Phytoremediation of fluoride from the environmental matrices: A review on its application strategies

Fluoride contamination is a global environmental interrogation due to consideration of its long-term persistence in air, soil, and water even at lower levels. Long-term exposure can exert negative impacts on all communities irrespective of the concentrations. Therefore, immediate attention is needed to remediate the negative impacts of fluoride on the environment. Various conventional and modern techniques have been developed to remove fluoride from groundwater mainly due to its high prevalence. Due to limitations such as high cost, labor intensity, regeneration need, and low removal capacity, many existing techniques are not practical for remediating fluoride in water. At the same time, less advertence has been raised for phytoremediation as an effective and environmentally friendly method. This review presents the utilization of potential plants for removing fluoride from environmental matrices, discusses the fluoride translocation mechanisms and its phytotoxicity in plants.