Phytoremediation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Phytoextraction (or phytoaccumulation) uses plants to remove contaminants from soils, sediments or water into harvestable plant biomass. Phytoextraction is growing rapidly in popularity world-wide. Generally this process has been tried more often for extracting heavy metals than for organics. It is clean, efficient, inexpensive and non-environmentally desruptive, as opposite to processes that require excavation of soil. At the time of disposal contaminants are typically concentrated in the much smaller volume of plant matter than an inital contaminated soil or sediment. 'Mining with plants', or *phytomining*, is also being experimented with.

The plants absorb contaminants through the root system and store them in the root biomass and/or transport them up into the stems and/or leaves. A living plant may continue to absorb contaminants until it is harvested. After harvest a lower level of the contaminant will remain in the soil, so the growth/harvest cycle must usually be repeated through several crops to achieve a significant cleanup. After the process, the cleaned soil can support other vegetation."