Soil contamination is one of the main concerns of today's society. Contaminated soils result from various anthropic activities and soil management practices. Soil health and quality are affected by increased concentrations of potentially hazardous substances (e.g. metals/metalloids, radionuclides and organic compounds) together with other soil degradation factors commonly identified in contaminated areas (e.g. erosion, salinization, organic matter loss). As a result, geochemical and edaphic processes are disturbed, as are water quality, biodiversity, crop production and, consequently, the food chain. The spatial and temporal variability of soil contamination increases the complexity of its assessment and remediation.
Several materials and remediation techniques have been studied, mainly at the laboratory/greenhouse scale, but their success in the field may be limited. The management and remediation of contaminated soils pose significant environmental and socioeconomic challenges that require innovative, multidisciplinary approaches.
This session aims to present the most relevant advances: Soil health and mitigation of contaminating processes; Assessment and mapping of contaminated areas and their risk using classical techniques and digital tools and remote sensing; Evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of techniques and materials (technosols, biochar, nanoparticles and other organic and inorganic amendments) for soil remediation processes and their environmental applications; Modelling the behaviour of potentially hazardous substances and nutrients in contaminated and remediated soils; Monitoring and environmental response of ecosystems after implementation of remediation programmes; Legal frameworks and limitations of soil remediation strategies.
We invite colleagues to present studies and establish new partnerships to develop multidisciplinary strategies that can contribute to the assessment and remediation of contaminated sites.