A Portfolio of Nature-based Remediation Methods for a Climate-smart Recovery of Agriculture on Demined Land in Ukraine

Abstract

The continuing war in Ukraine has resulted in widespread pollution of agricultural soils owing to military actions such as the discharge of heavy metals and explosive residues. These toxins pose serious threats to agricultural production, food security, ecosystem functioning, and human health. Because of the large area of contaminated land, traditional remediation methods such as excavation and disposal are often economically and technically challenging. Nature based solutions (NbS) offer a long-term option for repairing polluted agricultural soils while also promoting climate-smart recovery.

This thesis aims to develop a portfolio of nature-based remediation technologies suited to addressing large-scale soil pollution caused by heavy metals and explosive residues on demined agricultural land in Ukraine. The study focuses on analyzing the chemical remediation potential of NbS, including their methods, benefits, limits, and application under Ukrainian environmental conditions.

A systematic literature review was conducted using the PRISMA approach, and studies were located using the Scopus database. The remediation methods examined included phytoremediation, bioremediation, biosorption, and soil amendments. The studies were chosen based on their pollutant type, remediation performance, relevance to agricultural soils, environmental sustainability, scalability, and Technology Readiness Level (TRL). Laboratory and greenhouse studies were classified as low technology readiness levels (TRL 3-4), while pilot-scale and field investigations were classified as high readiness levels (TRL 5-6) because they are more relevant to practical application.

The findings showed that phytoremediation and soil amendment techniques have significant promise for large-scale agricultural restoration. Phytostabilisation and phytoexclusion were especially effective at reducing contaminant mobility and preventing transfer into the food chain, while phytoextraction showed potential for progressive contaminant removal in moderately polluted regions. Bioremediation has shown promise for explosive-contaminated hotspots via microbial degradation mechanisms. However, biosorption remains limited for agricultural soil applications because most studies are laboratory-based and aqueous. The research found that no single remediation strategy can address all pollution issues in war affected agricultural soils. Integrated techniques that include phytoremediation, soil amendments, and bioremediation are the most effective way to achieve long-term restoration. However, doubts persist due to a lack of field-scale research in Ukrainian circumstances, seasonal climatic fluctuation, and discrepancies between laboratory trials and real-world agricultural situations.

This thesis presents a decision-support portfolio of nature-based remediation options to guide future restoration efforts for polluted agricultural land in Ukraine, as well as a contribution to long-term environmental recovery after the conflict.