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Advances in Heavy Metal Pollution in the Environment

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A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 22080

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Prof. Dr. Bogumila Pilarczyk

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Department of Animal Reproduction Biotechnology and Environmental Hygiene, Faculty of Biotechnology and Animal Husbandry, West Pomeranian University of Technology, Janickiego 29, 71-270 Szczecin, Poland
Interests: parasitofauna of farm animals and wild animals; parasitic infections; parasitic diseases; zoonoses
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Prof. Dr. Małgorzata Gałczyńska

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West Pomeranian Univ Technol, Dept Chem Microbiol & Environm Biotechnol, Slowackiego 17, PL-71434 Szczecin, Poland
Interests: environmental pollution; environmental chemistry; wastewater pollution; aquatic ecosystems; soil and water conservation

Prof. Dr. Podlasińska Joanna

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Department of Environmental Management, Faculty of Environmental Management and Agriculture, West Pomeranian University of Technology, 70-310 Szczecin, Poland
Interests: environmental impact assessment; distribution studies of pollutants in different environmental media; adverse effects of pollutants in environmental; aquatic and terrestrial; organisms; soil, sediments and water chemistry focused on interaction, degradation and speciation aspects of environmental contaminants; ecological monitoring; environmental management
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The term “heavy metals” covers a wide range of metals/metalloids that can pollute the environment and potentially cause toxicity, but it also includes essential nutrients that are required for living organisms to perform biochemical and physiological functions.

The increasing human awareness of significant contributions to the environmental contamination of heavy metals by anthropogenic activities as well as knowledge of heavy metal biomagnification properties have raised great concern regarding the negative impact on the environment and human health. This requires further reseach on the environmental safety of heavy metals as well as the adverse effect of co-exposure to metal/metalloid mixtures. The more we know about the key processes and mechanisms regarding environmental chemistry and ecotoxicology of heavy metals, the better we can counter their adverse effects.

In this Special Issue, we invite submissions dedicated to the recent advances in environmental chemistry and the biochemistry of heavy metals.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the impact of heavy metals on plant and animal health (their influence on the physiology and growth of the organism); the mechanisms regulating the accumulation and translocation of heavy metals in organisms; the ways of heavy metal detoxification; organism tolerance, the adverse effect of co-exposure to metal/metalloid mixtures; phytoremediation processes; and the environmental safety of heavy metals.

Prof. Dr. Bogumila Pilarczyk
Prof. Dr. Małgorzata Gałczyńska
Prof. Dr. Podlasińska Joanna
Guest Editors

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Keywords

heavy metal
ecotoxicity
biomagnification
phytoremediation
co-exposure

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Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 2675 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Adsorption Kinetics and Mechanism of Pb(II) and Cd(II) Adsorption in Water through Oxidized Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes

by Xin Li, Yating Cui, Wanting Du, Weiheng Cui, Lijuan Huo and Hongfang Liu

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(5), 1745; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14051745 - 21 Feb 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 975

Abstract

Toxic heavy metals are ubiquitous in the aquatic environment and show a significant danger to human health. Carbon nanotubes have been extensively used in treating the contamination of groundwater due to their porous multi-layer nature. Batch tests revealed that oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (O-MWCNT_S) offer better removal of Pb(II). The removal rate of Pb(II) was 90.15% at pH 6 within 24 h, which was ~58% more than that of Cd(II). The removal rate decreased to 55.59% for Pb(II) and to 16.68% for Cd(II) when the initial concentration of Pb(II)/Cd(II) ranged from 5 to 15 mg·g⁻¹. The removal rate in the competitive tests was about 60.46% for Pb(II) and 9.70% for Cd(II). The Langmuir model offered better description of the adsorptive data for both ions. And the Q_m of Pb(II) was 5.73 mg·g⁻¹, which was 2.39 mg·g⁻¹ more than that of Cd(II) in a single-icon system, while Q_m was 7.11 mg·g⁻¹ with Pb(II) and 0.78 mg·g⁻¹ with Cd(II) in competitive water. And thermodynamic tests further indicated that the activating energy of Pb(II) and Cd(II) was 83.68 and 172.88 kJ·mol⁻¹, respectively. Lead and cadmium adsorbed on the surface of O-MWCNT_S are antagonistic in the competitive system. Based on XPS analyses, it was concluded that the absorbed lead/cadmium species on O-MWCNT_S were (-COO)₂Pb, (-COO)Pb(-O)/(-COO)₂Cd, and (-COO)Cd(-O). Additionally, they offered theoretical evidence supporting the practicality of using nanocomposite membranes as a means to remove cadmium and lead. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Heavy Metal Pollution in the Environment)

