1. By
Austin Emmanuel

2. What is Soil?
Soil is the mixture of minerals, organic matter,
gases, liquids and a myriad of micro- and
macro- organisms that can support plant life.it
performs four important functions: a medium for
plant growth; water storage, supply and
purification; modifier of the atmosphere; a
habitat for organisms that take part in
decomposition and habitat for other organisms.

3. Then What is Soil Pollution?
Soil pollution is either solid
or liquid hazardous
substances mixed with the
naturally occurring soil.
Usually, contaminants in the
soil are physically or
chemically attached to soil
particles, or, if they are not
attached, are trapped in the
small spaces between soil
particles.

4. Reasons for Soil Pollution
Soil Pollution
Pesticides
Herbicides
Biodegradable
Industrial Waste
Non Biodegradable

5. Pesticides
A pesticide is a substance or mixture of substances used to kill a pest. A pesticide
may be a chemical substance, biological agent (such as a virus or
bacteria), antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest. Pests
include insects, plant
pathogens, weeds, molluscs, birds, mammals, fish, nematodes (roundworms) and
microbes that compete with humans for food, destroy property, spread or are a
vector for disease or cause a nuisance. Although there are benefits to the use of
pesticides, there are also drawbacks, such as potential toxicity to humans and
other organisms.

6. Herbicides
Herbicides are used to kill weeds,
especially on pavements and railways.
They are similar to auxins and most
are biodegradable by soil bacteria.
However, one group derived from
trinitrotoluene have the impurity
dioxin, which is very toxic and causes
fatality even in low concentrations.
It is highly toxic but it rapidly degrades
in soil due to the action of bacteria and
does not kill soil fauna.
Example:- Sodium Chlorate (NaclO3),
Sodium Arsinite (Na3AsO3), etc.

7. Side Effects of Pesticides and Herbicides
Though pesticides and herbicides protect food from
pests and other microbes, they can have inverse effects
like:
• Soil Pollution
• Diseases
• Food Poisoning
• Long term disabilities, etc.

8. How can we Clean it up?
• Soil can be excavated from the ground and be either treated
or disposed
• Soil can be left in the ground and treated in place
• Soil can be left in the ground and contained to prevent the
contamination from becoming more widespread and reaching
plants, animals, or humans.
• Containment of soil in place is usually done by placing a large
plastic cover over the contaminated soil to prevent direct
contact and keep rain water from seeping into the soil and
spreading the contamination.

9. Industrial
Waste

10. What is Industrial Waste?
Industrial waste is the waste produced by industrial activity which includes
any material that is rendered useless during a manufacturing process such
as that of factories, mills and mines. It has existed since the outset of the
industrial revolution. Sewage treatment can be used to clean water tainted
with industrial waste. Some examples of industrial waste are paints, sand
paper, paper products, industrial by-products, metals, radioactive
wastes, etc. Industrial wastes are of two types: Biodegradable and nonbiodegradable.

11. Biodegradable Waste
Biodegradable waste is a type of waste
which can be broken down, in a
reasonable amount of time, into its
base compounds by micro-organisms
and other living things, regardless of
what those compounds may be.
Biodegradable waste can be commonly
found in municipal solid waste as green
waste, food waste, paper waste, and
biodegradable plastics. Other
biodegradable wastes include human
waste, manure, sewage, and
slaughterhouse waste. In the absence
of oxygen, much of this waste will
decay to methane by anaerobic
digestion.

12. Non-Biodegradable Waste
Non-biodegradable waste will
NOT break down (or won't for
many many years). Examples are
plastics, metal and glass.
Some dangerous chemicals and
toxins are also non-biodegradable,
as are plastic grocery bags,
Styrofoam (polystyrene), and other
similar materials but will
eventually break down over time.

13. Methods to Reduce Industrial Waste:
Waste Recycling
Fuel obtained from plastic waste has high octane rating.
It contains no lead and is known as green fuel.

14. Methods to Reduce Industrial
Waste: Waste Recycling (cont.)
Due to recent developments made in chemical and textile
industries, clothes will be made from recycled plastic
waste. These will be available soon in the global textile
market.

15. Methods to Reduce Industrial Waste:
Waste Recycling (cont.)
Technology Has now been developed to
produce electricity from garbage. A pilot plant
has been set up, where after removing ferrous
metals, plastic glass, paper, etc. from
garbage, it is mixed with water. It is then
cultured with bacterial species for producing
methane, commonly known as biogas. The
remaining product is used as manure and
biogas is used for producing electricity.
In India, our cities and towns face endless hours of power cut. We can
also see piles of garbage rotting here and there. This is a good news that
we can get rid of this problem simultaneously.