Green Technologies and Environmental Sustainability

Constructed wetlands (CWs) could be an environmentally acceptable option in treating domestic sewage. But, the successful implementation of this technology in decentralization practices is still under debate. Increasing the knowledge regarding the use of CWs in coastal regions where domestic sewage seriously stressed with total dissolved solids (TDS) and cold weather conditions is additionally imperative. A comprehensive review is therefore needed to have a better understanding of this state-of-the-art technology to inspire a sustainable solution for onsite sanitation. This chapter covers the role of plants, media materials, microorganisms, and oxygen transfer in domestic wastewater purification through constructed wetlands (CWs). The pros and cons, operational design variables, and effectiveness of traditional and recently developed CWs, and the necessity of an induced biofilm attachment surface (BAS) in these systems for the treatment of domestic sewage are presented. This chapter also elucidates the ability of CWs to deal with TDS-contaminated wastewater. Adaptive strategies to mitigate the impacts of cold climate on the effectiveness of CWs are also summarized. Future research that needs for enhancing stability and sustainability of wetland systems is highlighted. Overall, by more advanced investigation, the biofilm attachment surface (BAS) CWs can be specified as an ideal treatment process in decentralization. The success of CWs responding to environmental stress can occur by optimum engineering design and operation.

The continuous contamination of worldwide water bodies, by the presence of emerging pollutants, has raised great importance over the last decades. This group of pollutants comprises a large variety of chemicals, comprehending household and personal care products, human and veterinary drugs, as well as industrial compounds. Although, scientific data have made evident the potential threats of the emerging pollutants to public and environmental health, there is still limited information available concerning the ecotoxicity, concentration, and distribution of these compounds, which makes their ecological regulation, detection, and treatment very difficult. Thus, the search for green technologies to detect and treat potential environmental pollutants is critical for ecological and human health protection. In this context, laccases have gained scientific interest due to their broad substrate range, including recalcitrant environmental pollutants, and their ability to use only oxygen as a co-substrate. This work explores the potential of laccase enzyme as element of biosensing and bioremediation, and identifies the drawbacks that have to be overcome in order to demonstrate their feasibility and implement a large-scale process.

The quest for sustainable and environment friendly energy sources has become the pressing need of the present. Declining petroleum reserves, worldwide demand for energy, and undesirable effects of greenhouse gas emissions have led to increased worldwide interests in biofuels. This has resulted in the enormous use of biofuels an alternative choice that can link energy security with environment conservation without essentially compromising with the nourishment of the people. Substantial research and development programmes in biofuels for sustainable development have been initiated by many countries. Although sustainable development does not build the world which can be said to be well equipped for the future generations, it establishes a foundation on which the future world can be built upon. Biofuels, the sustainable energy system may be regarded as a cost-effective, trustworthy, and environmental friendly system that efficiently make use of local resources. Biofuels have additionally been lumped into first-, second- and third-generational categories. We use first-generation biofuels in our fuel tanks today. However, the use of biofuels does not imply that its production, conversion and use are sustainable. Biofuels are relatively similar to hydrocarbons and feature some of the similar emission problems like that of standard fossil fuels. If proper care is taken in their production and distribution, they can, nevertheless, be more environmentally friendly. Biofuels are an inexhaustible resource since the stock can be replenished through agriculture. One of the main detractors to the use of biofuels is that setting aside land for biofuel crops means less land for food production. Some foreign countries have said that it is unethical to use crops for biofuel when global hunger is an ever present problem. This chapter emphasizes on the fact that by establishing energy management, the role of renewable energy sources and their modern advances ought to take more importance as a way for contributing energy supply and supporting energy conservation strategy, even though traditional sources, like that of oil, natural gas and coal meet maximum energy demand for the time being. The study concludes with the say that the rise in the use of biofuels at global front is inevitable. It thus focuses on the challenge to increase appreciably the production of biofuels by using innovative technologies, which are commercially viable and sustainable.

India being the world’s fastest growing major economy requires to substantially boost up the availability of energy for sustaining high rate of economic growth. Critical dependence on imported forms of fossil energy can be detrimental in the long run. With around 51% of the total demand for petroleum products, the transportation sector is likely to be among the most vulnerable sectors to petroleum supply shocks. In order to improve energy security and also to reduce the emission intensity of GDP, indigenously developed renewables are urgently required. Considering the quantum of diesel use in India and associated environmental degradation, biodiesel appears to be a very promising alternative which can be used and distributed by utilizing existing infrastructure. The Government has taken serious note of the situation and has introduced policies for developement and use of biodiesel. However, the biodiesel industry in India is still in its infancy requiring careful examination and addressing of policy lacunae.

