bioremediation

/ ˌbaɪəorɪˌmiːdɪˈeɪʃən /

noun

1. the use of plants to extract heavy metals from contaminated soils and water Also calledphytoremediation

bioremediation

/ bī′ō-rĭ-mē′dē-ā′shən /

1. The use of biological agents, such as bacteria, fungi, or green plants, to remove or neutralize contaminants, as in polluted soil or water. Bacteria and fungi generally work by breaking down contaminants such as petroleum into less harmful substances. Plants can be used to aerate polluted soil and stimulate microbial action. They can also absorb contaminants such as salts and metals into their tissues, which are then harvested and disposed of.
2. ◆ The use of green plants to decontaminate polluted soil or water is called phytoremediation .

bioremediation

1. The use of certain biological agents, especially bacteria , to remove or neutralize contaminants from polluted soil or water.

Example Sentences

City leaders inaugurated Kite Hill as a public space in August 1973, after Haag’s bioremediation pilot program was proven to reduce pollutants in the soil enough to grow edible plants.

From Seattle Times

Lucas Martínez Álvarez, who specializes in bioremediation at the Argentine Antarctic Institute in Buenos Aires, and his colleagues are using bacteria to remove hydrocarbons from soil around Argentina’s Carlini Base on King George Island.

From Scientific American

Richmond sees an opportunity for bioremediation, by pumping the wastewater through tanks full of oyster species that consume plankton and incorporate radionuclides into their shells.

From Science Magazine

It's called bioremediation - planting vegetation that naturally removes pollutants in the soil, without the need to remove chemicals and dispose of them elsewhere.

From BBC

Making matters worse, to reach sidewalks from cars surrounding the Boro, it is often necessary to circumvent or cross 17 separate “bioremediation” curbside planters with six-inch curbs, collectively more than 500 feet long.

From Washington Post