Physical, Chemical, Biological, and Synergistic Technologies for Remediation of Pesticide-Contaminated Soil

Pesticide contamination in soil poses serious risk to both the environment and human health. The pollution occurs when pesticides are produced in pesticide-manufacturing plants and applied in agricultural fields. Besides pesticides, solvent used during synthesis and environmental-transformed products could also exert toxic effects to both individual organism and general population in soil and surrounding water bodies. Exposure through direct contact, food product or contaminated water could lead to human health implications. In this review, we focus on the current status of pesticide contamination in soil. The environmental behaviors of pesticides and their risk profile were comprehensively reviewed. This paper discusses in detail the research progress of remedial technologies from four aspects: physical, chemical, biological and synergistic remedial techniques. By analyzing different remedial strategies, advanced oxidation process (AOP) showed advantages in the aspect of low energy consumption, rapid start-up and shutdown abilities, and low requirement for pretreatment of soil. It became clear that effective remedial approach also relies on the combinations and synergies among multiple technologies. Lastly, selection criteria for suitable soil remedial technologies were presented. Graphical Abstract: (Figure presented.)