Integrated Fundamentals of Soil Science: Processes, Properties and Sustainable Management

Soil pollution is a persistent environmental challenge that affects human health, ecosystem function, groundwater quality, food safety and soil-based climate regulation. This chapter synthesises the principal categories, pathways and management responses associated with soil contamination. It first defines soil pollution from regulatory and scientific perspectives and distinguishes point-source from diffuse contamination. The discussion then examines major inorganic pollutants, including heavy metals, metalloids, nitrate and phosphate, and considers organic pollutants such as persistent organic pollutants, petroleum hydrocarbons, pfas and microplastics. Biological pollutants, including pathogens, antibiotic resistance genes and antibiotic-resistant bacteria, are also addressed as emerging concerns with implications beyond the contaminated site. The chapter further reviews pesticide behaviour in soil, including sorption, degradation, volatilisation, leaching and runoff, and explains how soil ph, organic carbon, half-life and partitioning behaviour influence contaminant mobility and risk. A hierarchical framework for prevention, containment and remediation is presented, with attention to phytoremediation, chemical immobilisation, soil washing, electrokinetic remediation and bioremediation. The chapter also links soil pollution management with soil carbon sequestration, highlighting how carbon-building practices may interact with contaminant bioavailability and soil biological function. Overall, the chapter emphasises integrated soil management that protects soil quality, reduces contaminant exposure and supports sustainable land-use and climate-mitigation objectives.