Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
6.8
3.3
Journals
Sustainability
Special Issues
Remediation Techniques to Mitigate the Effects of Soil Pollution by...
sustainability-logo
Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Sustainability Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Remediation Techniques to Mitigate the Effects of Soil Pollution by Heavy Metals

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Pollution Prevention, Mitigation and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2025 | Viewed by 6661

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Yuanan Hu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China
Interests: soil pollution; heavy metals; source apportionment; polluton prevention
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Wumei Xu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Energy & Environment Science, Yunnan Normal University
Interests: Heavy metal pollution; phytoremediation; hyperaccumulating plants; biochar; ecological restoration; microbial ecology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soil plays a fundamental role in food safety, and the adverse effects of contaminants on crops and vegetables pose severe threats to human health.  In recent years, soil contamination by heavy metals has garnered widespread attention. Heavy metals in soils can be contributed by both natural and anthropogenic sources, such as mining, smelting, fossil fuel combustion, industrial production, and agrochemical applications. The transformation and accumulation of heavy metals in soils, their consequent risks, and pollution control and remediation measures are important topics in the field of environmental research. Generally, reducing the emission from various sources is an effective strategy for improving soil quality, and remediation techniques have been developed to clean up or restore polluted soils. These remediation methods may employ different working mechanisms and have specific advantages and limitations.

This Special Issue aims to share the experiences and knowledge in the field of heavy metal soil pollution and remediation techniques. We welcome submissions of both original research articles and reviews. Research areas may include (but not limited to) the following:

  • Emission and transportation of heavy metals from various sources;
  • Transformation, accumulation, and fate of heavy metals in soils;
  • Soil contamination by heavy metals;
  • Risk assessment of heavy metals in soils;
  • Control measures of heavy metals;
  • Remediation techniques for soils contaminated by heavy metals;

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Sincerely,

Prof. Dr. Yuanan Hu
Dr. Wumei Xu
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. Sustainability 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 2400 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 pollution
  • soil remediation
  • environmental geochemistry
  • transformation
  • fate
  • risk assessment
  • heavy metal removal

