Bioremediation of Emerging Contaminants in Soil using Biochar

Dr. Shiv Vendra Singh (M.Sc. (Ag.) in Agronomy from N.D. University of Agriculture & Technology, Ayodhya, India. doctoral degree in Agronomy from G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, India) is an assistant professor at Graphic Era Hill University, Dehradun, India. He has research experience in the field of biochar based nitrogenous fertilizers production, biochar enrichment, soil quality enhancement, carbon sequestration, GHGs emission and carbon footprint mitigation under biochar-based rice-wheat production system. Besides, he has received the reputed awards and fellowships from state and national agencies (e.g., Vice-Chancellor Gold Medal, NDUAT, Ayodhya; INSPIRE Fellowship, DST, GOI; Prize in National Essay Writing on Waste to Wealth by Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, GOI; Young Scientist Award, UCOST-Uttarakhand State Science & Technology Council, Uttarakhand; Student Excellence Award, GBPUAT, Pantnagar, INDIA). Dr. Arpna Kumari is working as a Senior Researcher in the Academy of Biology and Biotechnology, Southern Federal University, Russia. She possesses 7 years of research experience in the field of Plant Physiology with special emphasis on various abiotic stressors (i.e., drought, salinity, heat, heavy metals, organic contaminants, etc.); stress mitigation strategies; roles of nanotechnology in sustainable agriculture and contaminated soil restorations; cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of emerging pollutants. She has earned her doctoral degree in Life Sciences with specialization in Botany from Guru Nanak Dev University, Punjab, India. She has presented her research work in various national and international institutions like the National University of Singapore, National Botanical Research Institute, Panjab University, IIT-Delhi, etc. Dr. Chongqing Wang is an associate professor of Zhengzhou University in Zhengzhou, China. Dr. Wang obtained his doctoral degree from Central South University, China in 2017. His academic background involves waste management, recycling of solid wastes, and wastewater treatment. Dr. Wang has experience in separation of waste plastics, microplastic management, and functional materials derived from solid wastes. He has published over 80 research papers on international peer-reviewed journals, 10 highly cited papers, with H-index 38. Dr. Wang has obtained 15 Chinese licensed patents and 3 international licensed patents. He was selected in the Stanford University’s 2023 list of the top 2% of scientists. He has been serving as Associate Editor of International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, Advisory editorial board of Clean–Soil, Air, Water, editorial board member of Sustainability, and Sustainable Horizons. Dr. Wang serves as reviewer for over 30 prestigious international journals and received the Certificate of Outstanding Contribution in reviewing from Journal of Hazardous Materials, Journal of Cleaner Production and Waste Management.Binoy Sarkar is an early-career researcher based at the Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia. He received his PhD in Environmental remediation from the University of South Australia in 2011. He has over nine years’ experience in water treatment research underpinning principles of applied clay mineralogy, environmental nanotechnology, chemistry and microbiology. He is currently the technical editor for the International Journal of Agriculture, Environment and Biotechnology (New Delhi Publishers) and has been the Managing Guest Editor for two special issues in Applied Clay Science (Elsevier) on ‘Clay-based EnvRemTech and in Environmental Technology and Innovation (Elsevier) on ‘Innovation in clay and nanomaterial-based environmental remediation’. He is a reviewer for several international journals and an active member of numerous professional associations and societies including: the Clay Minerals Society of America; the Australasian Soil and Plant Analysis Council; the Australian Nanotechnology Network; and the Australian Clay Minerals Society.

• Section A: Introductory Background1. Occurrence and fates of emerging contaminants and PHMs in the soil ecosystem2. Agroecological consequences of emerging contaminants and heavy metals on plant and soil3. Overview of recent advancements in biochar production and modifications4. Development tailored biochar composites for efficient bioremediation of ECs from ecosystemSection B: Biochar led Pollutant Remediation in Soil Ecosystem5. Biochar-assisted removal of micro/nano plastics from soil system6. Biochar mediated immobilization of refractory organic pollutants from soil system7. Biochar application for the decontamination of personal care products, pharmaceuticals and antibiotics from soil systems8. Biochar assisted bioremediation of Phthalate esters and PFCs for polluted soil9. Immobilization of heavy metals from polluted soil system using biochar-based materials10. Biochar assisted phyto-remediation of inorganic contaminants11. Biochar assisted phyto-remediation of organic contaminantsSection C: Future prospects of biochar led contaminants remediation12. Potential threats of emerging metallic contaminants soil ecosystems13. Biochar, nanoscience and microbial association for environmental cleanup: future perspectives14. Potential challenges in upscaling the applicability of biochar under different ecosystems15. Ecological consequences of biochar application in soil system16. Artificial intelligence assisted biochar applications in pollutant immobilization