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21 pages, 1536 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mineralurgical and Environmental Characterization of the Mine Tailings of the IOCG Mine of Guelb Moghrein, Akjoujt, Mauritania

by NDiarel Baidy Ba, Radhia Souissi, Faouzi Manai, Imad Khalil Taviche, Bochra Bejaoui, Mohamed Abdallahi Bagga and Fouad Souissi

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(4), 1591; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14041591 - 17 Feb 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1450

Abstract

Since 2004, the processing of the iron oxide–copper–gold (IOCG) ore of Guelb Moghrein, Akjoujt, Mauritania, has resulted in the generation of approximately 40 million tons of mine tailings. The storage of these tailings poses significant environmental challenges particularly to surface and underground water resources. To address this issue, we propose an approach involving both mineralurgical and environmental characterization. Our mineralogical analysis reveals that the TSF tailings consist of sulfides and iron oxides associated with a silico-carbonated matrix. This mineralogical analysis also shows that the TSF tailings consist of secondary minerals, resulting from sulfides oxidation. Furthermore, our findings indicate that the chemical analysis of the TSF tailings contains potential toxic elements (PTEs) such as Cu, As, Co, Ni, Sb, and Se. Regarding the environmental characterization of the tailings, conducted through acid-based accounting (ABA) static tests, we demonstrate that leaching from the tailings generates a contaminated neutral drainage (CND). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Heavy Metal Pollution in the Environment)

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17 pages, 4614 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Preparation of Graphene Oxide Hydrogels and Their Adsorption Applications toward Various Heavy Metal Ions in Aqueous Media

by Miao Liu, Yi Wang, Yingjun Wu, Chunyang Liu and Xin Liu

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(21), 11948; https://doi.org/10.3390/app132111948 - 1 Nov 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2395

Abstract

Graphene oxide is a two-dimensional material that has been extensively studied in various fields due to its good mechanical properties, water dispersibility, and a large number of oxygen-containing functionalities on its surface. In this study, graphene oxide powder was prepared using graphite powder to take advantage of its large specific surface area and abundance of oxygen-containing functional groups. The graphene oxide powder was cross-linked with acrylic acid and acrylamide and polymerized to produce graphene oxide hydrogels, which were used to adsorb four metal ions including Cu(II), Pb(II), Zn(II), and Cd(II) from aqueous solutions. The adsorption performance of the graphene oxide hydrogels was investigated at different pHs, temperatures, initial metal ion concentrations, and competition principles, as well as their adsorption and desorption after three repeated adsorption–desorption experiments. It was found that the graphene oxide hydrogels exhibited good adsorption performance for all four metal ions under different conditions. The graphene oxide hydrogels for the adsorption of Cu(II), Pb(II), Zn(II), and Cd(II) ions were best fitted using the Langmuir monolayer adsorption model and the quasi-secondary reaction kinetic model. Good adsorption was achieved for all four metal ions under different competing adsorption principles. After three adsorption–desorption cycles, the adsorption capacity of the graphene oxide hydrogels for all four metal ions remained at 88% and above. These results indicate that graphene oxide hydrogels are a stable, efficient, low-cost, and reusable adsorbent material for the treatment of metal ions in solution. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Heavy Metal Pollution in the Environment)