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

18 pages, 7512 KiB  
Article
Seasonal Dynamics and Source Apportionment of Heavy Metals in Road Dust: A Case Study of Liuzhou, China
by Lu Zhang, Jianping Qian, Jinrui Liu, Kangkang Niu and Huanrong Zhang
Sustainability 2024, 16(22), 10051; https://doi.org/10.3390/su162210051 - 18 Nov 2024
Viewed by 484
Abstract
The spatial distribution and seasonal variation in heavy metal pollution in road dust in Liuzhou, China, were investigated. Road dust samples were collected during both drought and wet periods, and the concentrations of nine heavy metals—Cr, Ni, Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, As, Sb, [...] Read more.
The spatial distribution and seasonal variation in heavy metal pollution in road dust in Liuzhou, China, were investigated. Road dust samples were collected during both drought and wet periods, and the concentrations of nine heavy metals—Cr, Ni, Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, As, Sb, and Hg—were analyzed. The analysis showed that all nine heavy metals were higher than the background values of Chinese urban soils in both the drought and wet periods, and the mean heavy metal contents of road dust in the dry period were higher than those in the wet period, except for Cd. In the assessment of the pollution of heavy metals in road dust, the results of Igeo showed that Cd and Hg were significant; the results of NI showed that Cr and Ni were more significant. The spatial analysis shows that the industrial concentration areas in the north and west of Liuzhou City are concentration areas of heavy metal pollution. A Pearson correlation analysis showed high correlation between Cd in road dust heavy metals and Cd in the surrounding soil. Source identification via PCA revealed four main contributors: metallurgical and coal-fired industries, mechanical manufacturing, green belt maintenance, and waste treatment facilities. A quantitative analysis via APCS-MLR modeling confirmed that metallurgical and coal-fired industrial sources are the most widespread and important pollution sources in Liuzhou. There is a significant increase in the contribution of waste treatment sources to Hg contamination during wet periods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remediation Techniques to Mitigate the Effects of Soil Pollution by Heavy Metals)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 3374 KiB  
Article
Source Apportionment and Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Agricultural Soils in a Typical Mining and Smelting Industrial Area
by Wei Li, Xudong Cao, Yuanan Hu and Hefa Cheng
Sustainability 2024, 16(4), 1673; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16041673 - 18 Feb 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1218
Abstract
Source apportionment and risk assessment are critical for making effective pollution prevention and control policies. The study was carried out to assess source-specific ecological and human health risks associated with heavy metals in farmland soils in Yingtan City based on apportionment results of [...] Read more.
Source apportionment and risk assessment are critical for making effective pollution prevention and control policies. The study was carried out to assess source-specific ecological and human health risks associated with heavy metals in farmland soils in Yingtan City based on apportionment results of receptor models. Multivariate analysis and the APCS-MLR model consistently revealed that As, Ni, and Cr in agricultural soils may be mainly derived from natural sources, while the contents of Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb have been significantly elevated by human activities. According to the outputs of the APCS-MLR model, Cu (34.3%), Zn (67.2%), Pb (75.1%), and Cd (67.9%) primarily originated from the industrial activities related to mineral mining and non-ferrous metal smelting processes. The source-specific ecological risk assessment indicated that industrial sources were the primary contributor to the total ecological risks, posing moderate to high risks in the southern mountainous regions. Natural origins played a significant role in the health risks due to the substantial amounts of As naturally occurring in the soils. The findings could guide the development of effective risk management and pollution control measures for agricultural soils. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remediation Techniques to Mitigate the Effects of Soil Pollution by Heavy Metals)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 2167 KiB  
Article
Arsenic Immobilization for Paddy Field and Improvement of Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Growth through Cerium–Manganese Modified Wheat Straw Biochar Application
by Ting Liang and Lianfang Li
Sustainability 2023, 15(23), 16161; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152316161 - 21 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1117
Abstract
Arsenic (As) frequently emerges in paddy soils, necessitating measures to combat soil pollution and protect rice crops from As contamination. In this study, a novel functional biochar (MBC) by loading cerium manganese oxide was prepared, and its effects on soil As immobilization and [...] Read more.
Arsenic (As) frequently emerges in paddy soils, necessitating measures to combat soil pollution and protect rice crops from As contamination. In this study, a novel functional biochar (MBC) by loading cerium manganese oxide was prepared, and its effects on soil As immobilization and As uptake by rice in two different As-contaminated paddy soils of 68.99 and 158.52 mgAs·kg−1 (marked as soil-L and soil-H, respectively) were detected. The pot experiment manifested that MBC performed better in stabilizing soil As than original biochar. The incorporation of MBC facilitated the conversion of soil active As to the stable state, promoted the growth of rice plants, and reduced As uptake by rice. Specifically, the total plant biomasses for MBC treatment were increased by 16.13–70.07% and 12.36–92.58% in soil-L and soil-H compared with CK (without material input), respectively. MBC treatments resulted in a reduction of As contents by 34.67–60.13% in roots, 43.68–66.90% in stems, and 54.72–64.65% in leaves for soil-L. Furthermore, in soil-H, the As content in rice roots, stems, and leaves showed a decrease by 49.26–79.03%, 87.10–94.63%, and 75.79–85.71% respectively. This study provides important insights for the remediation of As-contaminated paddy soil using MBC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remediation Techniques to Mitigate the Effects of Soil Pollution by Heavy Metals)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

15 pages, 2176 KiB  
Review
Remediation of Arsenic and Cadmium Co-Contaminated Soil: A Review
by Mengting Lin, Sairu Ma, Jie Liu, Xusheng Jiang and Demin Dai
Sustainability 2024, 16(2), 687; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16020687 - 12 Jan 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2944
Abstract
The concurrent presence of arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) contamination in soil is widespread and severe, highlighting the need for remediation. However, remediating As and Cd co-contaminated soils is more complex than remediating soils contaminated with a single heavy metal due to the [...] Read more.
The concurrent presence of arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) contamination in soil is widespread and severe, highlighting the need for remediation. However, remediating As and Cd co-contaminated soils is more complex than remediating soils contaminated with a single heavy metal due to the opposite properties of As and Cd in soil. Thus, the different forms of As and Cd in co-contaminated soils and their transformation rules have been systematically reviewed in this paper. Simultaneously, hyperaccumulators and immobilization amendments used in the remediation of As–Cd co-contaminated soil were reviewed. Moreover, the mechanisms of phytoremediation and chemical immobilization techniques in the treatment of As and Cd co-contaminated soil and the remediation effects were expounded in detail. To promote the development of ecological civilization, this paper proposes further remediation strategies and guidance for the remediation of As–Cd co-contaminated soil. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remediation Techniques to Mitigate the Effects of Soil Pollution by Heavy Metals)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4
Back to TopTop