Synergistic remediation strategies for soil contaminated with compound heavy metals and organic pollutants

Abstract

The co-existence of heavy metals (HMs) and organic pollutants in soils has recently attracted intense concerns due to the significant threat to environmental safety and public human health. Although different approaches have been reported for the simultaneous abatement of these hazardous contaminants, critical reviews concerning the remediation of co-contaminated soils with HMs and organic pollutants are still lacking. This study therefore aims to provide a systematic overview of the recent advances in synchronously remediating HMs and organic pollutants from co-contaminated soil. The sources and co-occurrences of HMs and organic pollutants in soils were comprehensively surveyed at first. Then, diverse remediation strategies for soils contaminated with HMs and organic pollutants are critically introduced, and involved mechanisms during remediation processes are discussed in detail. Synergistic remediation strategies for co-contaminated with HMs and organic pollutants were summarized, compared, and discussed, including physical-chemical co-remediation techniques, microbial-plant co-remediation technologies, and physicochemical-biological co-remediation technologies. Finally, challenges and future research requirements for the simultaneous remediation of co-contaminated soils were proposed. This study could help to sort out the current advancements in this research field and may provide technique guidance into the control of HMs and organic pollutants co-existence in soils.