Intensive investigation and spectacular attention have been currently on microalgae fuels because they are the only sustainable alternate, inherently renewable, economical, and eco-friendly fuels unlike fossil fuels which are fast depleting. Microalgae are rapidly growing organisms and contain high amount of oil content when compared to season-depending terrestrial and food crops containing low percent dry weight of oil. The oil content of microalgae, a remarkable feature could be tuned higher especially under stress conditions as nutrient deficiency, in particular nitrogen. It is quite explicit and plausible that the conversion of microalgae into liquid fuels facilitates a sustainable, long-term fuel production circumscribed in an environmentally attuned manner. As the world population reaches ten billion mark and the sequels of negative environmental, economic and social impacts, the compromise based on first-generation biofuels seems quite irremediable. To surpass the existing problems, microalgae biofuels are envisaged as rather promising and potential due to high photosynthetic efficiency and growth rate in the development of about 70% of lipid content within the cells depending on species. Photo-bioreactors substitute the open raceway ponds for curtailing the problem of contamination and evaporation in open ponds. The production of value-added byproducts after biofuel extraction could also be the best outcome of microalgae residues.

Microalgal biomass is considered as one of the most suitable alternative feedstocks for the renewable biofuels. Microalgae have several advantages such as ability to grow in harsh environment, comparatively very high productivity, and high lipid contents. Due to such potentials, microalgal biomass is preferred over the convention biofuel feedstocks. The concentration of microalgal biomass typically ranged between 0.5 and 1 kg/m³ in the raceways or open pond type cultivation systems and around 5–10 kg/m³ in the closed photobioreactor-type cultivation systems. The bottleneck of the algal biofuels is the harvesting of microalgae biomass from diluted culture media. Irrespective of the density of the algal biomass, the water content in microalgal culture exceeds 99% that makes the separation process lengthy and energy intensive. This largely determines the economic viability of microalgae-based biofuels and by-products. Among various techniques used for the harvesting of microalgal biomass, coagulation and flocculation have been found very effective and inexpensive; however, the choice of the coagulant depends on the use of harvested biomass for desired end products. The success of microalgae harvesting by flocculation requires thorough understanding about the nature of the flocculants, its molecular weight, mode of interaction, etc., along with the understanding about the algae species to be harvested. Harvesting of microalgae by coagulation and flocculation has its own advantages and disadvantages; however, being simple and cost-effective, it is one of most preferred techniques especially if the biomass is used for biofuels.

Although sun is the source of all forms of energy including the energy contained in fossil fuels, the term “solar energy” is meant the energy obtained directly from sun’s radiation. Solar photovoltaic (PV) is the most promising of all the active solar energy technologies. This technology is affordable and the source of this energy is inexhaustible. Moreover, it is the cleanest source of energy developed so far, thereby establishing it as a sustainable solution to solve energy crisis. This chapter presents a succinct picture of the solar PV technology along with classification and application areas. The status of the technology maturity and energy–exergy and economic aspects of PV technology has also been addressed.

Glyphosate is currently considered the most important herbicide of the world due to its broad-spectrum activity, effectiveness, and loss of global patent protection. Its ubiquitous presence in the environment due to anthropogenic activities and recalcitrance has the potential to affect animal behavior and interfere with ecological processes. Despite its important role in the protection of crops, it is important to establish strategies to reduce potential human exposure or decrease its presence in the environment. To date, only one microbial enzyme known as C-P lyase is acknowledged to drive complete glyphosate mineralization. AMPA, the common metabolite product of glyphosate biodegradation, still possesses the unique C-P bond of phosphonates and retains it toxic profile and recalcitrance. Thus, it is important to consider glyphosate and AMPA biodegradation altogether. Nevertheless, the potential to develop a bioremediation process is mainly limited by the genetic regulatory system that governs the expression of the C-P lyase, as it strongly depends on low environmental levels of phosphate. Thus, the complete mineralization of this herbicide by the sole use of microorganisms would remain insufficient until (1) more research on additional genetic control mechanisms of C-P lyase expression are explored, (2) alternative enzymes are studied in detailed, or (3) more complex and elaborated processes are considered. This work explores the available information on glyphosate biodegradation over the course of 40 years of study, the different pathways involving the C-P lyase, the genetic and physiological regulatory system that governs these processes, and the factors limiting the development of glyphosate bioremediation technologies.

