Emerging pollutants, including pharmaceutical residues, heavy metals, and endocrine disruptors, are increasingly found in aquatic environments, posing serious risks to human and environmental health. Phytoremediation, a green and cost-effective approach, uses plants to remove or neutralize these pollutants from water bodies. This review aims to identify and evaluate plant species, particularly those adapted to African ecosystems, that can effectively remediate contaminated water. Scientific literature was consulted using databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar with keywords like “phytoremediation”, “emerging pollutants”, and “wastewater treatment”. Several plant species including Eichhornia crassipes, Moringa oleifera, Azadiracta indica, and Phragmites australis demonstrated high removal efficiency of heavy metals and organic compounds. This review highlights their mechanisms of action and potential integration into sustainable water management strategies in Africa. Further field trials and pilot-scale applications are needed to validate their large-scale feasibility.
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