Restore heavy metal contaminated soil with energy plants.

With the development of industry and agriculture,heavy metal pollution in soil is increasingly aggravated,which seriously threatens food production as well as human health. Because of its low cost,ecofriendliness and advantages on large-scale in situ remediation, phytoremediation has become an effective technology for the remediation of heavy metal contaminated soil in recent years. In this paper,the research and application progress of phytoremediation both in China and abroad is reviewed,and the soil remediation using energy plants especially sweet sorghum( Sorghum bicolor( Linn.) Moench) is highlighted for its great potential.Based on our research in Hunan Province,China,the advantages and feasibility of sweet sorghum in remediation of heavy metal contaminated soils is further discussed,and also the possible measures adopted to improve remediation efficiency is suggested. The plantation of sweet sorghum in heavy metal contaminated soils not only combine soil remediation with bio-energy production,but also transfer the heavy metals from the food chain into the energy chain,which shows broad application prospects.