Review Reports - Soil Contaminants and Their Removal through Surfactant-Enhanced Soil Remediation: A Comprehensive Review

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

1. A comparison of the different surfactants used for various soil contaminants in terms of their performance, such as removal efficiency, economic cost, impact on biodiversity, and impact on the soil environment, should be made and presented more clearly in the form of a table.

2. The advantages of surfactants enhanced soil remediation technology over other soil remediation technologies are briefly summarized in the text and need to be explained in more detail.

3. How surfactant soil remediation technologies can be used for new soil contaminants such as microplastics and antibiotics, and whether they are applicable can be reflected in the future outlook.

Minor editing of English language required.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer

Thanks for your valuable comments. These will definitely help to improve the quality of the article

A comparison of the different surfactants used for various soil contaminants in terms of their performance, such as removal efficiency, economic cost, impact on biodiversity, and impact on the soil environment, should be made and presented more clearly in the form of a table.

Table Comparative performances of surfactants in soil remediation [9] Reproduced with copyright permission

The advantages of surfactants enhanced soil remediation technology over other soil remediation technologies are briefly summarized in the text and need to be explained in more detail.

Surfactant-enhanced soil remediation technology offers numerous advantages over conventional soil remediation techniques. One key advantage is its effectiveness in removing a wide range of contaminants from the soil. Surfactants, or surface-active agents, have unique properties that enable them to break down and solubilize various pollutants, including hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and pesticides. This versatility makes surfactant-enhanced soil remediation applicable to a broad spectrum of soil contamination scenarios. Another significant advantage is the ability of surfactants to increase the availability and mobility of contaminants in the soil. By reducing the interfacial tension between the contaminant and soil particles, surfactants enhance the desorption and solubility of contaminants, allowing them to be more easily extracted or degraded. This process significantly accelerates the remediation timeframe, reducing the overall cost and effort required to clean up the contaminated soil. Surfactant-enhanced soil remediation technology is also highly compatible with other remediation methods. It can be integrated with techniques such as soil washing, soil vapor extraction, and bioremediation to enhance their efficiency. The surfactants facilitate the release of contaminants from the soil matrix, making them more amenable to extraction or degradation by other remediation methods. This synergy allows for a more comprehensive and effective approach to soil remediation. This method is relatively non-invasive and environmentally friendly compared to some alternative methods. It minimizes the need for soil excavation or transportation, reducing disruption to the site and the associated costs. The surfactants used in the process are typically biodegradable and pose minimal risk to human health and ecosystems when applied appropriately.

How surfactant soil remediation technologies can be used for new soil contaminants such as microplastics and antibiotics, and whether they are applicable can be reflected in the future outlook.

Added new paragraph

Surfactant-enhanced soil remediation technologies can be adapted and applied to address emerging soil contaminants like microplastics and antibiotics. Although traditionally used for organic compounds and heavy metals, the unique properties of surfactants can still offer advantages in treating these new types of contaminants. Microplastics, which are small plastic particles or fibres, can accumulate in soil and pose a threat to ecosystems. Surfactants can be utilized to enhance the removal of microplastics from soil by reducing their adhesion to soil particles. The addition of surfactants can decrease the interfacial tension between the microplastics and the soil, facilitating their detachment and increasing their mobility. This enables easier extraction or separation of microplastics from the soil matrix, improving the efficiency of the remediation process.

Surfactant-enhanced soil remediation can play a role in addressing antibiotic contamination in soil. Antibiotics can enter the environment through various sources, such as agricultural runoff and improper disposal of pharmaceutical waste. Surfactants can aid in the desorption and solubilization of antibiotics, increasing their availability for subsequent degradation or extraction. By reducing the interaction between antibiotics and soil particles, surfactants enhance the mobility and effectiveness of other remediation techniques, such as bioremediation or advanced oxidation processes.

