From contaminated waters to living ecosystems: Heavy-metal remediation as a driver of aquatic habitat and biodiversity restoration

Contaminations of soils by hydrocarbons are significant threats to both ecosystems and human health as a result of their persistent nature and potential to cause adverse toxicological effects along with bioaccumulation. This review will discuss the state-of-the-art nanotechnologies used for remediation of soils contaminated with hydrocarbons and their role in processes of adsorption, catalytic oxidation, photocatalysis, electron transfer, redox cycling, and stimulation of microorganisms. While most studies on this topic only highlight the efficiency of biodegradation, this work is going to integrate all aspects of physicochemical transformations of the contaminants, ecology, and sustainability of nanomaterials into one comprehensive overview. Metal nanoparticles, metal oxide nanoparticles, carbon-based nanomaterials, nanoscale zero-valent iron, magnetic nanocomposites, nanoscale zeolites, and hybrid nanomaterials will be analyzed in relation to their impact on the process of hydrocarbon mineralization and degradation rate. The importance of new technologies that involve green synthesis of nanomaterials, their surface modification, and their coupling with microorganisms will be discussed about the improvement of catalytic properties, selectivity, and safety of nanomaterials. Potential ecotoxicological risks such as nanoparticle aggregation, disturbance of the microbiome, bioaccumulation, and changes to the structure of the soil will be also considered.