phytoremediationn.
/ˌfʌɪtəʊrᵻmiːdɪˈeɪʃn/, U.S. /ˈˌfaɪdoʊrəˌmidiˈeɪʃ(ə)n/ The technique of planting trees, grasses, or other vegetation in order to remove contaminants in the soil or the groundwater through accumulation (and sometimes degradation) in plant tissues, or to promote their microbial degradation or immobilization in association with plant root systems.
ΚΠ
1991 I. Raskin & L. Meagher Let. to Grants Operation Branch, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 10 May (O.E.D. Archive) We believe that phytoremediation is an innovative yet practical approach to heavy metal removal.
1993 A. M. Stomp et al. in In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biol.: Plant 28 228/2 Trees potentially are the lowest cost plant type to use for phytoremediation.
2000 New Phytologist 146 179/2 There is a need to determine whether implementation of phytoremediation schemes may have ecotoxicological consequences, through toxicity toward native fauna or mobilization of metals into food chains.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, March 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1991