Surfactants can help in the transport and distribution of treatment agents for microplastics and antibiotics in soil. They can act as carriers for other remedial agents, such as sorbents, enzymes, or chemicals, assisting in their delivery to the target contaminants. This improves the efficiency and effectiveness of the treatment, as surfactants can enhance the contact between the treatment agents and the contaminants, facilitating their interaction and removal.

Aparicio, J. D., Raimondo, E. E., Saez, J. M., Costa-Gutierrez, S. B., Alvarez, A., Benimeli, C. S., & Polti, M. A. (2022). The current approach to soil remediation: A review of physicochemical and biological technologies, and the potential of their strategic combination. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 10(2), 107141.

Kristanti, R. A., Tirtalistyani, R., Tang, Y. Y., Thao, N. T. T., Kasongo, J., & Wijayanti, Y. (2023). Phytoremediation Mechanism for Emerging Pollutants: A Review. Tropical Aquatic and Soil Pollution, 3(1), 88-108.

Reviewer 2 Report

This manuscript has a good aim; it represents a good vision about study the examines recent and older work regarding the use of effluent treatment techniques combined with synthetic surface-active agents, bio-surfactants, and few recent categories of surfactants for the purpose of soil reclamation.

The language usage and grammar of manuscript are good. But the manuscript needs some corrections and hints to review and correct.

1. The references are update, but check the reference in the text with the reference list.

2. The manuscript needs revision for type and misprint mistakes (spaces, capital letters at the beginning of sentences, etc.

The language usage and grammar of manuscript are good

Author Response

Dear Sir/Ma'am,

Thanks for your valuable comments. This has definitely helped to to improve my manuscript.

Please find below the responses

The language usage and grammar of manuscript are good. But the manuscript needs some corrections and hints to review and correct.

The references are update, but check the reference in the text with the reference list.

done

The manuscript needs revision for type and misprint mistakes (spaces, capital letters at the beginning of sentences, etc.

done

Reviewer 3 Report

This review (Soil contaminants and their removal through surfactants enhanced soil remediation: A comprehensive review) is an interesting and valuable contribution, but the current form should be improved.

1. Abstract: It is recommended that the authors modify the abstract to provide a clear and concise summary of the review's findings and highlighted outcomes to improve the readability and comprehension of the review's contributions to the scientific community. Use the term remediation instead of reclamation (Line 9). Avoid repeating the same meaning in different words (Lines 13:14; This is a repetition of the information presented in Lines 9:11).

2. Introduction: The introduction does not provide sufficient background knowledge about the problem at hand. This section must be thoroughly edited and rewritten. Avoid explaining generic information (The ground we stand, The growth of any nation, ….). You should be specific about the review's topic and give information regarding soil contamination and remediation that is supported by recent literature.

3. Figure 1; Remove this figure. After modifying the introduction section, if you think this figure is relevant, you should reconstruct it and incorporate various types of contaminants.

4. Section 2: should be brief and to the point. Avoid basic definitions and long introductory speeches. Support the presented information by recent literature.

5. Line 144; Heavy metals → Heavy Metal(oid)s or Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs) (here and onward).

6. Figure 2; hithosphere?? I think you mean lithosphere?. Please enhance the quality of this figure (here and for Figure 3-9).

7. Section 4: This section should be revised to present in detail different types of surfactants (anionic, cationic, nonionic, and zwitterionic surfactants), rather than methods of soil remediation (in-situ or ex-situ). Support the presented information with recent literature. Figure 5; This figure should be removed or moved to the supplementary materials.

8. Section 4.1: This section should be revised to present in detail different types of surfactants enhanced soil remediation (phytoremediation, bioremediation, electrokinetic remediation, ….). Support the presented information with recent literature.

9. Section 5: It would be better if the authors presented the most recent and effective methods of removing various contaminants in tables supported by recent literature.

10. If you adapted or modified a figure from a previously published paper, the original article should be cited.

Author Response

Dear Sir/Ma'am,

Thanks for your valuable comments. This has definitely helped to to improve my manuscript.

