ARSENIC AND ITS MANAGEMENT IN SOILDileep R.,Kiranakumara, Vinay Kumar M.,Raviraja, Sahana, Vivek M.S.,Chethan Babu, R.T. and Akshay Kumar KurdekarAbstract Arsenic (As) is a toxic metalloid and carcinogenic element that occurs widely in environment around theworld. Arsenic is introduced into soil and water through geological (weathering of rocks and minerals)and anthropogenic pathways (mining, pesticides, fertilizers, timber treatment etc). Irrigation of agriculturalland with As-contaminated groundwater or wastewater, particularly in India, Bangladesh and South-EastAsia resulted in the accumulation of arsenic in both soils and plants posing risks to soil ecosystems andhuman health. Arsenic in soil and water exists in a different valence state, but predominantly as toxicAs(III) and less toxic As(V) form. Arsenic toxicity is one of the most challenging problems in drinkingwater, as well as food crops (Samal et al., 2021). With greater public awareness of arsenic poisoning inanimals and human nutrition, there has been growing interest in remediation technologies for mitigatingAs-contaminated ecosystems. Remediation of As-contaminated soil improves physical, chemical andbiological approaches that may achieve either partial/complete removal of arsenic from soil and water.Many technologies like bioremediation, phytoremediation, soil mixing, soil washing, soil capping, filtration,adsorption and immobilization are used for arsenic removal from soil and water. Phytoremediation is abioremediation process that uses various types of plants to remove, transfer, stabilize, and/or destroycontaminants in the soil and groundwater. But most of the arsenic still remains in the environment andthere is always a risk of leaching caused by changes in the environmental conditions. Integrated approachinvolving a combination of physical, chemical and biological technologies is needed for the successful andeffective management of As-contaminated environment. |