Phytoremediation As a Novel Strategy for Uptake of Fluoride Ions from Environment

Author(s): Amina Rafeek, Anjala Nazar, Baeyou George Zachariah, Bobit Thomas, Aju Mathew George

Abstract: The According to World Health Organization (WHO), fluoride is considered as one of the drinking water contaminants which cause large-scale health problems through drinking water exposure. The reported tolerance limit of fluoride concentration in drinking water is 1.5 mg/L. Fluorine promotes health benefits at low concentrations, but it promotes adverse effects ranging from fluorosis to carcinogenic problems at high concentrations. Although fluorine removal from environment can occur through processes such as adsorption, reverse osmosis, and electrodialysis, the phytoremediation emerges as an accessible, effective and environmentally friendly treatment. Plant tolerance to fluoride uptake is the essential requisite for phytoremediation and most of the time; it is the invasive species that are great in phytoremediation. However, in the present research work, a detailed understanding of the plants that can perform in phytoremediation for fluoride uptake in significant amounts from the environment and yet perform at the least toxicity, safe and much cheaper, is considered as an approach for a long-term strategy.