Transformation of Pollutants in Soils

Soil pollutants may percolate and end up in ground-water, or be retained by a soil matrix due to their affinity for specific soil components (e.g., insoluble organic compounds in humic substances). There, they may stay inactive, decompose, or react with soil components or with other pollutants. Reactions from these types of pollutants with soil include oxidation, reduction, combination, precipitation, dissolution, and metathesis. The main decomposition pathways include biodegradation (see Section 9.1.2), chemical degradation, and 

Effects of Pollutants on the Chemistry of the Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, and Lithosphere 

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