Energy, Aromatic, and Medicinal Plants' Potential and Prospects for the Remediation of Potentially Toxic Element-Contaminated Agricultural Soils: A Critical Meta-Analysis.

A critical meta-analysis of the past decade's investigations was carried out with the aim of assessing the use of plant-based techniques for soil remediation. Potentially toxic element (PTE) contaminated soils were selected since these contaminants are considered hazardous and have long-term effects. Furthermore, energy, aromatic, and medicinal plants were studied as their high-value products seem to be affected by PTEs' existence. Lead (Pb), Cu, Cd, Zn, Cr, Co, Ni, Hg, and As accumulation in different parts of plant species has been investigated using proper indices. Aromatic plants seem to provide high phytoremediation yields. Increasing toxicity levels and the coexistence of many metals enhance the accumulation capacity of aromatic plants, even of toxic Cd. In plants usable as energy sources, antagonistic effects were observed, as the simultaneous presence of Cu and Cd resulted in lower thermic capacity. Finally, in most of the plants studied, it was observed that the phytostabilization technique, i.e., the accumulation of metals mainly in the roots of the plants, was often used, allowing for the aboveground part to be almost completely free of metallic pollutants. Using plants for remediation was proven to be advantageous within a circular economy model. Such a process is a promising solution, both economically and environmentally, since it provides a useful tool for keeping environmental balance and producing safe goods.