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A topical collection in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601).

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Dr. Jorge Paz-Ferreiro

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Collection Editor

Chemical & Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Interests: biochar; soil quality; soil enzymes; soil pollution
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Gabriel Gascó Guerrero

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Collection Editor

Department of Agricultural Production, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Interests: biochar; growing media; soil pollution; soil remediation
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Prof. Dr. Ana Méndez

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Collection Editor

Department of Geological and Mining Engineering, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28003 Madrid, Spain
Interests: biochar; carbon materials; pyrolysis; hydrothermal carbonization; hydrometallurgy; urban mining; metal recycling
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Topical Collection Information

Dear Colleagues,

The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health welcomes submissions for a Topical Collection of the journal. This Topical Collection will focus on soil pollution and remediation.

Industrialized economies and developing countries are affected by soil pollution originated from mining, industrial activities, an improper disposal of waste and mechanized agriculture. Soil pollution could lead to an impact on crop productivity and human health. Investigating the sources, fate and occurrence of soil pollution and the risks posed to human health has been an important area of research.

There are multiple challenges associated with the remediation of polluted soil and new and innovative techniques have been used for this, including the use of soil amendments, thermal desorption, soil washing, electrokinetic remediation and bioremediation.

This Topical Collection welcomes articles on these and other themes relating to soil pollution and remediation.

Dr. Jorge Paz-Ferreiro
Dr. Gabriel Gascó Guerrero
Dr. Ana Maria Mendez
Collection 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 collection 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. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2500 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

Soil pollution
Soil remediation
Heavy metals
Organic pollutants
Risk assessment

Published Papers (9 papers)

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2020

Jump to: 2019, 2018

12 pages, 2284 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Phytostabilization of Cd and Pb in Highly Polluted Farmland Soils Using Ramie and Amendments

by Mo-Ming Lan, Chong Liu, Shi-Jiao Liu, Rong-Liang Qiu and Ye-Tao Tang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(5), 1661; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17051661 - 4 Mar 2020

Cited by 38 | Viewed by 4483

Abstract

In-situ remediation of heavy-metal-contaminated soil in farmland using phytostabilization combined with soil amendments is a low-cost and effective technology for soil pollution remediation. In this study, coconut shell biochar (CB, 0.1% and 0.5%), organic fertilizer (OF, 3.0%), and Fe-Si-Ca material (IS, 3.0%) were used to enhance the phytostabilization effect of ramie (Boehmeria nivea L.) on Cd and Pb in highly polluted soils collected at Dabaoshan (DB) and Yangshuo (YS) mine sites. Results showed that simultaneous application of CB, OF, and IS amendments (0.1% CB + 3.0% OF + 3.0% IS and 0.5% CB + 3.0% OF + 3.0% IS, DB-T5 and DB-T6) could significantly increase soil pH, reduce the concentrations of CaCl₂-extractable Cd and Pb, and increase the contents of Ca, P, S, and Si in DB soil. Under these two treatments, the growth of ramie was significantly improved, its photosynthesis was enhanced, and its levels of Cd and Pb were reduced, in comparison with the control (DB-CK). After applying DB-T5 and DB-T6, the concentrations of Cd and Pb in roots were decreased by 97.7–100% and 64.6–77.9%, while in shoots they were decreased by up to 100% and 92.9–100%, respectively. In YS-T4 (0.5% CB + 3.0% OF), the concentrations of Cd and Pb in roots were decreased by 39.5% and 46.0%, and in shoots they were decreased by 44.7% and 88.3%. We posit that phytostabilization using ramie and amendments could reduce the Cd and Pb bioavailability in the soil mainly through rhizosphere immobilization and plant absorption. In summary, this study suggests that the use of tolerant plant ramie and simultaneous application of coconut shell biochar, organic fertilizer, and Fe-Si-Ca materials is an effective stabilization strategy that can reduce Cd and Pb availabilities in soil. Ultimately, this strategy may reduce the exposure risk of crops to heavy metal pollution in farmland. Full article

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12 pages, 3421 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Pollution Characteristics of Microplastics in Soils in Southeastern Suburbs of Baoding City, China

by Chuan Du, Handong Liang, Zhanping Li and Jie Gong

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(3), 845; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17030845 - 29 Jan 2020