Urbanized areas are covering less than 3% of the land, but the majority of Earth’s population and industry is concentrated at these territories. There is an urgent need for development of a comprehensive approach to the assessment of environmental quality in these areas. Bioindication allows estimating the entire complex of negative factors simultaneously. However, there are still large gaps in our knowledge of the urban ecosystem functioning. This chapter aimed to review the existing approaches to the bioindication of urban areas, i.e., microbial and plant bioindicators, as well as complexity of urban ecosystem, soil and its types, anthropogenic impacts, pollutants, effect on microbial community, other existing problems in this field and suggest the possible ways to solve them. The development of reliable bioindicators used on the basis of systematic approach would contribute greatly to rational land use and sustainable functioning of the urban environment.

This paper provides an overview and literature review to understand the concept of smart cities with sustainability dimensions and indicators. Based on the outcomes of various studies, it is realized that several dimensions are identified with related factors for smart cities, i.e., economics, environmental, social, and governmental. These dimensions are further divided into indicators which are linked with various aspects like management and organization, technology, policy decision, public participation, socio-economic, infrastructure availability, and clean environment. It is very important to use these indicators to examine the participation and role of government for various development activities for smart city. These different definitions and indicators propose agendas for smart city development and provide an outline for government and other relevant organizations to take necessary steps in the formation of policy and development plans considering the future scenarios.

Rapid industrialization has led to pollution of air and water and generation of hazardous wastes leading to significant environmental problems. The interrelations among population growth, lack of resources, general ill health and socio-economic factors with environmental pollutions have to be accounted for. Therefore eco-restructuring of economic development is necessary which addresses the role of globalization on growth and development. Regulatory aspects in chemical safety for environmental control in developing countries have to be integrated in the overall perspective of the local situations. Conceptual considerations along with challenges for sustainable development, role of research and development in solving environmental problems, anticipatory actions, environmental quality control and approaches to solutions are presented here.

Solid waste could be defined as the unwanted solid fractions which are generated from domestic and commercial sectors, trade centres, industrial activities, agricultural practices, various institutions and mining activities. Out of the various categories of municipal solid waste, post-consumer waste was of our concern as these wastes are no longer recycled and have the possibility of creating aesthetic pollution in particular. One of the post-consumer wastes is the paper cups which are found in large quantum occupying the MSW. Though there exists many numbers of techniques to manage these wastes, vermitechnology was found to be the simplest, cost-effective methodology for its management. Equal ratio of paper cup waste and cow dung was formed to get decomposed into manure with a C/N ratio<20 within a period of 19 weeks due to the activity of Eudrilus eugeniae. The bacterial strains such as Bacillus anthracis (KM289159), Bacillus endophyticus (KM289167), Bacillus funiculus (KM289165), Virigibacillius chiquenigi (KM289163), Bacillus thuringiensis (KM289164), Bacillus cereus (KM289160), Bacillus toyonensis (KM289161), Acinetobacter baumannii (KM289162) and Lactobacillus pantheries (KM289166) were identified and are confirmed by 16srRNA sequencing. The enzymes such as amylase, cellulose and protease were assayed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Further the cellulose degradation was confirmed with the bacterial consortia using high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) analysis. The arearetention (380,620–245,696) and height reduction (6061–3303) confirmed the same. The change in the catalase, glutathione-S-transferase, and glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase was recorded. On comparison, the SOD is found to vary during the paper cup decomposition and thus the parameter acts as a biomarker. During the plastic separation from the paper cup by the earthworm in the 8th week, the morphological and histological changes were also recorded. But it was clear that the earthworms required their lost weight when introduced into fresh waste again. Hence, vermicomposting is one of the eco-friendly methods for the post-consumer waste degradation.

