ABSTRACT
Constructed wetlands offer an unlimited potential for the phytoremediation of toxins and pollutants. Their unique advantage is complete low-cost treatment of large volumes of water. High capacity makes wetlands very different from terrestrial phytoremediation or conventional physical-chemical methods that deal with relatively small volumes of contaminated soils or groundwater. Phytorernecliation can be defined as the clean up of pollutants primarily mediated by photosynthetic plants. Wetlands are shallow water bodies containing higher plants. Natural wetlands have long been used for the disposal of wastes. The most obvious advantage of phytoremediation over traditional techniques is cost. While most traditional remediation methods rely on electricity, pumping, or oxygen additions and often require large concrete or steel vessels, phytoremediation uses free solar energy and requires no sophisticated containment system. Terrestrial and wetlands phytoremediation both use plants to provide the main energy source for pollutant mobilization or immobilization.
