Mining and industrial activities, particularly in the past, have left waste deposit sites and contaminated former fertile soils in many countries. Due to future shortage of arable areas as well as of ressources for raw materials, the recovery of base metals and metalloids, as well as remediation for future agricultural utlization, and prevention of hazardous leachings to the groundwater, continues to be a goal of current and future research. Phytoremediation and phytomining techniques are considered as cost effective and environmental-friendly, “green” technologies for the in situ restoration of the health and productive capacity of soils, mitigating environmental impacts of impaired soils, and not in the least, the gain of raw materials by phytoextraction. Phytoremediation and phytomining both make use of extracting and accumulating contaminants or target elements from soil/water with plants. The term phytoremediation also includes the remediation of soils by phytostabilization and rhizodegradation. However, phytoextraction often appears to be limited, in particular in neutral or alkaline soil. Therefore, to optimize phytoremediation and phytomining technologies in the future, a sound understanding of the biogeochemical processes at the soil-root interface and the consequences of soil management on the bioavailability of elements in the soil is needed. Up to date, sufficient interdisciplinary knowledge on the biogeochemically impacted behavior of specific target elements in the soil and their uptake into strategically used plants is lacking. This session aims to bring together contributions of all aspects of phytomining and phytoremediation research including the effects of rhizosphere processes and soil management on metal accumulation or detoxification by plants. This includes, among others:
-advances in the understanding of functions of plant-soil-microbe interactions
-factors influencing mobility of contaminants in the soil column
-selection criteria for suitable crops, conditions of plant growth (pH, humics, fertilization regime)
-fixation or acceleration of the soil-to-plant-transfer
-distribution of hazardous substances inside the green plant
-final recovery of precious and base metals from accumulator plants"

We welcome presentations of laboratory and field research results as well as theoretical studies and we intend to bring together scientists from multiple disciplines to discuss and improve our understanding of these types of soil-plant-microbe interactions from a mechanistic point of view. Young researchers are especially encouraged to submit their contributions. Furthermore, we planto publish the outcome of this session in a Special Issue of an international indexed journal.