Agro-Pollutants and their Nano-Remediation from Soil and Water: A Mini-Review

Abstract

T HE human activities include the agricultural, industrial and other activities. The agricultural sector is considered the main source for our life's supplies. However, the agricultural activities or practices might result many pollutants such as applied mineral fertilizers, pesticides, effluents from domestic and industrial sewages and vehicular emissions. Therefore, a remediation to remove or decrease the pollutants in soil and water is needed for the environment protection. This remediation has several classic strategies several years ago, but a promising and new approaches have been established particularly nano-remediation. This nano-remediation depends on the applied nanomaterials in removing pollutants from soils and water through nano-bioremediation and nano-phytoremediation. The most important nanomaterials that have potential in removing pollutants from contaminated soils and water are nano-silica, nano-zero-valent of iron, nano-sized iron sulfide particles, nano-ZnO and others. However, many challenges or open questions are still needing a justification because using nanomaterials in higher concentrations are toxic to plants and agro-environment. Are these nanomaterials stable under environmental conditions or will be converted into toxic ones or still need to be identified for sustainable nano-remediation? Is there any possibility to enter the nanomaterials or other toxic compounds the food chain through these plants? Therefore, a lot of further research is needed concerning the nano-remediation in removal the agro-pollutants.

Remediation by enhanced natural attenuation; an environment-friendly remediation approach

“…Nanoremediation is the application of nanomaterials in the treatment of environmental pollutants, especially on the soil and in water (El-Ramady et al, 2020). The different types of nanoparticles used in bioremediation, they include zinc nanoparticles, iron nanoparticles, aluminum nanoparticles, gold nanoparticles, titanium nanoparticles, carbon nanoparticles, and silver nanoparticles (Alazaiza et al, 2021).…”

Mechanistic and recent updates in nano-bioremediation for developing green technology to alleviate agricultural contaminants

“…Agricultural pollution is a global environmental concern that is mainly caused by the function of many farming inputs (such as pesticides and fertilizers) and numerous practices, such as excessive soil tillage and runoff (El-Ramady et al 2020). Agricultural pollutants may encompass unsustainable use of agrochemicals resulting in accumulation of heavy metals, halogenated compounds, phenols and organic compounds such as pesticides, insecticides which are one of the most pressing issues confronting agriculture around the world (Singh et al 2020a).…”

“…It is worth mentioning that various modern bioremediation approaches, such as the application of biosurfactants, emulsifiers, enzymes, biopesticides, and Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), could be used (Halecký and Kozliak 2020). Combining nanotechnology and bioremediation could increase the efficiency, time efficiency and environmental friendliness of remediation, increasing benefits (El-Ramady et al 2020;Ghani et al 2022). Nano-bioremediation (NBR) is one of these methods that have attracted the attention of many scientists in recent years due to its unique combination of nanomaterials and bioremediation.…”

Partial Replacement of Chemical NPK Fertilizers with Liquid Compost and Banana Pseudostem Sap in ‘Sewy’ Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.)

“…Fertilization is one of the main limiting factors for growth and productivity of various date palm cultivars, considering that each variety has different fertilization requirements (Minikaev et al, 2021;Abd EL-Rahman and Abd-Elkarim, 2022). Chemical fertilizers are considered a source of agricultural pollutants affecting negatively the ecosystem, especially with its excessive use (El-Ramady et al, 2020;Yadav et al, 2022). The reduction of chemical fertilization through combined application of organic and inorganic fertilizers into the soil is a sustainable approach for improving soil physical, chemical and biological properties (Girmay et al, 2008;Zhang et al, 2015).…”