The current scenario of economic and social aspects led to the development of smart and new biomaterials. Sustainable bio nano approaches are focusing on environmentally friendly biomaterials from renewable resources. The renewable bio nano materials are often produced directly from natural or recycled products. The natural products are biodegradable and mostly consist of cellulose, chitosan, starch, collagen, soy protein, and casein. The cellulose is a grade one biomaterial with appealing features including biocompatibility and biodegradability. These renewable materials play an important role in reducing global warming by preventing the release of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. The cellulose microfibrils are made up of a linear chain of nanofibrils of amorphous and crystalline character. Natural cellulose represents the cellulose I type polymorph which is thermodynamically metastable. The isolation of nanocellulose from the cellulose involves several methods. Nanocellulose possesses unique propensities such as high surface area-to-volume ratio, young modulus, high tensile strength, and coefficient of thermal expansion. Nanocellulose is mainly of two types, nanofiber and nanocrystals. Nanocellulose could be altered in long fibers, suspension, and film through various processes and modifications.

The extraction of nanocellulose involves multistage processing with vigorous chemical and mechanical treatment. Chemical methods involve alkali pretreatment combined with acid hydrolysis, ultrasonication, enzymatic hydrolysis, high pressure homogenization, cryocrusing, TEMPO-mediated oxidation, and so on. The choice of selected method strongly influences the aspect ratio, surface features, and mechanical stiffness. Recently most cellulosic material has been involved in fabrication into a biopolymer composite system but cellulose’s intrinsic hydrophilic character of the original surface features hampers the interfacial interaction with other hydrophobic polymeric structures. Therefore the modification of the surface introduces new functionalities into the cellulosic chain to convert it into active nanocellulose. The surface can be modified via two approaches: (i) physical interaction between cellulose and other macromolecules through adsorption on the surface, and (ii) alteration in the chemical bonding between cellulose and other chemical agents. A high surface area and the presence of an hydroxyl group provide a classic condition for surface mediation. TEMPO-mediated oxidation, amination, silylation, acetylation, oxidation, esterification, surfactant, or polymer grafting are the methods most often applied for surface modification of nanocellulose.

Apart from this current physical treatment, surface fibrillation, electric discharge (corona, cold plasma), irradiation, ultrasonic, electric currents, and the like have been applied to create a modified surface. Thus the use of modified reinforced biopolymer fibers instead of traditional fibers provides several advantages in different sectors including pharmaceuticals, paper, biomedicine, and the development of other novel smart materials. The presence of exceptional mechanical properties, surface groups, and biological properties makes it a suitable material for tissue scaffolds, drug delivery agents, and enzyme and protein immobilizing material. In addition to this, in the development of aerogel, biofoam, nanofiber, and additives for new devices or material, nanocellulose plays an important role. The application of nanocellulose in different sectors needs the proper assessment of biodegradability, toxicological profiling, and biocompatibility. Development of a new research platform for the creation of various supramolecular structures and engineered biobased material by the utilization of nanocellulose is the need of the hour. The economic and scientific points of view suggest that nanocellulose is a promising reinforcing green sustainable biomaterial that might be helpful in creating revolutionary changes in current technology and helping in advancement in various sectors.

Nature is very powerful and strategic and has tailored various materials with sizes in nanometers. This phenomenon is observed with the passage of time. In the current picture, the most important thing is to control the changes in biological processes at the nanoscale. Due to this behavior of nature, scientists and academicians have been inspired and encouraged towards nanoscience and nanotechnology and reproducing the manufacture and controlled synthesis of nanomaterials in bulk. Nanoscience is the interdisciplinary science where basics and the advancement of the discipline of the fundamental principles of atoms and molecules have been discussed regarding their structures in various dimensions where the particle size is less than 100 nm. Nanoparticles are popular due to their high specific surface area and good dispersion in various solvents. Therefore, metal nanoparticles (NPs) have been applied in different areas of science including medicine, electronics, electrical, and catalysis, among others. The synthesis of metal NPs in bulk is a challenge to researchers due to their aggregation behavior. Thus, the stabilization of metal nanoparticles becomes a challenging job. But in the last decade ionic liquids (ILs) were found to be potent alternatives for the stabilization of metal nanoparticles.

As per the literature, ionic liquids are organic salts. They are based on the ammonium or phosphonium cation and different anions. Ionic liquids melt at low temperature, that is, 100°C. Their hydrophobicity or polarity can be tuned easily via changing the alkyl part of the ammonium or phosphonium cation as well as the anion together or independently. ILs have low vapor pressure and are preferred over conventional organic solvents. Gold, silver, and copper NPs can be synthesized in ionic liquid (FIL) as a solvent and stabilizer. Synthesized metal NPs can be used in the synthesis of composite materials of PANI, gelatin, and triblock copolymers to explore their conducting and biomedical applications. Synthesized metal NPs were used to catalyze various organic reactions including the Knoevenagel reaction, oxidation of thiols, and acetylation of alcohol and amines. The products obtained are in high yields and of short duration using metal NPs in ionic liquids as catalytic media. This methodology is much cheaper than the others and also does not require high temperature. Hence, ILs serve in a green and efficient method. Further catalytic applications of metal nanoparticles for various reactions are currently under investigation.

