Plants in Polluted and Disturbed Environments: Phytoremediation, Emerging Contaminants and Soil–Plant–Microbe Interactions

Soil contamination by potentially toxic elements, petroleum-derived compounds and persistent synthetic chemicals creates hazards that cannot be addressed adequately by a single remediation technology. Phytoremediation uses plants and their associated microorganisms to extract, immobilise, transform or help degrade contaminants while maintaining vegetative cover. Its appeal rests on low physical disturbance and potential restoration of soil functions, but mechanistic capacity under controlled conditions does not necessarily predict defensible risk reduction in heterogeneous field soils. This critical narrative review integrates plant physiology, rhizosphere biogeochemistry, field performance, implementation economics and emerging contaminants. Literature published from 2000 to 1 September 2026 was considered, alongside seminal earlier work where needed; peer-reviewed experimental studies and well-supported syntheses were appraised for evidence–outcome alignment, field relevance and limitations. The strongest evidence supports site-specific phytoextraction of selected elements, particularly arsenic and cadmium, and vegetative stabilisation of contaminated mine substrates. Yet metal removal is constrained by contaminant inventory, biomass yield, sorption and time, while reductions in extractable concentrations may represent immobilisation rather than elimination. Plant-assisted degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons is supported by promising trials but remains difficult to separate from microbial biostimulation and background attenuation. For per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, plant uptake is increasingly documented, whereas complete destruction and safe biomass treatment are less securely established. Amendments, microbial inoculants and molecular approaches can improve selected processes but may also shift exposure pathways or reduce extractive uptake. An integrated decision framework is proposed in which contaminant mass balance, exposure reduction, plant survival, ecological safeguards, land-use requirements and long-term monitoring determine whether extraction, stabilisation, rhizodegradation or a hybrid remedy is justified. Future progress requires replicated field trials, transparent contaminant accounting, validated biomass-treatment chains and consistent comparison with alternative remediation strategies.