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Agriculture
Special Issues
Heavy Metal Pollution and Remediation in Agricultural Soils
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Heavy Metal Pollution and Remediation in Agricultural Soils

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Soils".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 March 2025 | Viewed by 5407

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Shiqiang Wei

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
Interests: soil remediation; heavy metals; cadmium; natural organic matter (NOM); crop-safe production; soil–plant system; transport and transformation of pollutants; none-point pollution
Prof. Dr. Jing Song

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
Interests: soil environmental standard; risk assessment of soil contamination; mechanochemical destruction of POPs; soil environmental sampling methods
Prof. Dr. Bo Song

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin 541006, China
Interests: soil remediation; heavy metals; technology of safe use of agricultural land; mining area vegetation restoration

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Heavy metal contamination of agricultural soils is an escalating environmental issue with a history dating back to the beginning of industrialization. The spread of heavy metals from diverse sources, including industrial discharges, inappropriate waste management, and irrigation with contaminated water, poses significant risks to food safety, human health, and environmental sustainability. The development of innovative detection and mitigation strategies, alongside the advancement of soil remediation technologies and the promotion of sustainable agricultural practices, is imperative to minimize heavy metal risks to agriculture and human health.

This Special Issue invites contributions that explore the impacts, remediation techniques, and management strategies for heavy metal contamination in agricultural settings. We encourage interdisciplinary contributions covering, but are not limited to, processes and mechanisms of heavy metal contamination of soils; advances in analyses and monitoring of heavy metals in the environment; source identification and control in agricultural soils; assessment of heavy metal contamination on soil health, crop quality, and food safety; and effective remediation technologies. In addition, discussions on policy and regulatory approaches to soil contamination management are also welcome. Submissions may include research articles, reviews, short communications, and case studies.

Prof. Dr. Shiqiang Wei
Prof. Dr. Jing Song
Prof. Dr. Bo Song
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agriculture is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • heavy metals
  • soil remediation
  • crop safe production
  • source identification
  • pollution processes, transport, and transformation

