Singapore researchers identify 12 tropical plants that remove toxic heavy metals from soil

(From left) Prof Lam Yeng Ming, Assoc Prof Tan Swee Ngin and PhD student Wang Yamin with some of the plants that are able to remove toxic heavy metals from soil. - ST

SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): Plants readily found in Singapore are now being tapped to clean the soil of toxic contaminants, with 12 tropical species identified to take on the job.

Since the start of April, a pilot to remove heavy metals and metalloids using more than a hundred tropical plants has begun at industrial land in the north of Singapore.