ABSTRACT
In recent decades, pollution of the environment by toxic substances has been a rising concern. Phytoremediation has recently emerged as a cheap and eco-friendly technology to ameliorate contaminated sites in a sustainable way. However, it is considered a slow process that may limit the exploitation of the contaminated sites for other purposes. It is necessary to harvest biomass grown on such sites for valorization in a biorefinery. An amalgamation of phytoremediation with biofuel generation is a reasonable practice. Hyperaccumulators can facilitate sequestration, uptake, translocation, and detoxification of pollutants. Jatropha curcas and Ricinus communis are bioenergy crops that are toxic and resistant to aridity. Eichhornia crassipes, an aquatic macrophyte that can tolerate extremes of environmental conditions, is also a good bioenergy plant. This chapter discusses the potential application of J. curcas, R. communis, and E. crassipes to remediate polluted environments coupled with biofuel production. Various plant mechanisms utilized during phytoremediation are explained in detail. Biofuel opportunities of harvested plant biomass are also elucidated. Finally, the technoeconomics, and research and development agenda to commercialize knowledge on bioenergetic plants’ phytoremediation potential is provided.