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 2281 KiB  
Article
Appraisal of Heavy Metal Risk Hazards of Eisenia fetida-Mediated Steel Slag Vermicompost on Oryza sativa L.: Insights from Agro-Scale Inspection and Machine Learning Analytics
by Sonam Jha, Sonali Banerjee, Saibal Ghosh, Anjana Verma and Pradip Bhattacharyya
Agriculture 2024, 14(11), 2020; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14112020 - 9 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1174
Abstract
The steel industry drives world economic growth, yet it generates heavy metal-rich steel slag, which jeopardizes the environment. The utilization of vermi-technology is essential for the sustainable transformation of toxic steel waste slag (SW) into organic amendments, although field-scale use of vermiprocessed SW [...] Read more.
The steel industry drives world economic growth, yet it generates heavy metal-rich steel slag, which jeopardizes the environment. The utilization of vermi-technology is essential for the sustainable transformation of toxic steel waste slag (SW) into organic amendments, although field-scale use of vermiprocessed SW remains unexplored. To bridge the gap, this study evaluated the efficacy of vermiprocessed SW as an organic supplement for rice field cultivation, focusing on heavy metal (HM) bioavailability, human health risk, and yield in comparison to raw slag and NPK fertilizer. The results indicated a considerable decrease in the bioavailable fraction of heavy metals in T4 (1:1 SW vermicompost 50% + 50% fertilizer). In treatments, T9 (100% SW) and T10 (50% SW + 50% fertilizer) (FIAM) free ion activity modeling confirmed grain absorption of HMs, and the FIAM HQ values indicated the health risk for the direct application of steel slag waste on the field. The risk factor evaluation of HMs’ presence in treatments T9 and T10 established the possible cancer risk for living beings. Similarly, machine learning models like SOBOL sensitivity analysis and artificial neural networks revealed potential threats associated with HMs on different treatments, respectively. The correlation coefficient revealed the negative effects of bioavailable HMs on various soil microbial and enzymatic properties. Moreover, the abundant yield of rice was attributed to the combination treatment (1:1 50% + NPK 50%), which paved the way for an alternative agronomic approach based on the utilization of vermicomposted steel waste slag. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heavy Metal Pollution and Remediation in Agricultural Soils)
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19 pages, 4270 KiB  
Article
Characteristics and Risk Assessment of Heavy Metal Contamination in Arable Soils Developed from Different Parent Materials
by Junlei Wang, Chunyu Dong, Sijing Sun, Shiqi Peng, Liyuan Mu, Naiming Zhang and Li Bao
Agriculture 2024, 14(11), 2010; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14112010 - 8 Nov 2024
Viewed by 695
Abstract
This study analyzes the heavy metal pollution in cultivated soils developed from different parent materials in Yunnan Province and assesses their risk levels. The results show significant regional differences in soil heavy metal pollution, greatly influenced by the type of parent material. Cadmium [...] Read more.
This study analyzes the heavy metal pollution in cultivated soils developed from different parent materials in Yunnan Province and assesses their risk levels. The results show significant regional differences in soil heavy metal pollution, greatly influenced by the type of parent material. Cadmium (Cd) pollution is most severe in multiple parent material soil regions, particularly in areas with carbonate and purple rocks, exhibiting a high pollution risk. Other heavy metals such as zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and lead (Pb) also show varying degrees of enrichment in different parent material zones, posing potential pollution risks. The soil pollution levels of heavy metals were classified using the geo-accumulation index method. It was found that soils developed from carbonate rocks and purple rocks have the most severe heavy metal pollution, while soils from quartzitic rocks, acidic crystalline rocks, and basalt exhibit relatively lower pollution levels. By analyzing the characteristics of heavy metal pollution in different parent materials, this study provides a scientific basis for regional soil pollution management and sustainable agricultural development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heavy Metal Pollution and Remediation in Agricultural Soils)
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15 pages, 8544 KiB  
Article
Optimal Relationship Between As and Cd in Porewater of Paddy Soils with Variations in pe + pH: Insight from Trade-Off Value Analysis
by Xiaosong Tian, Jiahang Li, Guanqun Chai, Dayong Luo, Yalong Gong, Huang Liu, Qing Xie and Guanghui Li
Agriculture 2024, 14(11), 1933; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14111933 - 30 Oct 2024
Viewed by 760
Abstract
The remediation of paddy soils co-contaminated with As and Cd is tricky. It is difficult to decrease Cd and As availability simultaneously due to their opposite geochemical characteristics. Finding the optimal trade-off relationship between As and Cd availability in paddy soils is a [...] Read more.
The remediation of paddy soils co-contaminated with As and Cd is tricky. It is difficult to decrease Cd and As availability simultaneously due to their opposite geochemical characteristics. Finding the optimal trade-off relationship between As and Cd availability in paddy soils is a significant task that is necessary to guide the construction of water management measures. This study investigated the dissolution characteristics of As, Cd, Fe, Mn, DOC, DOM, and various As and Cd fractions in soils via the microcosm system and calculated the optimal trade-off value for available As and Cd in porewater. The results showed that the total As in porewater increased rapidly when the soil Eh was reduced to −104 mV. Meanwhile, the total Cd in porewater decreased dramatically when the soil Eh was below 62 mV. Under flooding and drainage conditions, Fe/Mn (oxyhydro)oxides play a vital role in regulating Cd dissolution in paddy soils, while Fe/Mn (oxyhydro)oxides organically bind sulfide together to determine the dissolution of As. Additionally, the optimal pe + pH response to the minimum trade-off value of available As and Cd in porewater was found to be 6.6, which indicates a moderate reduction status. Therefore, further research should apply the optimal pe + pH to construct water management measures to safely utilize co-contaminated paddy fields. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heavy Metal Pollution and Remediation in Agricultural Soils)
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17 pages, 7873 KiB  
Article
Risk Assessment of Heavy Metal Accumulation in Cucumber Fruits and Soil in a Greenhouse System with Long-Term Application of Organic Fertilizer and Chemical Fertilizer
by Yuwei Zhang, Shan Tang, Yali Li, Ruonan Li, Shaowen Huang and Hong Wang
Agriculture 2024, 14(11), 1870; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14111870 - 23 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1103
Abstract
Combining organic and chemical fertilizers is a sustainable strategy for vegetable production. However, there is limited research concerning the risks associated with heavy metals (HMs) in greenhouse systems with long-term location application. A three-year investigation, conducted from 2021 to 2023, explored a fifteen-year [...] Read more.
Combining organic and chemical fertilizers is a sustainable strategy for vegetable production. However, there is limited research concerning the risks associated with heavy metals (HMs) in greenhouse systems with long-term location application. A three-year investigation, conducted from 2021 to 2023, explored a fifteen-year field experiment with combinations of chemical fertilizer (CH), corn straw (SW) and pig manure (PM). Five treatments were evaluated: excessive fertilization (high CH and PM), conventional fertilization (normal CH), organic–inorganic fertilization (3/4CN + 1/4PN, 2/4CN + 2/4PN and 2/4CN + 1/4PN + 1/4SN). This study evaluated the risks associated with heavy metals (HMs) by analyzing and quantifying their concentrations in soil and cucumber fruits, as well as by calculating the bioconcentration factors (BCFs), the geo-accumulation index (Igeo), and both the non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks. The results indicated that excessive fertilization (CF) increased the concentrations of Cu and Zn in fruits, as well as the Igeo values of Cu, Zn, and Cd, and the non-carcinogenic Cu risk, while decreasing the BCFs of Cu and Zn. Organic–inorganic fertilization also elevated the Igeo values of Cu and Zn. Redundancy analyses confirmed a positive correlation between the soil concentrations of Cu and Zn and higher levels of available phosphorus contents (48.4%), alongside a lower pH (4.9%). The concentrations of Cu, Zn, and Cd in both soil and cucumber fruits increased linearly with the duration of application and amount of input. Although the combined application of CH with PM or SW did not significantly elevate the non-carcinogenic or carcinogenic risks associated with most heavy metals, the carcinogenic risks of Cd and As emerged as potential risk factors after 15 years of organic–inorganic fertilization. Utilizing a combination of CH with PM and SW as a fertilizer management strategy can effectively address both the control of heavy metal inputs in the facility and the safety and quality of cucumbers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heavy Metal Pollution and Remediation in Agricultural Soils)
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