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16 pages, 2438 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Bioaccumulation of Trace Elements along the Body Longitudinal Axis in Honey Bees

by Enzo Goretti, Matteo Pallottini, Gianandrea La Porta, Antonia Concetta Elia, Tiziano Gardi, Chiara Petroselli, Paola Gravina, Federica Bruschi, Roberta Selvaggi and David Cappelletti

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(12), 6918; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13126918 - 7 Jun 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1533

Abstract

We present a survey on the environmental contamination of the Alviano Lake territory (Central Italy) based on Apis mellifera ligustica samples collected in two annual samplings (2019–2020). Concentrations of 30 elements were determined in the whole bees, in the gaster, and in the body without the gaster. The study generally revealed a low level of contamination of the bee tissues. However, As showed higher concentrations than in other rural areas, although lower than in samples from urban and productive areas. On the other hand, despite the environmental context, Hg showed limited contamination levels, with the exception of a single sample. Elemental analysis along the longitudinal axis of the bees’ bodies showed greater and statistically significant presences of V, Al, Be, Pb, Cd, Co, Mn, Ba, and Sr in the gaster. The only exceptions concerned As and S (and to a lesser extent Hg), with higher concentrations found in the body without the gaster. We hypothesise that this selectivity maybe due to the affinity of these elements with S, which is abundant in the proteins of the flight muscles in the insect thorax, which are rich in amino acids containing the –SH group. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Heavy Metal Pollution in the Environment)

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15 pages, 613 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of Sludge-Ash Granulates on the Content and Uptake of Heavy Metals by Winter Rape Seeds and Triticale

by Ewa Możdżer and Renata Gamrat

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(5), 2863; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13052863 - 23 Feb 2023

Viewed by 1036

Abstract

Four granulates were prepared from waste, including lignite ash, industrial sludge, sawdust, ammonium nitrate and potassium salt (60% K₂O). The produced granulates were chemically tested. They contained significant Ca and C organic contents and slightly less S, P, K and Mg. The concentration of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn did not exceed the applicable standards. Then, they were tested in a experiment with 2 plants: spring rape, Larissa cv., and spring triticale, Milikaro cv. The content of the tested heavy metals in rape seed and triticale grain largely depended on the chemical properties and the amount of components used to produce granulates. As a rule, a higher share of industrial sludge and a lower share of lignite ash (granulates II with industrial sludge 40% and IV with industrial sludge 50%) in the granulates increased the content of heavy metals in the test plants. Applying the 2nd and 3rd doses of granulates increased the contents of cadmium, copper, chromium, nickel, lead, and zinc. Increasing doses of granulates significantly increased the uptake of heavy metals by rape seed and triticale grain. Under the influence of applied fertilizer granulates, the content of heavy metals in rape seeds and triticale grain was significantly positively correlated with their uptake. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Heavy Metal Pollution in the Environment)

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13 pages, 4466 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Penicillium spp. XK10, Fungi with Potential to Repair Cadmium and Antimony Pollution

by Yiying He, Chaoyang Li, Zhongyu Sun, Wan Zhang, Jianing He, Yunlin Zhao, Zhenggang Xu and Weiping Zhao

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(3), 1228; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13031228 - 17 Jan 2023

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2388

Abstract

Soil heavy-metal pollution is one of the most important environmental problems in the world, and seriously endangers plant growth and human health. Microbial remediation has become a key technology in the field of soil heavy-metal remediation due to its advantages of being harmless, green and environmental. In this study, a fungus Penicillium spp. XK10 with high tolerance to cadmium (Cd) and antimony (Sb) was screened from mine slag, and its adsorption characteristics to heavy metals under different environmental conditions were studied. The results showed that at pH₀ = 6, C₀ (Cd) = 0.1 mM, and the adsorption time was 4 days, the maximum removal rate of cadmium by XK10 was 32.2%. Under the conditions of pH₀ = 4, T = 7d, and the initial antimony concentration of 1 mM, the removal rate of antimony by XK10 was the highest, which was 15.5%. This study provides potential microbial materials for bioremediation of heavy metal-contaminated soils. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Heavy Metal Pollution in the Environment)

