Abstract
In recent years, economic boom in fast developing countries has been witnessed with spectacular progress in industri- alization and concurrent progress in modern agriculture. Such development is however not without any socio-political and environmental side effects. A major concern has been the environmental pollution. If the current unabated disposal of various forms of wastes to agricultural lands is continued, the inherent capacity of soil to support agricultural pro- duction and sustain other ecosystem services will be in peril. Heavy metals with soil residence times of thousands of years present numerous health hazards to higher organisms. They are also known to decrease plant growth, ground cover and have a negative impact on soil biodiversity. Inorganic and organic contaminants typically found in urban areas are heavy metals and petroleum derived products. The presence of both types of contaminants on the same site presents technical and economic challenges for decontamination strategies. In this article we have reviewed the devel- opments to ameliorate the contaminated soils, with special emphasis on biological approaches, which have shown po- tential to low-cost remediation of soil pollution. Also the limitations of such approaches and direction of further re- search have been highlighted.
Highlights
Intense industrial activity in the 20th century, especially in developing countries, has led to serious environmental pollution, resulting in a large number and variety of contaminated sites which became a threat to the local ecosystems
Inorganic and organic contaminants typically found in urban areas are heavy metals and petroleum derived products
In this article we have reviewed the developments to ameliorate the contaminated soils, with special emphasis on biological approaches, which have shown potential to low-cost remediation of soil pollution
Summary
Intense industrial activity in the 20th century, especially in developing countries, has led to serious environmental pollution, resulting in a large number and variety of contaminated sites which became a threat to the local ecosystems. With soil residence times of thousands of years, present numerous health dangers to higher organisms [4]. Inorganic and organic contaminants typically found in urban areas are heavy metals and petroleum derived products The presence of both types of contaminants on the same site presents technical and economic challenges for decontamination strategies. Bioremediation, i.e. the use of living organisms to manage or remediate polluted soils, is an emerging technology. It is defined as the elimination, attenuation or transformation of polluting or contaminating substances by the use of biological processes. This review aims to contribute towards this goal by examining the current concepts and published data on the biological processes and major controls that may be used for their management in phytoremediation of inorganic and organic soil pollutants
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
