Bioremediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons-polluted soils at laboratory and field scale: A review of the literature on plants and microorganisms

The interrelationships between microbes and plants and the potential of utilizing these relationships to improve the dissipation of pollutants have been widely discussed during the last decades. However, to the best of our knowledge, there has been no prior study on the interrelationships between plants and microorganisms to degrade pollutants and shape a sustainable future. The characterization, identification, culturing, and management of plants and microorganisms suited for remediation techniques should be clearly defined, with the intention that the bioremediation techniques not only recover contaminated sites but also contribute to sustainable development and increasing social welfare. This chapter aims to provide the cutting-edge knowledge about the different biological interrelationships that are simultaneously taking place on a polluted site, prior, during, and after of the bioremediation strategies, taking into account and at the same time discussing the experimental findings at the laboratory and field scale by outstanding specialists.