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23 pages, 2029 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Analysis of the Reaction of Frogbit (Hydrocharis morsus-ranae L.) to Cadmium Contamination with a View to Its Use in the Phytoremediation of Water Bodies

by Małgorzata Gałczyńska, Renata Gamrat and Artur Ciemniak

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(2), 1197; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13021197 - 16 Jan 2023

Viewed by 2030

Abstract

Macrophytes play an important role in assessing the condition of aquatic ecosystems. The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of cadmium uptake by frogbit (Hydrocharis morsus-ranae) for the phytoremediation of aquatic ecosystems. The study examined cadmium (Cd) uptake by frogbit grown under conditions of low and high fertilizer dose and three cadmium dose levels over three- and six-week exposure times. Cadmium uptake was found to be influenced by water reactivity, mineral nutrient abundance, and exposure time. Its accumulation in frogbit is hence a good bioindicator of cadmium pollution in water bodies. Where the plant had greater access to phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium (PNK) compounds, i.e., high fertilizer level, a higher pH level (7.6) was associated with increased cadmium uptake and decreased plant biomass. A higher PNK level was also associated with greater tolerance to cadmium, while at lower PNK levels, more efficient cadmium uptake was noted after three weeks. Hydrocharis morsus-ranae can be used for water and wastewater treatment in the final stage of phytoremediation, but in combination with other species of pleustophytes that represent different biosorption sites. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Heavy Metal Pollution in the Environment)

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18 pages, 341 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Heavy Metal Exposures on Freshwater Snail Pomacea insularum: Understanding Its Biomonitoring Potentials

by Chee Kong Yap, Bin Huan Pang, Wan Hee Cheng, Krishnan Kumar, Ram Avtar, Hideo Okamura, Yoshifumi Horie, Moslem Sharifinia, Mehrzad Keshavarzifard, Meng Chuan Ong, Abolfazl Naji, Mohamad Saupi Ismail and Wen Siang Tan

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(2), 1042; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13021042 - 12 Jan 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3872

Abstract

The present investigation focused on the toxicity test of cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn), utilizing two groups of juvenile and adult apple snail Pomacea insularum (Gastropod, Thiaridae) with mortality as the endpoint. For the adult snails, the median lethal concentrations (LC₅₀) values based on 48 and 72 h decreased in the following order: Cu < Ni < Pb < Cd < Zn. For the juvenile snails, the LC₅₀ values based on 48 and 72 h decreased in the following order: Cu < Cd < Ni < Pb < Zn. The mussel was more susceptible to Cu than the other four metal exposures, although the juveniles were more sensitive than the adults because the former had lower LC₅₀ values than the latter. This study provided essential baseline information for the five metal toxicities using P. insularum as a test organism, allowing comparisons of the acute sensitivity in this species to the five metals. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that P. insularum was a sensitive biomonitor and model organism to assess heavy metal risk factors for severe heavy metal toxicities. A comparison of the LC₅₀ values of these metals for this species with those for other freshwater gastropods revealed that P. insularum was equally sensitive to metals. Therefore, P. insularum can be recommended as a good biomonitor for the five metals in freshwater ecosystems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Heavy Metal Pollution in the Environment)

12 pages, 445 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mercury Contents in the Liver, Kidneys and Hair of Domestic Cats from the Warsaw Metropolitan Area

by Ewa M. Skibniewska and Michał Skibniewski

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(1), 269; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13010269 - 26 Dec 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2216

