What role can living organisms play in environmental engineering?

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

An example of the role living organisms can play in environmental engineering is the use of plants to extract hazardous contaminants from the ground through the process of phytoremediation. Certain plants, such as the alpine pennycress, have the ability to extract and accumulate high amounts of heavy metals. They are planted regularly at contaminated localities.