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Environments
Special Issues
Soil Pollution and Remediation: Multidisciplinary Approaches to a Global Challenge
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Soil Pollution and Remediation: Multidisciplinary Approaches to a Global Challenge

A special issue of Environments (ISSN 2076-3298).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2025 | Viewed by 1791

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Daniel Arenas-Lago

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Bioloxía Vexetal e Ciencias do Solo, Área de Edafoloxía e Química Agrícola, Facultade de Ciencias de Ourense, Universidade de Vigo, As Lagoas s/n, 32004 Ourense, Spain
Interests: nanoparticles; phytorremediation; heavy metals; agricultural science; soil degradation; environmental monitoring
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Claudia Campillo-Cora

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Bioloxía Vexetal e Ciencias do Solo, Área de Edafoloxía e Química Agrícola, Facultade de Ciencias de Ourense, Universidade de Vigo, As Lagoas s/n, 32004 Ourense, Spain
Interests: microbial community; environmental monitoring; heavy metals; fungicides; antibiotics; biodegradation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue titled “Soil Pollution and Remediation: Multidisciplinary Approaches to a Global Challenge” seeks to bring together a diverse range of research that not only identifies the problems associated with soil pollution but also offers practical and effective solutions for remediation.

Soil pollution is a complex global environmental issue involving a variety of contaminants, from metals and pesticides to microplastics and persistent organic pollutants (POPs). This Special Issue is dedicated to exploring the multiple facets of soil pollution and the innovative remediation strategies that are needed to restore the health of terrestrial ecosystems. We invite authors to submit original research, systematic reviews, and case studies addressing the following themes: (i) the impacts of metals and other inorganic contaminants on soil health and emerging remediation techniques; (ii) the growing concern over microplastics and nanoplastics in agricultural and urban soils, their sources, distribution, and potential methods of removal; (iii) the role of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), such as PCBs and dioxins, in soil degradation and innovations in remediation; (iv) remediation strategies for soils contaminated by hydrocarbons, ranging from physical methods to bioremediation; (v) the application of fungi and other microorganisms in bioremediation, exploring their potential to break down complex contaminants; (vi) the use of nanotechnology in soil remediation, assessing both its effectiveness and potential associated risks; (vii) innovative approaches to the remediation of urban soils that are affected by multiple sources of contamination; and (viii) the effectiveness and limitations of phytoremediation as an ecological and sustainable strategy for cleaning contaminated soils.

Authors are encouraged to contribute interdisciplinary approaches and present research integrating chemical, biological, technological, and environmental aspects.

Dr. Daniel Arenas-Lago
Dr. Claudia Campillo-Cora
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. Environments is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 1800 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 pollution
  • persistent organic pollutants
  • metals
  • microplastics
  • pesticides
  • bioremediation
  • nanotechnology
  • phytoremediation
  • urban soils
  • innovative techniques

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 1636 KiB  
Article
Field Comparison of Active and Passive Soil Gas Sampling Techniques for VOC Monitoring at Contaminated Sites
by Raffaella Borrelli, Alessandra Cecconi, Alessandro Oldani, Federico Fuin, Renata Emiliani, Fabrizio Cacciari, Antonella Vecchio, Camilla Lanari, Federico Villani, Guido Bonfedi, Donatella Giacopetti, Renato Baciocchi and Iason Verginelli
Environments 2025, 12(5), 141; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments12050141 - 26 Apr 2025
Viewed by 108
Abstract
This study presented a comprehensive comparison of soil gas sampling methodologies to monitor volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at two industrial sites in northern Italy. Utilizing active sampling techniques, such as stainless-steel canisters, vacuum bottles, and sorbent tubes, alongside passive methods like low-density polyethylene [...] Read more.
This study presented a comprehensive comparison of soil gas sampling methodologies to monitor volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at two industrial sites in northern Italy. Utilizing active sampling techniques, such as stainless-steel canisters, vacuum bottles, and sorbent tubes, alongside passive methods like low-density polyethylene (PE) membranes, sorbent pens, and Waterloo Membrane Samplers (WMS), the research examines their effectiveness under varied environmental conditions. Five field campaigns were conducted in two areas of the industrial sites characterized by BTEX and chlorinated solvent contamination. The results highlighted that active sampling, while expensive, provides real-time, high-resolution VOC concentration data, often outperforming passive methods for heavier compounds (e.g., hexachlorobutadiene). However, using the active systems in certain campaigns, challenges such as high soil humidity or atmospheric air infiltration were observed, resulting in an underestimation of the soil gas concentrations. Passive sampling systems demonstrated cost-effective, efficient alternatives, offering consistent spatial and temporal coverage. These methods showed alignment with active techniques for lighter compounds (e.g., TCE and BTEX) but faced limitations in sorbent saturation and equilibrium time for heavier VOCs (e.g., hexachlorobutadiene), requiring adjustments in exposure duration to enhance accuracy. PE samplers provided results comparable to active methods, especially for BTEX and TCE, while WMS and sorbent pens exhibited lower sensitivity for certain analytes. This underscores the importance of optimizing sampler configurations and deployment strategies. The findings emphasize the value of integrating active and passive approaches to achieve robust VOC assessments in heterogeneous subsurface environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Pollution and Remediation: Multidisciplinary Approaches to a Global Challenge)
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20 pages, 3149 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Petroleum Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Soil Remediation Technologies and Their Effects on Soybean Growth
by Dengyu Jiang, Tao Li, Xuanhe Liang, Xin Zhao, Shanlong Li, Yutong Li, Kokyo Oh, Haifeng Liu and Tiehua Cao
Environments 2025, 12(1), 6; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments12010006 - 28 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1250
Abstract
The application of persulfate (PS) for the remediation of petroleum hydrocarbon contamination is among the most widely employed in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) techniques, and it has received widespread attention due to its limited impact on soil integrity. This study employed a FeSO [...] Read more.
The application of persulfate (PS) for the remediation of petroleum hydrocarbon contamination is among the most widely employed in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) techniques, and it has received widespread attention due to its limited impact on soil integrity. This study employed a FeSO4-activated PS oxidation method to investigate the feasibility of remediating soil contaminated with total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs). The factors tested included the TPH concentration, different PS:FeSO4 ratios, the reaction time for remediation, soil physical and chemical property changes before and after remediation, and the effect of soil before and after remediation on soybean growth. The TPH degradation rate in soil was highest for high-, medium-, and low-TPHs soils—81.5%, 81.4%, and 72.9%, respectively, with minimal disruption to the soil’s physicochemical properties—when PS:FeSO4 = 1:1. The remediation verification results indicated that the condition of the soybeans was optimal when PS:FeSO4 = 1:1. Under this condition, the net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, intercellular CO2 concentration, and transpiration rate all remained high. Therefore, the best remediation effect was achieved with PS:FeSO4 = 1:1, which also minimized the damage to the soil and the effects on crop growth. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Pollution and Remediation: Multidisciplinary Approaches to a Global Challenge)
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