AsPac J. Mol. Biol. Biotechnol. 2020 Vol. 28 (1) : 14-26 Potential use of Pennisetum purpureum for phytoremediation and bioenergy production: a mini review Nurul Atiqah Osman a , Ahmad Muhaimin Roslan a,b* , Mohamad Faizal Ibrahim a,b , Mohd Ali Hassan a a Department of Bioprocess Technology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia b Laboratory of Biopolymer and Derivatives, Institute of Tropical Forestry and Forest Products (INTROP), Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400, UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia Received 6th July 2019 / Accepted 27th November 2019 Abstract. Organic and/or heavy metal pollutants in soil and wastewater can be remediated by phytoremediation. Phytoremediation combines the disciplines of plant physiology, soil microbiology and soil chemistry. There are several ways by which plants extract, stabilize, filtrate, volatilize or degrade the contaminants. However, the effectiveness of phytoremediation relies upon the type of plant used. Pennisetum purpureum, commonly referred to as Napier grass, is one of the exceptional phytoremediators due to its rapid growth rate and ability to survive in highly contaminated soils. In the present review, the potential use and applicability of P. purpureum to remediate various contaminated areas was highlighted and comprehensively discussed, especially the five phytoremediation mechanisms involved ( i.e., phytodegradation, phytoextraction, phytofiltration, phytostabilization, phytovolatilization). The application and management of P. purpureum in soil and wastewater phytoremediation were also critically presented. The coupling of phytoremediation and bioenergy is the zero-waste concept that can be applied since P. purpureum contains high lignocellulosic content that can be utilized as carbon source for biofuel production, such as ethanol and butanol. Keywords: Napier grass, phytodegradation, phytoextraction, phytofiltration, phytostabilization, phytovolatilization INTRODUCTION Most human activities including household, agriculture and industry produce large volumes of wastewater. In most cases, the wastewater goes untreated and is released directly to the environment. As water usage increases, so does the wastewater and as a consequence, the pollution load also increases. This in turn will negatively affect both human health and the ecosystem (WWP, 2017). However, the path towards solving this problem is a complex one; there are varying types of pollutants and pollution strengths of the wastewater, thus, an effective *Author for correspondence: Ahmad Muhaimin Roslan, Department of Bioprocess Technology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia, Malaysia. Email – ar_muhaimin@upm.edu.my treatment system should take this into account. What is more, rapid urbanization and industrialization, as well as thriving agricultural activities, have also impacted on the soils integrity. Various hazardous and toxic pollutants from these activities will contaminate the soil. The recalcitrant nature of these pollutions is a serious threat to the environment and human health. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the management of contaminated soil has become a great priority in developed and developing countries, which in turn, help support their