Phytotechnologies – biological mechanisms and applications

Phytotechnologies are emerging biotechnological approaches that make use of plants to extract, degrade, stabilize or immobilize environmental pollutants in soils, waters, air and other contaminated media. Lectures will present basic phytotechnological strategies including phytostabilization, phytoextraction, phytodegradation, phytovolatilization, phytosequestration and rhizofiltration with a special emphasis to molecular, biochemical and physiological mechanisms of these processes. Seminars, based on recent examples from scientific literature, will be dedicated to discuss particular applications of phytotechnology for contaminants that plant-based technologies have effectively removed/controlled, including organic compounds, explosives, metals and radionuclides.