Cited by 73 | Viewed by 5469

Abstract

Microplastics (MPs) are emerging pollutants that exist in different environmental media. Because of their wide range and large potential environmental hazards, they have attracted widespread attention in recent years. At present, the research on MP is mostly concentrated on the water ecosystems, and the impact on soil ecosystems is less studied. In this study, 12 typical soil samples from southeastern suburbs of Baoding city were investigated and characterized by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) combined with mass high resolution mode and positive and negative ion imaging mode. Four types of MPs, poly (propylene) (PP), poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC), poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET), and poly (amide 6) (PA6), were quickly identified, of which PET and PA6 accounted for the largest proportion of both up to 30.2%; the particle size of the obtained MPs ranged from 0 to 35 μm, of which the proportion of <10 μm MPs was more than 26.3%, while that of 20–25 μm and 25–35 μm MPs was relatively small (17.83% and 9.3%, respectively). Risk assessment results of the MP in the soil showed that the risk level of MPs in the non-ferrous metal industrial parks and in concentrated with small workshops areas is relatively high, and attention should be paid to such areas. In addition, the study provides a reference method for the investigation and risk assessment of MPs in terrestrial soils, coastal beaches, and sediments. Full article

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2019

Jump to: 2020, 2018

12 pages, 1341 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Soluble Humic Substance for the Simultaneous Removal of Cadmium and Arsenic from Contaminated Soils

by Dongxue Bi, Guodong Yuan, Jing Wei, Liang Xiao, Lirong Feng, Fande Meng and Jie Wang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(24), 4999; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16244999 - 9 Dec 2019

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 3784

Abstract

With abundant oxygen-containing functional groups, a humic substance (HS) has a high potential to remediate soils contaminated by heavy metals. Here, HS was first extracted from a leonardite and analyzed for its chemical compositions and spectroscopic characteristics. Then it was assessed for its ability as a washing agent to remove Cd and As from three types of soils (red soil, black soil, and fluvo-aquic soil) that were spiked with those contaminants (Cd: 40.5–49.1 mg/kg; As: 451–584 mg/kg). The operational washing conditions, including the pH and concentration of the HS, washing time and cycles, and liquid–soil ratio, were assessed for Cd and As removal efficiency. At pH 7, with an HS concentration (3672 mg C/L) higher than its critical micelle concentration and a liquid–soil ratio of 30, a single washing for 6–12 h removed 41.9 mg Cd/kg and 199.3 mg As/kg from red soil, 33.5 mg Cd/kg and 291.5 mg As/kg from black soil, and 30.4 mg Cd/kg and 325.5 mg As/kg from fluvo-aquic soil. The removal of Cd and As from the contaminated soils involved the complexation of Cd and As with the carboxyl and phenolic groups of HS. Outcomes from this research could be used to develop a tailor-made HS washing agent for the remediation of Cd- and As-contaminated soils with different properties. Full article

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20 pages, 8096 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Vegetable Fields on the Spatial Distribution Patterns of Metal(loid)s in Soils Based on GIS and Moran’s I

by Qiang Wang, Shanlian Yang, Menglei Zheng, Fengxiang Han and Youhua Ma

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(21), 4095; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16214095 - 24 Oct 2019

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3012

Abstract

Metal(loid) pollution in vegetable field soils has become increasingly severe and affects the safety of vegetable crops. Research in China has mainly focused on greenhouse vegetables (GV), while open field vegetables (OV) and the spatial distribution patterns of metal(loid)s in the surrounding soils have rarely been assessed. In the present study, spatial analysis methods combining Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Moran’s I were applied to analyze the effects of vegetable fields on metal(loid) accumulation in soils. Overall, vegetable fields affected the spatial distribution of metal(loid)s in soils. In long-term vegetable production, the use of large amounts of organic fertilizer led to the bioconcentration of cadmium (Cd) and mercury (Hg), and long-term fertilization resulted in a significant pH decrease and consequent transformation and migration of chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), and arsenic (As). Thus, OV fields with a long history of planting had lower average pH and Cd, and higher average As, Cr, Hg, and Pb than GV fields, reached 0.93%, 10.1%, 5.8%, 3.0%, 80.8%, and 0.43% respectively. Due to the migration and transformation of metal(loid)s in OV soils, these should be further investigated regarding their abilities to reduce the accumulation of metal(loid)s in soils and protect the quality of the cultivated land. Full article

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17 pages, 1888 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Bisphenol S Adsorption Behavior on Ferralsol and Biochar Modified Soil with Dissolved Organic Matter

by Shiqiu Zhang, Xue Yang, Le Liu, Kui Zheng, Meiting Ju and Jinpeng Liu

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(5), 764; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16050764 - 3 Mar 2019