The metallic particles whose size ranges between 1 and 100 nm in any one of the dimensions are termed as nanoparticles (NPs). Nanoparticles pose a great interest to chemists, physicists, biologists, and engineers for the development of new generation nanodevices, electronics, catalysis, chemistry, energy, and medicine. “Green synthesis” refers to the use of green material (i.e., plants) for the synthesis of any material. Nanoparticles can be synthesized by various ways, viz., laser ablation, gamma irradiation, electron irradiation, chemical reduction, photochemical methods, and microwave processing, which however produce hazardous chemicals as by-product. Green synthesis of NPs is presently becoming popular due to its eco-friendly and cost-effective approach with no use of any toxic chemicals. At the same time, synthesis of NPs through biological methods is not as easy and lots of open challenges are there. Green synthesis of NPs involves the use of water in closed reactors, which is a nontoxic solvent, and applies green techniques like ultrasound and microwave. The reagents used for the synthesis of NPs also include natural compounds such as sugars, vitamins, biodegradable compounds, and microbes. Among these reagents, plant-based materials are the most suitable candidates for large-scale synthesis of NPs. Several plants and their compounds are being used for green synthesis of NPs. This chapter focuses on the range of plants being used for various NP biosynthesis and also gives a view of various applications of NPs in diverse fields.

Green analytical techniques refer to approaches that decrease or completely remove preservatives, reagents, solvents, and other substances that are dangerous to man and the environment or and that also have the capacity to enhance speed and produce energy-efficient chemical analyses without affecting the quality and the required level of performance of products. This chapter discusses basic principles of green environmental techniques which aim at reducing the impact of chemical activities on man and the environment. These basic principles include energy and water usage reduction, reagent and solvent usage reduction, minimal production of gaseous, liquid and solid, substances during analytical processes, instantaneous analysis for prevention of pollution and intrinsically safer chemistry for prevention of accidents, synthesis of less harmful chemicals, atom economy, prevention, catalysis, design of benign chemicals, use of solvents and auxiliaries that are safer, designing processes that are energy efficient, usage of renewable resources, derivative reduction, and planning for degradation. Emphasis on green separation techniques, green spectrophotometric techniques, basics of green analytical techniques, the problems associated with the formulation of ideologies of green analytical chemistry to existing analytical laboratories, as well as the evaluation of the impact on man and the environment have also been discussed in this chapter.

Arsenic is a toxic element whose widespread contamination in highly populated regions of world has led to environmental and human health concerns. Millions of people residing in contaminated areas are forced to drink water and eat food containing arsenic beyond maximum permissible limits. As the extent of problem is huge, there is need to devise cost-effective measures to tackle the problem. Physicochemical methods available presently are costly and are not easily operable by the poor people. Bioremediation comprises application of biological organisms and/or components in the removal/stabilisation of the contaminant. This review will focus on arsenic removal aspects of bioremediation and will also discuss prospects of utilising biological components for restricting arsenic entry into crop plants specifically rice.

Distillery industries are one of the major sources of environmental pollution because these industries discharge a huge volume of dark-colored wastewater into the environment. The wastewater discharged contains high biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total solids (TS), sulfate, phosphate, phenolics, and toxic heavy metals. On terrestrial region, distillery wastewater at higher concentration inhibits seed germination, growth and depletion of vegetation by reducing the soil alkalinity and Mn availability, whereas in aquatic region, it reduces sunlight penetration and decreases both photosynthetic activity and dissolved oxygen content damaging the aquatic ecosystem. The large volume of dark-colored wastewater acts as a major source of soil and water pollution and thus requires adequate treatment for its safe discharge into the environment. Therefore, the removal of pollutants and color from distillery wastewater is becoming increasingly important for the environment and sustainable development. Thus, this chapter provides the detailed information on the generation, characteristic, toxicity as well as various biological methods employing bacteria, fungi, microalgae, etc. for the treatment of distillery wastewater. In biological treatment approaches microalgae have a number of applications over the conventional approaches as it is useful in wastewater treatment, CO₂ sequestration, cost-effective, sanitation and also in the production of renewable energy sources such as methane gas, biodiesel, biofuel, glycerol, hydrogen gas, biofertilizers, etc. Furthermore, the merits and demerits of existing processes have been also summarized in this chapter.