Please find below the responses:

Abstract: It is recommended that the authors modify the abstract to provide a clear and concise summary of the review's findings and highlighted outcomes to improve the readability and comprehension of the review's contributions to the scientific community. Use the term remediation instead of reclamation (Line 9). Avoid repeating the same meaning in different words (Lines 13:14; This is a repetition of the information presented in Lines 9:11).

Corrections have been made as per suggestions

Introduction: The introduction does not provide sufficient background knowledge about the problem at hand. This section must be thoroughly edited and rewritten. Avoid explaining generic information (The ground we stand, The growth of any nation, ….). You should be specific about the review's topic and give information regarding soil contamination and remediation that is supported by recent literature.

Done

Figure 1;Remove this figure. After modifying the introduction section, if you think this figure is relevant, you should reconstruct it and incorporate various types of contaminants.

Done (Table 1)

Section 2: should be brief and to the point. Avoid basic definitions and long introductory speeches. Support the presented information by recent literature.

Line 144;Heavy metals → Heavy Metal(oid)s or Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs) (here and onward).

Figure 2;hithosphere?? I think you mean lithosphere?. Please enhance the quality of this figure (here and for Figure 3-9).

Typo error, Rectified

Section 4:This section should be revised to present in detail different types of surfactants (anionic, cationic, nonionic, and zwitterionic surfactants), rather than methods of soil remediation (in-situ or ex-situ). Support the presented information with recent literature.

Figure 5; This figure should be removed or moved to the supplementary materials.

Thanks for the kind suggestion but as per the advice of one more reviewer some text have been added for the figure so ask you to have second opinion for this figure to be placed as supplementary

Done

Section 4.1: This section should be revised to present in detail different types of surfactants enhanced soil remediation (phytoremediation, bioremediation, electrokinetic remediation, ….). Support the presented information with recent literature.

Dear sir, Thanks for your valuable comments but in this section generalize mechanism has been given. Methods related mechanism are given in the related paragraphs wherever required.

Section 5:It would be better if the authors presented the most recent and effective methods of removing various contaminants in tables supported by recent literature.

Done

If you adapted or modified a figure from a previously published paper, the original article should be cited.

Done

Thanks

Reviewer 4 Report

In my opinion the paper with title: “Soil Contaminants and Their Removal Through Surfactants Enhanced Soil Remediation: A Comprehensive Review” the authors will make the corrections and specifications suggested:

1. The English language should be revised.

2. Please write the chemical compounds in text using the superscript functions for ionic charges and subscript for coefficients.

3. There are many paragraphs, very long, in all chapters, which do not have bibliographic references. Please mention them. For example, chapter 5, subchapter 5.1 are 40 lines without bibliographic sources.

4. Please review the name of the figures: 7 and 9.

5. It is not understood what the message in Figure 4 is. Meaningless notions such as "cost per hactare" are also introduced. Please make the necessary changes.

6. There are many images that do not have a bibliography. Please mention the bibliography or, if they are inspired by certain ideas taken from other works, please insert a phrase in the article that mentions this.

7. Sentence: The difference between ionic and nonionic surfactants is their hydrophilic-lipophile balance (LHB) - ionic surfactants have HLB values of up to 50, while nonionic surfactants have HLB numbers ranging from 0 to 20, it is not clear. It is also not understood what is the difference between LHB and HLB

Please reformulate and make the necessary changes in the text.

8. Figure 3 shows the technological methods used for soil remediation. Please keep the same expression note for the biodegradation methods. More clearly, replace Biodegradation Techniques with Biodegradation.

9. In figures 5 a and 5 b soil remediation procedures are presented. Please enter the description of the two processes in the text.

Author Response

Dear Sir/Ma'am,

Thanks for your valuable comments. This has definitely helped to to improve my manuscript.

Please find below the responses:

The English language should be revised.

