Soil pollution has become a substantial environmental problem which is amplified by overpopulation in different regions. In this review, the state of the art regarding the use of Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) for soil remediation is presented. This review aims to provide an outline of recent technologies developed for the decontamination of polluted soils by using AOPs. Depending on the decontamination process, these techniques have been presented in three categories: the Fenton process, sulfate radicals process, and coupled processes. The review presents the achievements of, and includes some reflections on, the status of these emerging technologies, the mechanisms, and influential factors. At the present, more investigation and development actions are still desirable to bring them to real full-scale implementation.

The present study focuses on the electrokinetic process for the in situ formation of electroactive species at the anode. A bench scale experiment was conducted to investigate the organic molecule degradation by in situ electroactive species and simultaneous removal of trace metals in soil contaminated by a textile effluent. With an impressed direct current (DC), the voltage gradient of 2 V cm⁻¹ facilitated the dye/metal ion movement in the contaminated soil towards the electrodes by electromigration. Two different electrolytes were evaluated for the degradation of pollutants in the soil. Thus, 0.5 M potassium sulfate was assayed as the anolyte and catholyte for system I and in system II, distilled water was used as the electrolyte. The EK process experiments were conducted for 120 h. The UV-Visible spectrum revealed the presence of humic substances in the anolyte chamber during the EK process. The EK treatment was accomplished by the in situ anodic generation of electroactive species. These species were able to degrade the organic components efficiently. The formation of peroxide was noticed in the range of 18 to 32 mg L⁻¹ (system I) during the anodic EK processes. After the EK process, the total organic content was reduced by about 68% and 41% for system I and system II, respectively, which clearly indicates that the significant removal of organic content in system I as compared to that in system II. The trace metals nickel, chromium and copper were significantly removed from the contaminated soil. This technology may be exploited for a faster and eco-friendly degradation and removal of textile dye and inorganic substances in the soil environment.