Biostimulatory Effect of Processed Sewage Sludge in the Bioremediation of Herbicide Polluted Soil

Introduction

Cleanup of herbicide contaminated soils has been a dire environmental concern since the advent of industrial era (Ramdas and Gerald, 2011). The rapid increase in population worldwide has resulted in the need for greater fuel demand and development of industrial chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides and pharmaceuticals to sustain and improve quality of life (Chakrabarty et al., 2008). Although many of these chemicals are utilized or destroyed, a high percentage is release into the air, water and soil, representing a potential environmental hazard (Anwar et al., 2009). Consequently, earth’s natural resources are not only being depleted, but also becoming polluted and unfit for human use. As a result, many of the activities that we used to take for granted are now being carefully examined for potential damage to the environment. The use of herbicide has benefitted modern society by improving the  quantity and quality of the world’s production while keeping the cost of that food supply reasonable. Unsurprisingly, herbicide use has become an integral part of modern agricultural system. Because of continuous pest problems, their usage possibly cannot be discontinued in the near future. Extensive and improper use of these chemicals had already caused considerable

environmental pollution and leads to greater health  risk  to plants, animals and human population which have been reviewed from time to time by several workers (Murugesan et al., 2010).