Conventional and Contemporary Techniques for Removal of Heavy Metals from Soil

One of the most important components of the natural environment is soil. Soil is a non-renewable natural resources on which the whole human society is dependent for various goods and services. The intensive, and unsustainable anthropogenic practices along with the rapid growth of the human population have led to continuous expansion and concern for the degradation of soil. The agricultural soil is exposed to a plethora of contaminants, the most significant contaminant among them is heavy metals. The major sources of heavy metal contamination are associated with agriculture, industries, and mining. The increase of heavy metal contents in the soil system affects all organisms via biomagnification. In this chapter, we will review various conventional and contemporary physical or chemical and biological techniques for remediation of contaminated soil. The advanced solution for degraded soil is integrating innovative technologies that will provide profitable and sustainable land-use strategies.