Establishing best practice for microbially aided phytoremediation

The dispersal of industrial and municipal wastes leads to an increase of contaminated soils and is one of the large concerns in many countries throughout Europe regarding environmental issues. This article proposes a sequence of the microbially aided phytoremediation (phytoextraction and phytostabilization) procedure with the following most important steps: (1) risk assessment, (2) site investigation, (3) determination of the remediation strategy, (4) realization of remediation measures, (5) monitoring, and (6) reuse of the remediated site. UMBRELLA's innovative approach is a proposal of methods to evolve a tool-box which supports phytoremediation by means of microbes and enhances the efficiency of the remediation process at low and heterogeneously metal contaminated sites.