Recent remediation technologies for contaminated water

Abstract Environmental contamination by heavy metals and radionuclides is among the most prevailing ecological threats of our days. Handling this problem requires the concentrated support of research organizations, the wider public, and various public bodies. Regrettably, untreated effluents of industrial plants rich in perilous materials are commonly still simply tipped out to the ecosphere, which causes negative ecological effects. Furthermore, vast amounts of water contaminated by radioactive waste, which may be released after nuclear disasters, exhibit a substantial threat. Moreover, the excessive industrial application of metals and the leaching process of mine remnants, that is, drainage from shut down mines, ranks among the most significant sources of heavy metal pollution near flowing and stagnant water bodies. Additionally, nuclear applications are rapidly developing in recent years, and numerous nuclear power plants started operation in various countries globally. As a potential remedy, phytoremediation, which describes the usage of living or dead plants to recover different types of harmful contaminants from aquatic, terrestrial, or gaseous environments. In this context, the search for inexpensive remediation methods has provoked the development of new plant-based technologies specifically for the biological uptake of precarious radioisotopes and various heavy metals.