Advances in Soil Systems Remediation: Lessons from the Global North

Soil pollution is a worldwide environmental challenge that threatens human life. The amount of inorganic and organic contaminants in the soil has significantly increased due to unsafe human practices. Among these pollutants, heavy metals and pesticides play a major role in the pollution of agricultural soil. To address this issue and enable a long-term solution, many biological, chemical, and physical remediation solutions have evolved. However, the majority of technologies are limited by expensive costs, protracted processing times, and geological issues. This chapter will describe a range of remediation technologies that are now available, their pertinent application areas, and their advantages and limitations in order to facilitate decision-making on which remediation technology is suitable for any given instance. In most cases, the combination of one or more innovative technologies such as bioremediation or oxidation-reduction enhances performance or overcomes limitations. Assessing the biotic and abiotic factors that have an impact on soil remediation is another goal of this chapter. Also, some successful cases of remediation technologies and future directions for researchers studying the remediation and management of contaminated soils will be discussed.