Implementation of Soil Washing in Remediation of Contaminated Soil

Abstract

Many human anthropogenic activities, including as deforestation, fossil fuel combustion, industrialisation, and solid waste production, have contaminated and endangered the entire environmental ecosystem in this age of pollution. Recently, heavy metal contamination in soil particles has attracted the attention of governments around the world, as many agricultural farmlands are contaminated with heavy metal pollutants such as copper, nickel, cobalt, iron, and lead, which have negatively impacted crop development. In addition, long-term exposure of the human body to heavy metals will cause severe illnesses, including neurological disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and chronic diseases. These contaminated soils are extremely tough and demanding to remediate. Soil washing is one of the most effective, rapid, and straightforward ways for decontaminating heavy metal-contaminated soil. The primary purpose of soil washing is to clean the sand and gravel fractions while concentrating contaminants in the clay and silt fractions. This will aid in the removal of heavy metal particles from the soil and their transfer to the washing solution. This study will examine the fate and transport of heavy metal contaminants as well as the many forms of soil washing mechanisms. In addition, the obstacles of implementing soil washing as well as its advantages and disadvantages were explored. Further research and possibly new directions, in addition to the possibility of soil washing, would also be discussed.