THE PLANTS: THE FUTURE OF RIVERS?

Abstract

High contamination of ecosystems has prompted research in the development of alternative technologies based on the use of plants to remove, degrade or immobilize contaminants present in soil, water and even air; this branch of science is known as phytoremediation. Susceptible plants to be used in phytoremediation must have certain characteristics such as: fast growth rate, high productivity, easily cultivated and tolerant to high concentrations of contaminants. During phytoremediation, plants establish symbiotic relationships with associated microorganisms that collaborate in the rhizospheric effect, improving their survival and the processes of capture, transport, metabolism and accumulation of pollutants; some species are called hyperaccumulators because of their capacity to immobilize high concentrations of toxic compounds. Mexico's water bodies, especially lakes, lagoons and reservoirs, are extremely polluted due to the lack of treatment prior to the final disposal of water used in various processes; the use of this biotechnology is a viable alternative for their recovery. The advantages of phytoremediation over conventional methods are that it can be applied in situ and ex situ, it is efficient for the extraction of organic and inorganic contaminants, does not require energy consumption and is low cost. Phytoremediation is an environmental technology with great potential for Mexico; however, it is important to promote research on potentially useful species, rhizospheric plant-microorganism interactions, enzymatic processes and wetland establishment.

Keywords: Bioremediation, contamination, hyperaccumulators, water.