Remediation approaches for heavy metals contaminated soils

Heavy metal contaminants are widely added into the soil due to intense industrialization and urbanization in recent eras. Long-term accumulation of these contaminants in soil degrades the soil quality and hampers the agricultural produce. Furthermore, owing to their toxic nature, these heavy metals pose a serious threat to animal and human health. In this context, remediation is a basic pillar for limiting contamination and improving soil quality. This review summarizes the various physical, chemical, and biological techniques involved in the remediation of metals. Other green technologies such as phytoremediation microbial assisted phytoremediation, phytoextraction, phytostabilization, and phytofilteration were also compared and discussed. These technologies considerably increased the removal efficiency. However, economic feasibility should be clarified before adopting any remediation technique.