Phytoremediation is the use of plants to decontaminate soils or water by containing, degrading, or removing the contaminant.

Transpiration is one of the primary processes harnessed by phytoremediation to clean up contaminated ground water. Transpiration describes the overall process of the absorption of water by a plant (usually through the roots), the movement of water through the plant, and the loss of water to the atmosphere through small openings on the undersides of leaves called stomata.

Evapotranspiration is defined as the water lost to the atmosphere from the soil and transpiration by plants. The evaporation aspect of evapotranspiration is essentially evaporation of water from plant leaves.

Mineralization is the process of converting a metal or other substance to a mineral by combining it with another element such as oxygen. In trees, toxic compounds are often mineralized into their components, which are then used to build leaves, stems, and roots.

Volatilization describes what happens when volatile organic compounds (organic chemicals that evaporate easily at room temperature) are taken up and transpired with water vapor or diffused out of leaves, stems, and roots.

Biodegradation involves microbial organisms, which break down (or transform) contaminants into smaller compounds through metabolic or enzymatic processes. The final product of biodegradation is often carbon dioxide or methane. Sometimes the process is also referred to as biotransformation.

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