control measures.