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Agricultural Soil Pollution by Heavy Metals

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Soil Conservation and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 December 2023) | Viewed by 3943

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Shibao Chen

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Guest Editor

Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Interests: mechanism of transfer and translocation of metals in the soil–plant system; ecological risk of heavy metals in polluted soil; environmental thresholds of heavy metals in soils
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Meng Wang

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Guest Editor

Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Interests: heavy metal uptake, translocation and accumulation in the soil–plant system; ecological risk assessment and remediation of contaminated agricultural soils
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nowadays, more attention is focused on the quality and safety of agricultural products caused by soil pollution. Environmental contaminants, which potentially cause hazards, include trace elements, heavy metals and organic compounds, etc., as a result of excessive use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Although increasing awareness has been raised on soil environmental protection, the great harm of soil pollution featuring concealment, longevity, and irreversibility makes it difficult to restore soil quality and productivity. The deterioration of agricultural soil quality will impair the sustainable use of these natural resources and may pose significant threats to both ecosystem and human health.

Increasing soil sustainability is the ultimate goal in the implementation of remediation strategies. As a consequence of soil contamination, sustainable management of soil resource has become a concern due to the massive and rapid aggravation of the environment. To mitigate such pollution, efforts have been undertaken in the investigation of effective technologies for environmental quality improvement, transport and distribution of pollutants in the environment, and risk assessment and management for the sustainable use of environment resources.

Being aware of the importance of soil sustainability, the journal intends to launch a Special Issue with the theme of Agricultural Soil Pollution by Heavy Metals. In this Special Issue, we will gather leading experts to share their innovative ideas and research in the agro-soil contamination and remediation. The following scientific issues will be addressed:

(1) Source, processes, and health risk of heavy metals in the agricultural soil–plant ecosystem;

(2) Behavior, fate, bioavailability, and effects of heavy metals in the soil environment;

(3) Heavy metal uptake, translocation and accumulation in the soil–plant system;

(4) Mitigation measures and regulations of heavy metals in agro-soil contaminations.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Shibao Chen
Dr. Meng Wang
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 metal
soil pollution
agronomy
soil remediation
ecotoxicology
biogeochemistry

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 14246 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparative Study on Different Interpolation Methods and Source Analysis of Soil Toxic Element Pollution in Cangxi County, Guangyuan City, China

by Jiajun Zhang, Junsheng Peng, Xingyi Chen, Xinyi Shi, Ziwei Feng, Yichen Meng, Wende Chen and Yingping Liu

Sustainability 2024, 16(9), 3545; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16093545 - 24 Apr 2024

Viewed by 613

Abstract

Spatial interpolation is a crucial aspect of soil toxic element pollution research, serving as a vital foundation for pollution assessment, treatment, and sustainability efforts. The selection and adjustment of interpolation methods directly influences the accuracy of spatial distribution maps and data results, thereby indirectly impacting related research. This paper conducts a comparative study of different interpolation methods and analyses the sources of soil toxic elements in the study area of Cangxi County, aiming to provide a scientific foundation for future soil management, remediation, and enhanced local sustainability. The spatial correlation of As, Cd, Hg, Mn, Pb, and Mo in 228 surface soil samples in the study area of Cangxi County is analyzed. The interpolation results, spatial distribution of OK (ordinary Kriging), IDW (inverse distance weighting), RBF (radial basis function) and the changes of pollution area after interpolation are compared. The smoothing effect is assessed based on the comparison results, interpolation accuracy, and impact on pollution assessment of OK, IDW, and RBF. The interpolation method most suitable for each metal in the study area is selected. It can be concluded that the optimal interpolation method for As, Hg, and Mn is IDW; for Cd and Mo, it is RBF; and for Pb, it is OK. After the correlation analysis of toxic elements in the soil of the study area, the PMF (positive matrix factorization) model and hotspot analysis is applied to analyzing the source of toxic elements. The analysis indicates that the predominant sources of pollution are anthropogenic, categorized into industrial activities (30.8%), atmospheric deposition caused by coal combustion and traffic exhaust (21.5%) and agricultural activities (19.5%). Natural sources, such as soil parent material, contribute to 28.2% of the pollution on average. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural Soil Pollution by Heavy Metals)

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12 pages, 1496 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Heavy Metal Pollution Assessment in the Agricultural Soils of Bonao, Dominican Republic

by Natividad Miledy Alberto Then, Ramón Delanoy, Diana Rodríguez Alberto, Ronaldo Méndez Henández, Oscar Díaz Rizo and Lizaira Bello

Sustainability 2023, 15(23), 16510; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152316510 - 2 Dec 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1269

Abstract

Heavy metal content in agricultural soils potentially impacts the food chain and human health. The present study assessed the levels of heavy metals in topsoil samples collected within an agricultural region situated in Bonao, Dominican Republic. The Energy-Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) technique was utilized to measure the concentrations of iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), and arsenic (As) in the samples. The assessment of soil pollution status and potential ecological risk (RI) involved the utilization of various soil pollution indices, such as the single pollution index (PI), integrated pollution index (IPI), and enrichment factor (EF). The average total concentrations of Fe, Mn, Cr, Cu, Ni, Zn, Pb, and As were 103,000, 2000, 347, 36, 92, 32, 9.6, and 4.2 mg·kg⁻¹, respectively. The results showed that the Mn, Ni, Cu, and As levels exceeded the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)’s recommended levels for healthy agricultural soils. The distribution pattern of each individual metal was different, indicating they had different sources of origin. The average pollution indices indicated low-to-moderate pollution, and the potential ecological risk obtained was low. This study emphasizes the need for soil management practices to mitigate heavy metal contamination for food safety and environmental health. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural Soil Pollution by Heavy Metals)

