Analysis of Biopolymer Remediated Contaminated Soil

Abstract

Soil contamination is emerging as a major threat to environment as well as human health. The major causes of contamination are due to the rapid growth in industrial development, intensive agriculture and anthropogenic activities releasing heavy metals, chemicals, salts and other disease causing agents. The heavy metals decreases the quality of soil by leaching into it and thereby causing groundwater contamination. Therefore, remediation of such soils is necessary. Various methods are employed to remove the contaminants from soil. The paper focuses on using biopolymers as remedial agent in cadmium contaminated soil. Biopolymers are the polymeric molecules that are harmless and eco-friendly which occurs in nature. In the present study, starch based and cellulose based biopolymers were used to remediate clayey soil which is artificially contaminated using cadmium chloride at different concentrations. The effectiveness of treatment and a comparative study upon addition of both biopolymers will be evaluated by means of atterberg limits, column leaching test, strength characteristics and micro structural analysis.