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3562

Abstract

Bisphenol S (BPs) has been found in a variety of common consumer products surrounding human living, despite the fact that it could damage the human digestive system and genital system. In China, straw-returning to the field is a common soil improvement technology used to increase the concentration of dissolved organic matter (DOM), which plays an important role in the natural environment as a microreactor of contaminants. Additionally, the biochar obtained by the straw is an effective soil conditioner. DOM is a key influencing factor when biochar is employed as the conditioner of BPs contaminated soil. However, the BPs adsorption behavior on the Ferralsol affected by DOM and biochar is also unclear. Hence, DOM was prepared and the effect of DOM on the BPs adsorption behavior on soil and biochar modified soil was investigated. DOM was characterized by Elemental analysis, Fourier transforming infrared spectra (FT-IR), and three-dimensional excitation-emission matrix spectra (3D-EEM). The results of the adsorption experiments indicated that both biochar and DOM could improve the BPs adsorption capacity in Ferralsol, while DOM suppressed the BPs adsorption capacity of biochar modified soil, indicating that DOM and BPs could not be applied at the same time for BPs adsorption. Full article

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9 pages, 1101 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Application of a Sequential Extraction Method for Analyzing Cu Distribution in Pre-Treated Mine Tailings after Electrodialytic Remediation

by Andrea Lazo, Henrik K. Hansen, Pamela Lazo and Claudia Gutiérrez

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(4), 584; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16040584 - 18 Feb 2019

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3058

Abstract

Mine tailings have been analyzed by a sequential extraction procedure after their pre-treatment with a leaching solution for 24 h and electrodialytic remediation during 15 days with a constant electric field of 2.7 V cm⁻¹. Four leaching solutions were tested: H₂SO₄ + HNO₃ (2:1 vol.) pH = 1.9; H₂SO₄ + HNO₃ (2:1 vol) pH = 4.2; NH₄Cl 0.8M, pH = 5.5 and 30% H₂O₂ adjusted to pH 2 with HNO₃ 1M + HCl 1M. After the treatment, the tailings were divided in six slices from anode to cathode. The highest removal efficiency of copper was obtained with H₂SO₄ + HNO₃ pH = 1.9, which allows one to remove 67% of the copper in the total cell and 85% of the copper in the slice closest to anode. The same solution with pH = 4.2 allows one to remove 62% of the total copper. The analysis realized by the sequential extraction method indicates the easy removal of water-soluble and exchangeable fractions in all experiments, moreover, residual and sulfide are the less mobile fractions. The general trend was the movement of copper associated to different fractions from anode to cathode and its accumulation closest to the cathode in the case of exchangeable, Fe-Mn oxides and acid soluble fractions, possibly due to some precipitation of copper compounds associated with less acidic conditions. Full article

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12 pages, 1175 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A New Model Describing Copper Dose–Toxicity to Tomato and Bok Choy Growth in a Wide Range of Soils

by Bao Jiang, Yibing Ma, Guangyun Zhu and Jun Li

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(2), 264; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16020264 - 18 Jan 2019

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3538

Abstract

Phytotoxicity thresholds for heavy metals are derived from dose–response curves, which show the relationships between exposure dose and toxicity response. However, the results of tests or observations are commonly based on total heavy metal concentration, not the exposure dose that causes phytotoxicity; additionally, the phytotoxicity response differs with plant species. In the present study, the ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)-extractable copper (Cu) concentration was determined in order to evaluate Cu extractability. As two important horticultural food crops in Asia, tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum ‘Meifen No. 1’) and bok choy (Brassica rapa var. chinensis ‘Susheng 28’) were used to investigate Cu phytotoxicity in a wide range of Chinese soils with and without leaching treatment, after which relationships between Cu phytotoxicity thresholds based on EDTA-extractions and soil properties were established. The phytotoxicity thresholds showed that biomass of bok choy was more sensitive to Cu than tomato. Multiple linear regression analyses showed that soil factors, including organic carbon (OC), citrate dithionate extractable manganese (CD-Mn), cation exchange capacity (CEC), and CaCO₃ explained over 85% of the variance in Cu phytotoxicity thresholds. The EDTA-extractable Cu dose–response relationships were further improved by incorporating soil properties. The new phytotoxicity predictive models indicated soil properties (soil pH, OC, CEC, and oxalate-extractable Mn) and EDTA-extractable Cu concentration explained more than 90% of the variance in the phytotoxicity response of tomato and bok choy biomass. The new phytotoxicity predictive models could be used to develop a reasonable remediation strategy for contaminated soils. Full article

