Soil Pollution: Origin, Monitoring and Remediation

The degradation of soil by an alteration in the natural soil environment or through the presence of xenobiotic chemicals is known as soil pollution. It is usually caused by improper disposal of waste, agricultural chemicals and industrial activity. Some of the prominent chemicals which cause soil pollution are petroleum hyrdocarbons, naphthalene, solvents, pesticides and heavy metals such as lead. The process of removing pollutants and contaminants from the soil is known as environmental remediation. There are various strategies which are used in remediation. Some of these are aeration of soils, bioremediation, extracting groundwater and then filtering the contaminants, phytoremediation and surfactant leaching. The topics covered in this extensive book deal with the core aspects of soil pollution as well as its monitoring and remediation. It will serve as a reference to a broad spectrum of readers. Coherent flow of topics, student-friendly language and extensive use of examples make this book an invaluable source of knowledge.