Effects of Biosurfactant on the Remediation of Contaminated Soils

Soil pollution is a worldwide problem. Both inorganic and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) possess high toxicity and long-term persistence. Biosurfactant based remediation technologies for contaminated soil are of increasing importance recently, and they have been demonstrated to be effective in uptaking both heavy metals such as Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu, and organic pollutants like hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs) and POPs, due to their lower toxicity, higher biodegradability and environmental compatibility. Meanwhile, biosurfactants enhanced phytoremediation also been reviewed and proved to be a promising technology for the removal of these contaminants from polluted sites. With the aim of optimizing this remediation technology, field scale experiments are also needed for further investigation.