Soil Reclamation and Crop Production in Arsenic Contaminated Area Using Biochar and Mycorrhiza

Global modernization is responsible for industrialization, urbanization and several other anthropogenic activities, which involve the huge application of heavy metals. In the last decade, remediation of agriculturally polluted soil has attracted great attention. Arsenic (As) has negatively affected the soil, and at high concentrations can cause biomass decrease and inhibition of photosynthesis which can eventually lead to plant necrosis. As can enter the food chain via plant uptake and be harmful to the ecosystem including human health. Biological As-remediation is a process of using soil organisms or natural materials to reduce As concentration in soil and As-toxicity in plants. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have been known for their role in enhancing plant growth and minimizing the effects of toxins including heavy metals. Therefore, AMF-assisted alleviation of heavy metal phytotoxicity is a cost-effective and environment-friendly strategy as AMF has a symbiotic relationship with the host plant. However, Biochar has recently gained interest for its capacity to adsorb pollutants. Biochar is a biological residue combusted under low oxygen conditions, resulting in a porous, low-density carbon-rich material. Their large surface area and cation exchange capacity, which is largely determined by source materials and pyrolysis temperature, enables enhanced sorption of both organic and inorganic contaminants to their surfaces. This results in the reduction of pollutant mobility in contaminated soils. Therefore, this chapter provides a summary of the most recent research on biochar and AMF-assisted restoration of areas that have been polluted by arsenic as well as a few strategies used by mycorrhizal fungus and biochar to endure in such harsh environments.