Advances and Challenges in Microbial Immobilization Technology for Organic Contaminated Soil Remediation

Organic pollutants, representing a major category of soil contamination, not only significantly impair soil environmental quality but also threaten human health and agricultural safety through biological accumulation in the food chain. Microbial immobilization technology, as a sustainable and efficient remediation strategy, provides a promising solution for mitigating soil organic pollution. By immobilizing functional microorganisms on specific carriers, this technology effectively shields microorganisms from environmental stressors, extends their active lifespan, and markedly improves microbial stability and pollutant degradation efficiency. Nevertheless, despite its substantial potential, the large-scale application of microbial immobilization technology encounters several challenges, including the optimization of carrier materials, enhancement of microbial community stability, and mitigation of environmental impacts. This paper comprehensively reviews the advancements and challenges of microbial immobilization technology in the remediation of organically contaminated soils. It emphasizes that future research should prioritize the development of cost-effective, high-performance carriers, the refinement of immobilization processes, and the exploration of synergistic interactions within microbial communities to achieve efficient and eco-friendly soil remediation objectives. To advance this field, future efforts must bridge fundamental research on carrier-microbe interactions with engineering-scale validation, addressing key challenges in cost, stability, and predictability for field applications.