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Phytoremediation of Radioactive Contaminated Sites

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Advances in Bioremediation and Phytoremediation for Sustainable Soil Management

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Abstract

Radioactive substances are widely used in different sectors including industries, agriculture, energy sector, food industries, and medical sector for the improvement of mankind’s lifestyle. The major sources of radioactive substances are nuclear weapon production and testing, industrial processes like smelting of metals, mining, and research laboratories. Due to the excessive use of these substances in industries and other sectors, they contaminate the soil as well as water resources. The management of these contaminants is challenging as radioactive substance required certain time for decaying. Therefore, it is necessary to use some environment friendly methods for the removal of these contaminants from soil for the betterment of human. Among various techniques, phytoremediation is proven to be eco-friendly and realistic technique for the decontamination of radioactive contaminated sites. In this chapter, major radioactive substances, their sources, and exposure pathway in environment and major impacts on ecosystem is discussed. Further, the different remediation techniques are also highlighted, but the focus is on phytoremediation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Hazara University, Mansehra, Pakistan

    Iram Gul & Ghulam Mujtaba Shah

  2. Department of Geology, University of Malakand, Dir (Lower) Chakddara, Pakistan

    Imran Ahmad

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  1. Iram Gul
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  2. Imran Ahmad
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  3. Ghulam Mujtaba Shah
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Correspondence to Iram Gul or Imran Ahmad .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, Government Degree College, Bijbehara, Jammu and Kashmir, India

    Junaid Ahmad Malik

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Gul, I., Ahmad, I., Shah, G.M. (2022). Phytoremediation of Radioactive Contaminated Sites. In: Malik, J.A. (eds) Advances in Bioremediation and Phytoremediation for Sustainable Soil Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-89984-4_11

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