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Sustainability
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Sustainable Management and Remediation of Contaminated Sites 2nd Edition
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Sustainable Management and Remediation of Contaminated Sites 2nd Edition

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 May 2025 | Viewed by 3719

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Iason Verginelli

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering and Computer Science Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy
Interests: contaminated sites; risk assessment; innovative techniques for monitoring soil contamination; remediation of contaminated sites; modeling of contaminant fate and transport in the subsurface
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soil is an essential and limited resource and represents the main foundation of life for humans, animals and plants. Over the last few decades, human activities (e.g., industrial activities, mining, agricultural chemicals or improper disposal of waste) have progressively contaminated soil. Soil contamination is a worldwide problem with direct impacts on human health and the environment. Significant advances have been made to monitor, assess and remediate contaminated soils. In this context, this issue is focused on innovative sustainable approaches for the assessment and remediation of contaminated soils. Case studies are welcome when the authors indicate the wider applications of their insights or techniques. Numerical and experimental studies aimed at understanding the fate and transport of contaminants are also welcome.

Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Experimental and computational investigations on contaminant fate and transport in the subsurface (e.g., volatilization, vapor intrusion, leaching to groundwater, natural attenuation, natural source zone depletion);
  • Development or application of sustainable tools for monitoring the extent of soil contamination in the subsurface (e.g., high-resolution characterization, high-frequency analysis, passive sampling);
  • Advances in health and environmental risk assessment (e.g., bioavailability, bioaccessibility, exposure models);
  • Sustainable techniques for the in situ remediation of contaminated sites (e.g., biological, physical, chemical or nature-based solutions).

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Iason Verginelli
Guest Editor

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

  • contaminated sites
  • innovative monitoring techniques
  • risk assessment
  • mathematical modeling
  • sustainable remediation of contaminated sites

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 4329 KiB  
Article
The Role of Procedure Duration in the Sustainability Assessment of Contaminated Site Management in Italy
by Federico Araneo, Eugenia Bartolucci, Fabio Pascarella, Federico Pinzin, W. A. M. A. N. Illankoon and Mentore Vaccari
Sustainability 2024, 16(6), 2329; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16062329 - 12 Mar 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1011
Abstract
The European Union (EU) has placed a strong focus on soil contamination and remediation in its Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection, emphasizing the critical need for comprehensive soil data at the EU level. To effectively support EU soil management strategies, it is necessary [...] Read more.
The European Union (EU) has placed a strong focus on soil contamination and remediation in its Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection, emphasizing the critical need for comprehensive soil data at the EU level. To effectively support EU soil management strategies, it is necessary to develop soil-related indicators and standardized datasets across all EU member states. However, the lack of standardized methodologies for estimating the time required for contaminated site remediation is a dilemma in Italy and throughout Europe. This study examines statistical data on the time-consuming nature of the contaminated site remediation process in Italy. In fact, early intervention not only simplifies site remediation but also reduces long-term financial obligations such as monitoring costs and potential legal implications. This study categorized data according to remedial procedures, explored different management phases, and revealed different timescales for completing the procedure. The findings show that processes completed after preliminary investigations are often shorter in time than those completed following conceptual model assessments. In contrast, processes that require corrective measures typically take a longer period of time to complete. Notably, remedial interventions tend to have a shorter duration compared to risk management interventions. Furthermore, procedures that address both soil and groundwater contamination generally require more time compared to those that focus only on soil remediation. This study provides valuable insight into the time-consuming aspects of remediation procedures, recommending potential changes to regulatory frameworks to accelerate site remediation activities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Management and Remediation of Contaminated Sites 2nd Edition)
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19 pages, 3044 KiB  
Article
The EPA Ecosystem Services Tool Selection Portal
by Matthew C. Harwell, Leah M. Sharpe, Kaitlyn Hines, Cody Schumacher, Stephanie Kim, Gina Ferreira and Tammy A. Newcomer-Johnson
Sustainability 2024, 16(5), 1739; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16051739 - 20 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1115
Abstract
The dynamics of an environmental decision-making context can be complicated. The use of decision support tools can help better facilitate restoring and maintaining ecosystems that provide environmental benefits (ecosystem services) to people. Although an ecosystem services assessment tool is designed for specific purposes, [...] Read more.
The dynamics of an environmental decision-making context can be complicated. The use of decision support tools can help better facilitate restoring and maintaining ecosystems that provide environmental benefits (ecosystem services) to people. Although an ecosystem services assessment tool is designed for specific purposes, having access to a comprehensive suite of tools offers the user additional insight and resources to help in decision making. A range of approaches exist to connect ecosystem services to a given decision context ranging from less to more complex: using the best professional judgment; applying examples from other efforts; testing individual tool applications; and using a systematic, decision-tree approach to navigate among relevant tools and frameworks. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency developed a decision-tree approach for a user to navigate the question of how to choose among a suite of ecosystem services assessment tools for three decision contexts: (1) ecological risk assessments; (2) cleanup of contaminated sites; (3) and generic structured decision-making processes. This tool selection navigator was developed with/for the intended user, including developing crosswalks between tool functionality and the user’s language for what they require in a tool. To navigate the tool, the user first chooses one of three decision contexts. Second, the user selects among the different phases of the decision process. Third, the user selects among a few ecosystem-services related tasks relevant to the decision context chosen to identify potential tools. The tool uses simple language to navigate the decision pathways and provides the user with a suite of potential ES resources and tools for their given decision context. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Management and Remediation of Contaminated Sites 2nd Edition)
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Review

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38 pages, 2772 KiB  
Review
Assessing Light Non-Aqueous Phase Liquids in the Subsurface Using the Soil Gas Rn Deficit Technique: A Literature Overview of Field Studies
by Alessandra Cecconi, Iason Verginelli and Renato Baciocchi
Sustainability 2024, 16(8), 3317; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16083317 - 16 Apr 2024
Viewed by 1035
Abstract
222Radon (Rn) was proposed in the late 1990s as a naturally occurring tracer for light non-aqueous phase liquids (LNAPLs) in the subsurface, due to its preferential partitioning behavior in the non-aqueous phase, resulting in a reduction in Rn activities in areas with [...] Read more.
222Radon (Rn) was proposed in the late 1990s as a naturally occurring tracer for light non-aqueous phase liquids (LNAPLs) in the subsurface, due to its preferential partitioning behavior in the non-aqueous phase, resulting in a reduction in Rn activities in areas with LNAPLs in the subsurface compared to unimpacted areas (Rn deficit). The Rn deficit technique emerged as a cost-effective, non-invasive, and sustainable method to rapidly identify and quantify LNAPLs, for the characterization and monitoring of contaminated sites. This paper presents an overview of the technique and its field applications, with a specific focus on the use of the method in the vadose zone based on soil gas Rn measurements. Although various configurations have shown favorable outcomes, limitations persist in the application of the soil gas Rn deficit technique. Deep LNAPL contamination, soil matrix heterogeneity, and temporal variations in Rn emissions pose challenges to quantitative evaluations of LNAPL contamination. Recognizing these factors is crucial for site-specific assessments. This review aims to highlight both the strengths and limitations of the method, providing insights into potential areas for future research while acknowledging the positive outcomes achieved in different configurations over the past decades. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Management and Remediation of Contaminated Sites 2nd Edition)
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