A review of heavy metal and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon pollution treatment and remediation technologies in coal mine soils

Soil heavy metal and organic matter pollution is a serious problem currently facing many coal mine sites and surrounding areas, threatening the health of residents, and effective measures should be taken to solve it. Based on the analysis of the sources and hazards of heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil around coal mining areas, it is found that heavy metal elements are difficult to be degraded under natural conditions, leading to their accumulation in living organisms, and that PAHs are carcinogenic, teratogenic and mutagenic. By comparing the advantages and disadvantages of physicochemical remediation, phytoremediation and bioremediation in the treatment of heavy metals and PAHs-contaminated soils, it was found that phytoremediation and bioremediation are highly dependent on climate and environment, and that physical remediation is more costly and energy-consuming, so it is put forward that remediation technologies for soil pollution around mining areas need to be further innovated to realize the viewpoints of collaborative development in multiple fields and multiple disciplines. Through continuous technological innovation and the joint application of multiple remediation methods, we can achieve the purpose of effectively treating heavy metal and PAHs pollution in and around coal mine areas, realize the reuse of soil, and then realize the benign interaction between environmental protection and sustainable economic development.