Technology options involving the use of natural and accelerated bioremediation systems to treat complex mixtures of aromatic wastes would be a useful addition to current remediation strategies. The approach outlined in this paper would focus on harnessing the potential of a key detoxification enzyme, glutathione-S-transferase (GST) as part of an accelerated phytoremediation system to detoxify aromatic pollutants in soil and ground water. Major efforts will include the clarification of GST detoxification activity by characterizing the enzyme in a series of phenolic and azo-dye-tolerant phytoremediation candidates (e.g. elite clones of thyme), and the development of methods to manipulate the GST detoxification pathway in elite plant clones to accelerate the detoxification of aromatic pollutants. The information provided by the GST characterization studies could be used to develop significant new phytoremediation systems based on manipulated GST biotransformation pathways in elite plant clonal systems tolerant to highly polluted environments. One major advantage of the new phytoremediation systems would be their potential to perform in highly contaminated environments by providing a favorable rhizophere zone for microbial degradation of aromatics along with an enhanced GST-linked detoxification pathway