Waste derived amendments and their efficacy in mitigation of arsenic contamination in soil and soil–plant systems: A review

Arsenic (As) a priority chemical contaminant is one of the prevalent problems in various parts of the world. Soils contaminated with As can contaminate groundwater and render toxicity to food crops. Besides conventional techniques to alleviate As from soil and soil–plant systems, industrial as well as agricultural waste derived amendments have been studied quite extensively in the last two decades. Such methods are not only capable of alleviating As; however, also can decrease the effective amount of wastes produced from agro-industrial processes. Currently, the globe is in dire need of decreasing the As contamination as well as the pollution generated from agro-industrial wastes. Thus, these remediation techniques ensure “Feeding two birds with one scone”. A comprehensive discussion of the varied mechanisms and extent of As alleviation by such waste derived amendments has been explored. Arsenic phytotoxicity management using waste-derived amendments has also been investigated critically. This discussion can be a guideline to choose the proper amendment along with its modification technique so that the final product has the perfect physicochemical properties to be potential As stress alleviators for soil and soil–plant systems. Based on these, an effort to optimize the entire process by taking certain independent parameters has been adopted. This assessment aims to set forth a proper guideline for designing eco-friendly As remediation processes for soil and soil–plant systems which can be applied in field scale after proper validation in laboratory scale. •Waste-derived amendments alleviating As in soil and soil–plant system are reviewed.•The modification strategies of the available waste materials have been discussed.•The mechanisms followed by each of the amendments are explored.•Optimization of major independent parameters alleviating As are analysed.•Fate of the arsenic loaded amendments after the amelioration process is discussed. [Display omitted]