Language has been revised thoroughly

Please write the chemical compounds in text using the superscript functions for ionic charges and subscript for coefficients.

done

There are many paragraphs, very long, in all chapters, which do not have bibliographic references. Please mention them. For example, chapter 5, subchapter 5.1 are 40 lines without bibliographic sources.

done

Please review the name of the figures: 7 and 9.

done

It is not understood what the message in Figure 4 is. Meaningless notions such as "cost per hactare" are also introduced. Please make the necessary changes.

rectified

There are many images that do not have a bibliography. Please mention the bibliography or, if they are inspired by certain ideas taken from other works, please insert a phrase in the article that mentions this.

done

Sentence: The difference between ionic and nonionic surfactants is their hydrophilic-lipophile balance (LHB) - ionic surfactants have HLB values of up to 50, while nonionic surfactants have HLB numbers ranging from 0 to 20, it is not clear. It is also not understood what is the difference between LHB and HLB

It was typographical error, Rectified

Figure 3 shows the technological methods used for soil remediation. Please keep the same expression note for the biodegradation methods. More clearly, replace Biodegradation Techniques with Biodegradation.

Correction have been made

In figures 5 a and 5 b soil remediation procedures are presented. Please enter the description of the two processes in the text.

Done

Ex-situ soil washing is an economical way to clean large amounts of contaminated soil and return it to the site. Moreover, it can manage a variety of levels of contamination. Ex-situ soil washing is a soil remediation technique that involves the physical separation and removal of contaminants from soil outside of its original location. It is particularly effective for soils contaminated with organic compounds, heavy metals, and other pollutants that are amenable to extraction. Another option is in-situ soil flushing with surfactant eluents, as shown in Fig. 5b. In situ flushing is a soil remediation technique that involves the application of water or flushing agents directly to the contaminated soil to mobilize and remove the contaminants

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

The manuscript is well organized and the summary is well supported by the results. Overall, I suggest it can be accepted for publication in this journal current form.

Author Response

Thank you so much sir for spending your valuable time. Your comments have helped me to enhance the quality of my review Regards

Divya

Reviewer 3 Report

The revisions made by the authors appear to be satisfactory. Although the revised version loses line numbers and some of the modifications are not highlighted, which makes it difficult to trace these modifications. Furthermore, the authors didn't respond to several of the concerns raised in the original manuscript, despite revising these comments. These few suggestions should be taken into consideration before the manuscript is accepted for publication:

1. Table 1 should be rewritten as an editable table rather than a figure.

2. The quality of all figures should be enhanced.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer

Thanks for your valuable comments.

Please find my responses against all the amendments done as per your suggestions

Table 1 should be rewritten as an editable table rather than a figure.

Corrected as per suggestions

The quality of all figures should be enhanced.

Done as required

Thanks

Reviewer 4 Report

In my opinion the paper with title: “Soil Contaminants and Their Removal Through Surfactants Enhanced Soil Remediation: A Comprehensive Review” could be published in the journal Sustainability if the authors will make the corrections and specifications suggested:

1. Please mention in Figure 3 what is represented on the OX and OY axes with measurement units for the OY axis.

2. Please write the chemical compounds in text using the superscript functions for ionic charges and subscript for coefficients.

3. Figure 2 shows the technological methods used for soil remediation. Please keep the same expression notes for the biodegradation methods. More clearly, replace Biodegradation Techniques with Biodegradation.

4 There are many paragraphs, very long, in all chapters, which do not have bibliographic references. Please mention them! For example Chapter 5,

Author Response

Dear Reviewer

Thanks for your valuable comments.

Please find my responses against all the amendments done as per your suggestions

Please mention in Figure 3 what is represented on the OX and OY axes with measurement units for the OY axis.

Done as suggested

Please write the chemical compounds in text using the superscript functions for ionic charges and subscript for coefficients.

Corrections have been made

Figure 2 shows the technological methods used for soil remediation. Please keep the same expression notes for the biodegradation methods. More clearly, replace Biodegradation Techniques with Biodegradation.

Done

4 There are many paragraphs, very long, in all chapters, which do not have bibliographic references. Please mention them! For example Chapter 5,

Done

Thanks