Removal of Pesticides and Reclamation of Soil through Biochar Application as a Soil Amendment

Abstract

The extensive use of pesticides and inorganic fertilizers has promoted soil contamination and also contaminated groundwater through the percolation of water and imparting lethal severe health effects on living beings and the environment. In modern agriculture, pesticides are inevitable as they are required to control pests, weeds, and other pests, which undoubtedly result in the gradual degradation of soil quality. Therefore, to deal with environmental as well as possible health effects, the contaminated soil has to be remediated by using environmental-friendly soil amendments. In this context, biochar could be a promising agent because biochar has high porosity, maintain soil alkalinity, have abundant functional group, and has an exceedingly aromatic structure, which makes biochar an efficient adsorbent; hence these properties of biochar make it a suitable agent to reduce pesticides in the soil and also prevent percolation of pesticides to the water. The mutual effects of soil organisms and biochar on pesticide reduction have received recent attention. In this review, we have highlighted the use of biochar as a soil amendment in the context of the removal and degradation of pesticides in the soil, along with the probable mechanism of biochar action on soil remediation.