Abstract

Mercury is a highly toxic element subject to bioaccumulation, increasing its harmful effects on living organisms over time. In the present study, total mercury contents were determined in the liver, kidneys and hair of cats from Warsaw and its suburban areas. The study took into account the influence of the age, sex and living conditions of the animals. Samples were obtained between 2014 and 2016, and mercury contents were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). The average mercury concentrations in the tissues studied were 0.025, 0.026 and 0.030 mg∙kg⁻¹ in the hair, kidneys and livers of the individuals tested, respectively. Higher values were recorded in animals from the city area, and an increase in this metal with the age of the cats was also found. The average contents of mercury in the tissues studied were within the range of the recommended reference values, which in this case indicates low environmental exposure of animals to mercury. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Heavy Metal Pollution in the Environment)

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18 pages, 3974 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of the Ecotoxicity of Ag, Bi, Te and Tl According to the Biological Indicators of Haplic Chernozem

by Sergey Kolesnikov, Tatiana Minnikova, Natalya Tsepina, Natalya Evstegneeva and Alena Timoshenko

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(24), 12854; https://doi.org/10.3390/app122412854 - 14 Dec 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1506

Abstract

Soil contamination with such rare heavy metals as silver (Ag), bismuth (Bi), tellurium (Te), and thallium (Tl) leads to disruption of its agricultural and ecological functions. Each of these rare heavy metals has a different level of soil toxicity, which affects the ecological state of the soil and its recovery degree estimated by biological indicators. The work objective is to assess the ecotoxicity of oxides and nitrates of silver, bismuth, tellurium, and thallium by biological indicators of Haplic Chernozem. Under the conditions of a laboratory simulation experiment, silver, bismuth, tellurium, and thallium were introduced into the samples of soil. The ecological state of the soil for each incubation period was assessed by the activity of soil enzymes (catalase and dehydrogenases), the intensity of seed development in polluted soil (the length of shoots and roots of winter wheat), and microbiological indicators (the total number of bacteria and Azotobacter sp. abundance). For 90 days, when contaminated with oxides of silver, bismuth, tellurium, and thallium, the most sensitive biological indicator was the length of wheat roots; when contaminated with nitrates, the total number of bacteria was the most sensitive biological indicator. The most informative biological indicator for contamination with both chemical forms of rare elements (silver, bismuth, tellurium, and thallium) was the Azotobacter sp. abundance. The most ecotoxic elements among those studied were thallium and tellurium, both in the form of oxides and nitrates. The results of the study may be useful for biomonitoring and diagnostics of the state of soils contaminated with silver, bismuth, tellurium, and thallium. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Heavy Metal Pollution in the Environment)

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17 pages, 6488 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparison of Pollution Characteristics and Magnetic Response of Heavy Metals in Dustfall before and after COVID-19 Outbreak in Shanghai

by Guan Wang, Qian Xin, Xueyu Geng, Xinyu Zhu, Wen Yao, Zhenxiang Ji and Feifan Ren

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(21), 10853; https://doi.org/10.3390/app122110853 - 26 Oct 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1488

Abstract

In this study, dustfall samples were systematically collected in various regions of Shanghai before and after the occurrence of COVID-19 in December 2019 and December 2020. The magnetic response, content and pollution status of relevant heavy metal elements in the samples were analyzed using environmental magnetism, geochemistry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the enrichment factor (EF) method. The results show that the magnetic particles in the dustfall samples are mainly pseudo-single-domain (PSD) and multi-domain (MD) ferrimagnetic minerals, and Fe, Zn, Cr, and Cu are mainly concentrated in the districts with intensive human activities. Due to restrictions on human activities following the COVID-19 epidemic, both the values of magnetic parameters and the heavy metal pollution level in 2019 are more significant than those in 2020, which is consistent with the Air Quality Index (AQI) results. In addition, magnetic susceptibility (χ_lf), non-hysteresis remanence (χ_ARM) and saturation isothermal remanence (SIRM) have different degrees of correlation with heavy metal elements, and the correlations with Fe, Pb, Cr and Zn are extremely prominent. The magnetic parameters can effectively and quickly reflect the level of particulate matter pollution, making them a useful tool for monitoring urban air quality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Heavy Metal Pollution in the Environment)

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