This work investigates the application of electrochemically generated green oxidants for in situ soil remediation, focusing on hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) and ozone (O 3 ) produced on demand. Real olive grove soils contaminated with atrazine and glyphosate were treated under bench-scale conditions for up to 30 days. Removal efficiency was evaluated as a function of oxidant delivery and oxidant-to-contaminant ratio, together with an assessment of potential impacts on soil biological activity. Both oxidants promoted effective pesticide degradation, with atrazine removals exceeding 60% for H 2 O 2 and 40% for O 3 , while glyphosate degradation reached up to 25% and 21%, respectively. Results indicate that contaminant removal was primarily limited by oxidant transport rather than oxidant concentration. Biological analyses revealed a marked suppression of soil respiration and increased nematode mortality following H 2 O 2 treatment, whereas O 3 caused minimal disturbance to soil biological functioning. These findings demonstrate that electrochemically generated ozone is a promising, field-compatible remediation strategy, providing effective contaminant removal while preserving soil ecosystem functionality. • On-demand electrochemical H 2 O 2 and O 3 for in situ olive soil remediation. • Atrazine degradation >60% with H 2 O 2 and 40% with electro-generated O 3 . • Oxidant transport, not concentration, controls removal efficiency in olive soils. • Aqueous H 2 O 2 reduced soil respiration and increased nematode mortality. • Electro-generated O 3 removed contaminants with minimal impact on soil biota.
Navas-Higuero et al. (Tue,) studied this question.