Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 17
Biotechnological Aspects of Soil
Decontamination
V. Sheoran and A. Sheoran
Abstract Soils have been subjected to several contaminants that vary in con-
centration and composition. Soil pollution causes significant damage to the
environment and human health as a result of their mobility and solubility. Sig-
nificant progress has been made in regulating soil pollution, with a parallel
development of methodologies for soil assessment and remediation. The selection
of most appropriate soil and sediment remediation method depends on the site
characteristics, concentration, type of pollutants to be removed, and the end use of
the contaminated medium. This chapter provides the developing biotechnological
aspects of soil decontamination. The study also reviews other available remedia-
tion options, which includes physical, chemical, and thermal technologies. All
these technologies may be used in conjunction with one another to reduce the
contamination to an acceptable level, and may offer potential technical solution to
most soil pollution.
17.1 Introduction
Globally, the increasing human population, industrial revolution, and the number
of anthropogenic inefficiencies with unplanned growth of urban system have been
putting an intense pressure on the consumption of natural resources, thus threat-
ening human health and the environment. Over time, the quantities of these
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