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2018

Jump to: 2020, 2019

12 pages, 1786 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Heavy Metals of Santiago Island (Cape Verde) Alluvial Deposits: Baseline Value Maps and Human Health Risk Assessment

by Marina M. S. Cabral Pinto and Eduardo A. Ferreira da Silva

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(1), 2; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16010002 - 20 Dec 2018

Cited by 51 | Viewed by 6902

Abstract

The chemical composition of surface geological materials may cause metabolic changes and promote endemic diseases (e.g., oncological, gastrointestinal, neurological or cardiovascular diseases). The results of a geochemical survey is presented following the guidelines proposed by the International Project IGCP 259 performed on the alluvium of Santiago Island (Cape Verde) and focused on public health issues. Geochemical mapping is the base knowledge needed to determine critical contents of potential toxic elements and the potentially harmful regions in the planet. This work presents maps of baseline values of potentially toxic elements (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, V, and Zn) in Santiago alluvium and the assessment of their human health risks. According to the results the Cd, Co, Cr, Ni and V baseline values are above the Canadian guidelines for stream sediments (for any proposal use) and for soils (for agricultural and residential proposal uses) and also above the target values of Dutch guidelines. Hazard indexes (HI) were calculated for children and adults. For children (HI) are higher than 1 for Co, Cr and Mn, indicating potential non-carcinogenic risk. For the other elements and for adults there is no potential non-carcinogenic risk. Cancer risk was calculated for Cd, Cr and Ni exposures, for adults and children, and the results are only slightly higher than the carcinogenic target risk of 1 × 10⁻⁶ for adults exposed to Cr by inhalation. However, these results may be underestimated because alluvial contaminants may be indirectly ingested by groundwater and by crop and vegetables consumption. Full article

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17 pages, 1667 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Acid Mine Drainage on Calcareous Soil Characteristics and Lolium perenne L. Germination

by Yan Dong, Fenwu Liu, Xingxing Qiao, Lixiang Zhou and Wenlong Bi

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(12), 2742; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15122742 - 5 Dec 2018

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 4214

Abstract

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is a serious environmental problem resulting from extensive sulfide mining activities. There is a lack of more comprehensive and detailed studies on the effect of AMD on calcareous soil characteristics and seed germination. In this study, five calcareous soil samples, collected from Xiaoyi, Taigu, Xiangning, Hejin, and Xixian counties in Shanxi Province, China, were used to investigate the effects of acid AMD on soil characteristics and Lolium perenne L. germination through laboratory culture experiments. The results showed that the increase in the total soil calcium oxide and magnesium oxide (CaO + MgO) contents led to a rise in the amount of Fe²⁺ in AMD converted into Fe³⁺, and that major ions (H⁺, Fe, SO₄²⁻) in AMD were trapped in the soil. The total Cao + MgO contents in the soil collected from Hejin and Taigu counties were 14.23% and 6.42%, the pH of AMD-polluted soil decreased to 7.24 and 3.10, and 98.7% and 54.0% of the Fe²⁺, 99.9% and 58.6% of the total Fe, and 76.0% and 26.4% of the SO₄²⁻, respectively, were trapped in the soil when the AMD volume to soil mass ratio was 10 mL/g. The results for the soil from Taigu County showed that when the soil had an AMD volume to soil mass ratio of 10 mL/g, the organic matter, available phosphorus (available P), available potassium (available K), Cr, and Cd contents in soil decreased by 16.2%, 63.0%, 97.1%, 7.8%, and 73.2%, respectively; the total phosphorus (total P) and total potassium (total K) did not significantly change; whereas the available nitrogen (available N) and total nitrogen (total N) increased to 16.1 times and 1.76 times, respectively. Compared to the initial soil collected from Taigu County, the Lolium perenne L. germination rate decreased by 81.1%, and the cumulative amount of Cr in the Lolium perenne L. increased by 7.24 times in the AMD-polluted soil when the AMD volume to soil mass ratio was 6 mL/g. The soil conditions could not support Lolium perenne L. germination when the AMD volume to soil mass ratio was 10 mL/g. The outcomes of this study could have important implication in understanding the hydrological/geochemical-behaviour of major ions of AMD in calcareous soil. The findings also have great significance in predicting plant growth behavior in AMD-polluted calcareous soil. Full article

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Published Papers (9 papers)

2020

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2019

Jump to: 2020, 2018

2018

Jump to: 2020, 2019

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