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16 pages, 2454 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comprehensive Evaluation of the Efficient and Safe Utilization of Two Varieties of Winter Rapeseed Grown on Cadmium- and Lead-Contaminated Farmland under Atmospheric Deposition

by Mengke He, Junxing Yang, Guodi Zheng, Junmei Guo and Chuang Ma

Sustainability 2023, 15(15), 11750; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151511750 - 30 Jul 2023

Viewed by 674

Abstract

To determine the feasibility of planting rapeseed to safely utilize heavy metals (HMs)-contaminated farmlands surrounding working smelters under atmospheric deposition, a field trial was conducted to analyze the yields, cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) concentrations, health risks, and economic benefits of 15 rapeseed cultivars (13 Brassica napus L. and two Brassica campestris L.) in Jiyuan City, Henan Province, China. The results show that the seeds’ Cd concentration was 0.12–0.64 mg·kg⁻¹ and the seeds’ Pb concentration was higher than Cd at 0.49–1.22 mg·kg⁻¹. The Cd bioconcentration factor of B. campestris (0.702–0.822) was higher than that of B. napus (0.246–0.502). Additionally, Cd and Pb transfer factors from the stems to the pods and seeds were 0.34–1.20 and 0.54–4.53, respectively. Combined with a comprehensive analysis of the annual deposition data of Cd and Pb, 16.40 and 345.79 kg·hm⁻², respectively, HMs in the seeds were not only derived from those in the soil, but were also derived from the atmosphere. Furthermore, the Cd and Pb levels in rapeseed oil, meal, and straw met the requirements stipulated in the standards for food safety, feeds hygiene, and organic fertilizer in China. Rapeseed–maize rotation yielded a profit of 15,550 CNY·a⁻¹·hm⁻², thereby increasing the economic output by 133.8%. A cluster analysis revealed that B. campestris SYH and ZS100 and B. napus ZY-821 showed the greatest comprehensive benefits. In conclusion, rapeseed cultivation is a viable and extendable approach that can achieve the safe utilization of typical HMs-contaminated farmland caused by atmospheric deposition in Northern China. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural Soil Pollution by Heavy Metals)

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20 pages, 3797 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Heavy Metal Transport in Different Drip-Irrigated Soil Types with Potato Crop

by Tarek Selim, Samah M. Elkefafy, Ronny Berndtsson, Mohamed Elkiki and Ahmed A. El-kharbotly

Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 10542; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310542 - 4 Jul 2023

Viewed by 983

Abstract

Heavy metal (HM)-polluted soil is a serious concern, especially as brackish water is widely used for irrigation purposes in water-scarce countries. In this study, the HYDRUS-2D model was used to simulate HM (copper (Cu), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn)) transport through agricultural land cultivated with potato crops under surface drip irrigation to explore the potential groundwater contamination risk. Three soil types, namely, silty clay loam, sandy loam, and sandy soil, and two irrigation schemes, irrigation every two days (scheme A) and irrigation every four days (scheme B), were considered during the simulations. Firstly, the ability of HYDRUS-2D to simulate water flow was validated using data obtained from a full growing season of the potato crop in a lysimeter irrigated by surface drip irrigation using El-Salam Canal water, Egypt (i.e., water contaminated by HMs). Secondly, the model was calibrated for solute transport parameters. After that, the investigated simulation scenarios were executed. The results showed that HYDRUS-2D effectively simulated water flow. Moreover, a good agreement between the simulations and experimental results of HM concentrations under the calibrated solute parameters was obtained with R² values of 0.99, 0.91, and 0.71 for Cu, Pb, and Zn concentrations, respectively. HM distribution is considerably influenced by the HMs’ adsorption isotherm. The results of the investigated scenarios reveal that soil texture has a greater impact on HM concentrations in the simulation domain and on the contamination risk of the groundwater than the irrigation scheme. Under both irrigation schemes, lower HM concentrations were observed in sand, while higher values were observed in silty clay loam. Subsequently, the potential shallow groundwater contamination risk is greater when cultivating potatoes in sand, as higher HM concentrations were found in drainage water compared to the two other investigated soils, regardless of the irrigation scheme. The cumulative Cu, Pb, and Zn concentrations in drainage water corresponding to scheme A for silty clay loam and sandy loam were 1.65, 1.67, and 1.67 and 1.15, 1.14, and 1.15 times higher, respectively, than scheme B. To safeguard the sustainability of groundwater and agricultural lands irrigated with water contaminated by HMs, it is recommended to adopt an irrigation frequency of once every four days in soils with silty clay loam and sandy loam textures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural Soil Pollution by Heavy Metals)

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