In situ PHYTOREMEDIATION IN MEXICO: A REVIEW

Abstract

In Mexico, contamination by potentially toxic elements in soil and water represents important ecological and health problems. Plants capable of growing on anthropogenically-modified soils reflect their ability to adapt to diverse environmental conditions. Most of the phytoremediation studies are carried out under laboratory conditions, and only a few studies evaluate the phytoextraction capacity in situ. This review summarizes the information obtained from scientific sources on in situ phytoremediation studies carried out in Mexico. Eighty-five percent of the studies corresponded to sites contaminated with trace metals by mining activities. Plants with potential to be used as accumulators or hyperaccumulators of potentially toxic elements are described, such as Hydrocotyle ranunculoides, Parietaria pensylvanica and Commelina diffusa for Zn; Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum and Simsia amplexicaulis for Cu; Nicotina glauca, Flaveria angustifolia and Flaveria trinervia for As, and Buddleja scordioides for phytoremediation of soils contaminated by Pb. Native plant species should be studied to establish mechanisms of metal extraction and the water-soil-microorganisms interaction to improve the efficiency of in situ phytoremediation. The information described here can be useful for planning the remediation of sites contaminated by potentially toxic elements in Mexico and other parts of the world.