Review on remediation technologies for arsenic-contaminated soil

Abstract

• Recent progress of As-contaminated soil remediation technologies is presented.

• Phytoextraction and chemical immobilization are the most widely used methods.

• Novel remediation technologies for As-contaminated soil are still urgently needed.

• Methods for evaluating soil remediation efficiency are lacking.

• Future research directions for As-contaminated soil remediation are proposed.

Arsenic (As) is a top human carcinogen widely distributed in the environment. As-contaminated soil exists worldwide and poses a threat on human health through water/food consumption, inhalation, or skin contact. More than 200 million people are exposed to excessive As concentration through direct or indirect exposure to contaminated soil. Therefore, affordable and efficient technologies that control risks caused by excess As in soil must be developed. The presently available methods can be classified as chemical, physical, and biological. Combined utilization of multiple technologies is also common to improve remediation efficiency. This review presents the research progress on different remediation technologies for As-contaminated soil. For chemical methods, common soil washing or immobilization agents were summarized. Physical technologies were mainly discussed from the field scale. Phytoextraction, the most widely used technology for As-contaminated soil in China, was the main focus for bioremediation. Method development for evaluating soil remediation efficiency was also summarized. Further research directions were proposed based on literature analysis.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Arsenic, field-scale / Immobilization / Phytoextraction / Soil washing

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