Geochemistry of Contaminated Soils and Sediments
A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 October 2025 | Viewed by 14
Special Issue Editor
Interests: medical geology; clays and natural waters; environmental geochemistry; microplastics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
We are pleased to invite you make a contribution to this Special Issue of Applied Sciences, titled "Geochemistry of Contaminated Soils and Sediments", which aims to address the complex challenges posed by soil and sediment contamination through a geochemical perspective.
Soils and sediments act as critical environmental matrices, influencing ecosystems’ health, agricultural productivity, and water quality. Contamination of these media by heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants, and emerging contaminants has been intensified due to industrialization, urbanization, and agricultural intensification. This Special Issue seeks to compile cutting-edge research that will enhance our understanding of geochemical processes governing contaminants, their distribution, and fate in soils and sediments.
We invite original research articles, reviews, and case studies focusing on the following areas:
- Geochemical characterization of contaminated sites, such as research on the concentration, speciation, and spatial distribution of contaminants, as well as the application of advanced analytical techniques for contaminant profiling.
- Contaminant transport and transformation mechanisms, such as studies on adsorption–desorption dynamics, redox reactions, and bioavailability, as well as on modeling contaminant migration pathways and predicting environmental impacts.
- Remediation strategies and effectiveness, such as the evaluation of physical, chemical, and biological remediation technologies, as well as innovative approaches for in situ and ex situ remediation.
- Risk assessment and management, such as the development of frameworks for assessing human and ecological risks, as well as policy implications and management practices for contaminated land.
- Case studies and regional assessments, including detailed analyses of contamination events in diverse geographical settings, as well as comparative studies highlighting regional differences in contamination profiles.
Understanding the geochemical foundations of soil and sediment contamination is essential for developing effective remediation strategies and mitigating environmental and human health risks. This Special Issue aims to bridge the gap between fundamental geochemical research and practical applications in contamination management.
Authors are encouraged to submit manuscripts that present novel findings, methodological advancements, or comprehensive reviews aligning with the themes of this Special Issue. All submissions will undergo a rigorous peer review process to ensure that only high-quality contributions are published.
Dr. Carla Candeias
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. Applied Sciences 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
- soil and sediment geochemistry
- soil and sediment contamination
- heavy metals
- persistent organic pollutants
- remediation technologies
- risk assessment
- environmental monitoring
- geochemical modeling
- bioavailability and bioaccessibility
- pollution management
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