Restoration of degraded lands is an ecological, socio-economic, legal and national prerogative. Rebuilding healthy and resilient soils in such environments along with complex above- and below-ground biota for maintenance of ecosystem is required for establishment, growth, productivity and desired trajectories of succession of native plant communities at restoration sites. Complex networks that connect above- and below-ground ecosystems involve the rhizosphere in processes of mineralization and nutrient cycling. Such massive efforts need to be monitored by studying changes over time in native vegetation cover using on ground and remote sensing-based methods, changes in soil conditions and succession in bulk and rhizospheric microbial communities. These communities respond to the plant and soil types in which they occur and their interactions likely involve utilization of plant exudates, carbon sequestration, and available matter through detritus, etc. This chapter provides a brief insight into need for ecologically restoring sites, factors influencing them, the choice or selection of species for undertaking such a work, indicators of ecological restoration that can be applied for monitoring purposes and some of the popular models of ecological restoration in India that have been successfully established, and the techniques used in these models. In the end, it briefly summarizes the importance of soil microbial diversity as a driver of above- and below-ground biodiversity and the linkages between them.

Biochar is a black solid material derived from the thermo-chemical decomposition of solid organic material in an oxygen-deficit atmosphere. In recent years, biochar has been contributed as a technique that can provide several environmental benefits upon application to soil, including long-term storage of carbon (C) in soil. Because of their dominantly aromatic nature, biochars are advised as a resistant form of C with long mean residence times (MRTs) in the range of hundreds to thousands of years.

Different pyrolysis techniques (e.g., torrefaction (a pyrolysis process at low temperature), slow pyrolysis, gasification, fast pyrolysis, intermediate pyrolysis, hydrothermal carbonization (htc), or flash carbonization) are used for biochar production. Recently, research on torrefied biomass as soil ameliorant has started only. Biochar characteristics are governed by production variables such as feedstock, highest treatment temperature, holding time at HTT, pyrolysis conditions, etc. Feedstock properties (both physical and chemical) and HTT are considered to be the main factors influencing biochar physico-chemical characteristics. Currently, biochar is prepared at small scale to large scale. In some countries, it is used for kitchen garden and prepared from the domestic waste. Both traditional earthen charcoal kilns and modern charcoal retorts can be used for biochar production. The traditional earthen charcoal kilns and charcoal retorts can be used for the industrial production of biochar. In former technology, pyrolysis, gasification, and combustion processes occur in earthen kiln layer. In the modern charcoal retorts, a metal barrier is used for the separation of pyrolysis and combustion processes. A specific biochar according to its inherent physico-chemical properties can be utilized for particular application. For an example, high surface area biochar may be utilized as a sorbent, whereas high recalcitrance biochar may be used in carbon fixation. Biochars rich in nutrient and mineral contents with high water holding capacity could be more suitable for soil fertility enhancement.

The application of biochar as an organic amendment is favourable in terms of carbon capture and fertility of soil. Biochar accommodates a suitable habitat for microorganisms due to its high porosity, adsorption and cation exchange capacity and affecting different microbial processes involved in nutrient cycling, green house gas emission and organic matter (OM) decomposition, etc. Other than its agriculture benefit, there is increasing interest in the implementation of biochar as an alternative technique for many environmental issues such as amelioration of contaminated sites. In recent years the effectiveness of the combination of biochar and other organic materials, for example compost, has been reported widely with regard to the remediation of polluted soils and the improvement of soil resistance against erosion and nutrient retention.

The liming and sorptive properties of biochar make it suitable for reclamation of low pH and metal polluted soils such as acidic mine spoil. Biochar amendment in acidic and polluted soil can serve dual purpose: (a) improve soil health, (b) extenuate the risk of heavy metal pollution in various environmental surroundings. The combination of phyto-remediation in combination with biochar addition could be an excellent technology to improve the soil quality index in the coal mine area. In this chapter, the potential of biochar amendment for promoting the establishment of a plant cover and phyto-stabilization strategies on contaminated soils has been discussed.