Phytoremediation: a viable technique in sugarcane farm heavy metals contaminated

Abstract

Heavy metals (HMs) affect more than 500 million hectares worldwide. These elements lead to a decrease in world plant production and provoke deleterious effects on human health. Phytoremediation is a technique that conserves and remediates soil contaminated by these pollutants. The literature indicates that phytoremediation is operationally simple and economically viable, however, there is scarce literature on this subject in Brazil. In this way, we assess a simulated case study to crop plants sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) in an agricultural area contaminated by HMs. We found that the economic deficit caused by phytoremediation in the context addressed was US$ 53,644.29, a value higher than the annual profit from sugarcane production, however, in this hypothetical scenario, the financial payback period would be achieved seven years after phytoremediation implementation. We conclude that phytoremediation is an economically viable technique and has easy applicability for soil decontamination and conservation polluted with HMs in brazilian farmland.