The two sides of contaminant sequestration in soil

Authors

  • Marisol Osorio-Torres División Académica de Ingeniería y Arquitectura, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Tabasco, México.
  • Viridiana W. Velázquez-Vázquez División Académica de Ingeniería y Arquitectura, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Tabasco, México.

Keywords:

Soil pollution, sequestration, bioavailability

Abstract

The sequestration of contaminants is a process by which substances such as hydrocarbons, antibiotics, or pesticides become immobilized through physical, chemical, and biological interactions with the soil matrix, reducing their bioavailability. Sequestration is a dynamic process that depends on the type of soil, the nature of the contaminant, and environmental conditions. This phenomenon can be beneficial because it limits the spread of contaminants and their entry into the food chain; however, it can also have negative effects, as it makes contaminants more difficult to quantify and remediate and may alter soil fertility.

References

United Nations. (2024, 2 de diciembre). La desertificación y la degradación del suelo afecta a 3000 millones de personas en todo el mundo. Noticias ONU. https://news.un.org/es/story/2024/12/1534741

FAO. (2014). World Reference Base for Soil Resources 2014: International soil classification systems for naming soils and creating legends for soil maps. In World Soil Resources Reports No. 106. http://www.fao.org/soils-portal/soil-survey/soil-classification/world-reference-base/en/

Sarkar B, Mukhopadhyay R, Ramanayaka S, Bolan N, Ok YS. (2021). The role of soils in the disposition, sequestration and decontamination of environmental contaminants. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 376:20200177. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2020.0177

Diario Oficial de la Federación (2013). NOM-138-SEMARNAT/SSA1-2012. Límites máximos permisibles de hidrocarburos en suelos y lineamientos para el muestreo en la caracterización y especificaciones para la remediación. DOF 10-09-2013, 16.

Adriano, D. C., Wenzel, W. W., Vangronsveld, J., & Bolan, N. S. (2004). Role of assisted natural remediation in environmental cleanup. Geoderma, 122(2-4 SPEC. IIS.), 121–142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2004.01.003

Alexander, Martin. (2000). Aging, Bioavailability, and Overestimation of Risk from Environmental Pollutants. Environmental Science & Technology, 34(20), 4259–4265. https://doi:10.1021/es001069+

Mohanta, S., Pradhan, B., & Behera, I. D. (2024). Impact and Remediation of Petroleum Hydrocarbon Pollutants on Agricultural Land: A Review. Geomicrobiology Journal, 41(4), 345–359. https://doi.org/10.1080/01490451.2023.2243925

REAL ACADEMIA ESPAÑOLA: Diccionario de la lengua española, 23.ª ed., [versión 23.8.1 en línea]. https://dle.rae.es

Published

2026-03-24

How to Cite

Osorio-Torres, M., & Velázquez-Vázquez, V. W. (2026). The two sides of contaminant sequestration in soil. Revista De divulgación científica IBIO, 8(2), 324. Retrieved from http://revistaibio.com/ojs33/index.php/main/article/view/324

Issue

Section

Raise awareness