| Abstract: | Heavy metals and toxic organic contaminants are found at numerous industrial and military sites. The generally poor performance of conventional pump‐and‐treat schemes has made the development of improved methods for contaminated site remediation a significant environmental priority. One such innovative method is cyclodextrin‐enhanced flushing of the contaminated porous media and groundwater. Cyclodextrin is a glucose‐based molecule that is produced on industrial scales by microorganisms. Over the last years, several cyclodextrin derivatives have received extensive research interest. It was shown that cyclodextrins can significantly enhance the solubility of toxic organics, and in some cases, heavy metals and radioactive isotopes. As a sugar, cyclodextrin is considered relatively non‐toxic to humans, plants, and soil microbes. Thus, there are minimal health‐related concerns associated with the injection of cyclodextrin into the subsurface, which is an inherent advantage for use of cyclodextrins as a remediation agent. This paper provides a review of the available literature concerning use of cyclodextrin for remediation of groundwater and soil. |
