Distribution, transport and fate of pollutants

Soil is a complex dynamic system of critical importance for life on Earth. As natural and anthropogenic processes continuously use soil as sink or pathway to potentially toxic elements (PTEs) and organic pollutants (OPs), it is crucial to understand their distribution, transport, and fate. This chapter provides a brief and focused overview about the migration of PTEs and OPs in soil. The physical, chemical, and biological mechanisms of soil were analyzed and discussed, due to the influence that exert on the pollutants behavior (form, availability, and toxicity), as well as in the release and retention processes that affect their migration. Thus, the fate of these pollutants is outlined by the pollutants intrinsic characteristics and by the action of soil abiotic and biotic mechanisms. Modeling pollutants in soil is a key tool to the study and understanding of the complex leaching and transport processes involved on this.