Eko Maiguo

Enteric viruses in wastewater remain a persistent public health threat. Conventional treatments often achieve only modest viral log₁₀ reductions and can generate toxic disinfection byproducts, but high-energy advanced processes are often unaffordable. Antiviral phytoremediation, which involves virus removal mediated by plants and their rhizosphere microbiota, offers a low-cost, low-energy alternative; however, it has scarcely been studied. A bibliometric analysis of ~23,000 wastewater treatment studies (1976–2025) identified only 30 virus-targeted records within plant-based treatment branches, representing ~0.13% of the total corpus. This critical review structures antiviral phytoremediation into a four-barrier framework: (i) sorption/filtration, (ii) rhizosphere-mediated inactivation, (iii) plant internalization, and (iv) intracellular degradation. Pilot and full-scale studies provide strong support for the first two barriers, whereas evidence for internalization and intracellular degradation is limited, mainly laboratory-based, and often inferred from molecular rather than infectivity assays. Standalone constructed wetlands typically achieve ~1–3 log₁₀ virus reductions, but hybrid configurations that combine wetlands with complementary processes achieve ~3–7 log₁₀ reductions, with performance varying between enveloped and non-enveloped viruses and across climates. This review distills design principles for cost-effective hybrid systems and identifies methodological and governance priorities, positioning rigorously designed phytoremediation as a scalable part of climate- and pandemic-resilient wastewater infrastructure.

Presence of pathogenic viruses in wastewater pose a potential threat to public health. Conventional treatment methods often yield moderate viral reduction and toxic byproducts, whereas advanced technologies are underutilised due to their high cost and energy demands. Antiviral phytoremediation emerges as an affordable, eco-friendly and sustainable approach for removing viruses. However, recent bibliometric analysis on wastewater treatment methods from 1976–2025 revealed that only ~0.4% of total literature (~23,000) was related to antiviral phytoremediation suggesting critical knowledge gaps persist. This critical review provides insights into viral removal mechanisms, recent advancements, practical applications, and challenges and opportunities. Antiviral phytoremediation offers a promising multilayer of viral removal mechanisms (i.e., sorption/filtration, rhizosphere-mediated inactivation, internalization, and intracellular degradation mechanisms). Hybrid systems integrating constructed wetlands (CWs) with complementary technologies could achieve high removal efficiencies (i.e., ∼3.0–7 log₁₀ reductions) compared to standalone CWs (i.e., ∼1–3 log₁₀). Although phytoremediation efficiency is moderate for viruses (i.e., ∼45–84%) relative to heavy metal removal (i.e., ∼70–100%), emerging technologies (i.e., CRISPR gene editing, engineered microconsortia, and biosensors) offer promise for enhancement, which is still at proof-of-concept levels. Hybrid antiviral phytoremediation approaches provide sustainable infrastructure supporting public health, climate adaptation, and pandemic preparedness.