Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are hazardous environmental contaminants that have been detected in environmental

matrices such as soil and water. The prolonged persistence of PAHs has brought significant impact to aquatic life 

and human health, which led to the remediation of these contaminants for the recovery of the environment to a normal 

state. This review emphasizes the assessment of various oxidation techniques: chemical, advanced oxidation processes 

(AOPs), photocatalytic degradation and sulfate radical (SR)-based AOPs towards the degradation of PAHs in both wastewater

and soil environments in the past two decades. Along with those, the utilization of combined treatment processes 

is considered as a good option in overcoming the limitations of single oxidation processes, leading to near complete 

degradation of the contaminants. Additionally, the limitations and challenges encountered with the future outlooks for fullscale

implementation of oxidation methods for the treatment of PAHs in wastewater and soil are highlighted in enabling 

simultaneous reduction in the environmental impact and long-term growth sustainability. According to current state-ofthe-art

studies, the potential of AOPs, photocatalysis and SR-based AOPs are investigated for the degradation of PAHs in 

wastewater and soil, while the applicability of chemical oxidation for the treatment of these contaminants in wastewater 

requires in-depth studies.