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Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue on “Emerging Contaminants in Soil Systems: Occurrence, Fate, Behavior and Impact” addresses the current requirement for a comprehensive understanding of emerging contaminants in the soil environment. Due to the increasing industrial expansion and developmental technologies, emerging contaminants are being identified in terrestrial ecosystems, with little information regarding their environmental behavior and implication. This issue will cover but is not limited to pharmaceuticals and personal care products, endocrine disrupters, brominated flame retardants, perfluorinated compounds, engineered nanoparticles and microplastics, focusing on the occurrence, fate and behavior of the emerging contaminants and providing a thorough description of how emerging contaminants interact with other contaminants in soil.

We are especially interested in high-quality research papers as well as state-of-the-art critical reviews on the following topics:

Analytical methods or models for the assessment of emerging contaminants in the soil environment.
Fate, transport and transformation analysis of emerging contaminants.
Ecotoxicological or abiotic effects of emerging contaminants in terrestrial environments.
Interactions of emerging contaminants with coexisting substances in soil systems.
Novel remediation technologies of emerging contaminants—polluted soil.

Dr. Tianjiao Xia
Guest Editor

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Keywords

plastics
soil functions
analytical methods
fate
impacts
remediation

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

Open AccessArticle

Microplastic Pollution in EU Farmland Soils: Preliminary Findings from Agricultural Soils (Southwestern Poland)

Agnieszka Medyńska-Juraszek

and

Anna Szczepańska

Agriculture 2023, 13(9), 1733; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13091733 - 01 Sep 2023

Viewed by 650

Abstract

Agricultural soils are considered as “hot-spots” of plastic particles; however, due to a lack of standardized method of microplastic determination in soils, as well as no legal regulations requiring the monitoring of the soil environment in the context of microplastic contamination, the data on MP abundance and occurrence in European soils are very limited. In this first study of MPs pollution in agricultural soils in Poland, we developed a method of microplastic extraction from soil samples with different properties (particle size distribution, clay and organic matter content) and used optical microscopy for MP determination and quantification. In this study, we analyzed 44 soil samples from five sampling site locations with differing soil type, agricultural activity, including farmland soils on floodplains and past records of sewage sludge and compost applications. We found evidence that 93% of cultivated soils in the SW part of Poland contained MPs. The content of MP varied between soil types and present/former use of the land. Loamy and clay soils contained more MPs, 1540 ± 912 particles per kg soil and 933 ± 682 particles per kg, respectively, compared with sandy soils at 383 ± 188 particles per kg of soil. The highest MP concentrations were determined in soils amended with sewage sludge, wastewaters and green-waste composts (up to 4050 ± 2831 particles per kg of soil). The wide distribution of MPs with a dominance of plastic fibers (up to 60% of determined MP types) can be associated with agricultural sources such as soil mulching, the use of organic fertilizers, seed coating or unintentional waste dumping and air deposition. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Contaminants in Soil Systems: Occurrence, Fate, Behavior and Impact)

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Open AccessArticle

Calibration of Contact Parameters for Particulate Materials in Residual Film Mixture after Sieving Based on EDEM

and

Agriculture 2023, 13(5), 959; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13050959 - 26 Apr 2023

Viewed by 651

Abstract

In this study, to obtain the contact parameters of particulate materials accurately and quickly in residual film mixture after sieving, the contact parameters of particulate materials were calibrated via a physical test and simulation test. By using the self-made dynamic angle of a repose measurement test bench, the dynamic angle of repose of the particulate materials was measured at 41.32°, and the standard deviation was 1.33°. A discrete element simulation of the dynamic angle of the repose test was performed via an EDEM screening experiment design through a simulation of a combination of different parameters, with the dynamic angle of repose as the response value. Through simulation experiments, three significant influencing factors, as well as the level range of each factor, were confirmed. By using the response surface experiment, a mathematical model of the dynamic angle of repose and the three most influential parameters was created. The analysis of variance showed that the determination coefficient R² and the correction determination coefficient R²_adj were 0.9824 and 0.9598, respectively. The model had a good fit. The variable coefficient was 2.06% and the lack of fit was non-significant, which showed that the regression model was very significant, and the dynamic angle of repose could be predicted according to the model. By solving the optimization for the mathematical model, the optimal combination of parameters with three important influencing factors were obtained. The results showed that the coefficient of the static friction between soil and soil was 0.38, the coefficient of the rolling friction between soil and soil was 0.08, and the coefficient of the static friction between cotton residue and cotton residue was 0.33. The relative error of the dynamic angle of repose between the simulation with the optimal parameter combination and the physical test value was 2.64%. The results could provide a reference for the calibration of the discrete element model parameters of other agricultural particulate material, as well as provide a theoretical basis for the design of related collecting and conveying machinery. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Contaminants in Soil Systems: Occurrence, Fate, Behavior and Impact)

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