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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2023) | Viewed by 11598

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Xiaonuo Li

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Guest Editor

Laboratory of Soil Environmental Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
Interests: contaminated site risk management; sustainability assessment; soil environmental carrying capacity; environmental policy evaluation; brownfield reuse and wider benefits; land value accounting

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soil resource degradation, ecosystem deterioration, crop toxicity and human health risks caused by soil pollution are being reported with increasing frequency globally. As a result, considerable efforts in terms of source appointment, risk prediction, remediation technology and soil governance have fostered the development of efficient knowledge on pollution prevention and control mechanisms. A broad range of measures aiming at preventing and controlling soil pollution are under consideration for the protection of the soil environment, and subsequently the rational utilization of land resources. However, due to the complicated nature of soil pollution, such as the existence of emerging pollutants and binary-combined pollution as well as the uncertainty of their diffusion and uncontrollable hydrogeological condition changes of mega-sites, debates that question the ecological effects, health effects and efficacy of cleanup have been ongoing. Furthermore, the trend of green sustainable development raises more demands and challenges on the balance of all sustainable pillars, generally consisting of environmental, social and economic dimensions.

This Special Issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) focuses on the novel knowledge, multiple methodologies and advanced technologies for soil contamination, contamination prevention and soil cleanup. Original research articles, reviews, case reports and conference papers are all welcome to this Issue. Other manuscript types accepted include methodological papers, position papers, brief reports, and commentaries.

Research areas in accepted manuscripts in this Special Issue may include (but are not limited to) the following:

Soil pollutants and their interactions in relation to: source, crop productivity, nutrient cycling, physicochemical properties, ecological process, soil functions etc.
Models, tools and technologies for pollution diffusion, risk prediction, remediation efficacy etc.
Measures for soil protection, prevention and cleanup.
Environmental policy design, evaluation and instrument choice.
Sustainable remediation and life-cycle management.
Ecological and health risks associated with polluted soil.
Climate change and cleanup of polluted soil.
Economic incentives for soil protection, cost–benefit and cost effectiveness analysis, land pricing.

We are looking forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Xiaonuo Li
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. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 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 2500 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
risk assessment
pollutant cleanup
sustainable management
evaluation
soil protection policy
economic incentives
emerging contaminants
risk communication
land reuse

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 1740 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Classification System for the Sustainable Management of Contaminated Sites Coupled with Risk Identification and Value Accounting

by Shiyi Yi, Xiaonuo Li and Weiping Chen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(2), 1470; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20021470 - 13 Jan 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1466

Abstract

Currently, site contamination is considered to be a sustained, international environmental challenge, and there is an urgent practical need to build a core theoretical system and technical methodology for the sustainable risk management of soil contamination, together with its prevention and control. We aim to improve the risk management of contaminated sites in the post-remediation era, in line with the current trend of sustainable development. The work is based on the theory of sustainability science and the eco-environmental zoning system., In this study, we build a conceptual model that can be used to classify the sustainable performance of contaminated sites in terms of risk management in line with the existing environmental management system for contaminated sites in China. To provide a scientific decision-making basis and technical support for the refined classification management of soil environments in China during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, five typical contaminated sites were selected for a quantitative evaluation by applying multi-technical approaches, including sociological, economic and statistical methods. The results showed that the sustainable performance of contaminated sites with regard to management was affected not only by pollution risk factors but also by potential utility benefits. Specified management strategies should be developed according to different levels of sustainability so as to achieve the goals of improving land use efficiency and enhancing urban functions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Contamination, Prevention and Cleanup)

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15 pages, 4207 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of the Driving Pollution Factors of Soil Environmental Quality Based on China’s Risk Control Standard: Multiple Bigdata-Based Approaches with Intensive Sampling

by Xiahui Wang, Nan Wei, Guohua Ji, Ruiping Liu, Guoxin Huang and Hongzhen Zhang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(19), 12459; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912459 - 30 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1444

Abstract

Identifying the driving factors of soil environmental quality is critical in raising countermeasures for managing the soil environment efficiently and precisely. In 2018, China issued risk control standards to divide soil environmental quality into three classes to meet the demands of environment management. However, there is a lack of knowledge of this new standard. An intensive field-sampling research (2598 top-soil samples were analyzed) was conducted in the agricultural land of Hubei province, central China, to find the driving factors of pollutants based on this new standard. According to the standard, the proportion of classes 1, 2, and 3 in the overall quality grade was 57.3%, 41.7%, and 1%, respectively. The standardized index showed that the pollution levels of cadmium, arsenic, lead, and chromium were higher than that of mercury. The first component of the principal component analysis explained 56.4% of the total variance, and the loading of cadmium, arsenic and lead were −53.5%, −52.1%, and −51.2%, respectively. The general linear modeling found that cadmium and arsenic showed positive and significant effects (p < 0.001) on the grading results of soil environmental quality. Based on the random forest algorithm, cadmium showed the greatest importance on soil environmental quality (increase in mean squared error = 32.5%). Overall, this study revealed that cadmium, arsenic, and lead were driving pollutants affecting soil environment quality grade. The large data size increased the reliability and robustness of the study’s conclusions, and it provided reference methods for future studies investigating China’s new standard for assessing soil environmental quality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Contamination, Prevention and Cleanup)

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14 pages, 2342 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Rhamnolipid-Enhanced ZVI-Activated Sodium Persulfate Remediation of Pyrene-Contaminated Soil

by Wenyang Wang, Xiyuan Wang, Hao Zhang, Qingdong Shi and Huapeng Liu

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(18), 11518; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191811518 - 13 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1523

Abstract

In soil, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are tightly bound to organic components, but surfactants can effectively transform them from a solid to a liquid phase. In this study, the biosurfactant rhamnolipid (RL) was selected as the eluent; shaking elution in a thermostatic oscillator improved the elution rate of pyrene, and the effects of RL concentration, temperature, and elution time on the elution effect were compared. After four repeated washings, the maximum elution rate was 75.6% at a rhamnolipid concentration of 20 g/L and a temperature of 45 °C. We found that 38 μm Zero-Valent Iron (ZVI) had a higher primary reaction rate (0.042 h⁻¹), with a degradation rate of 94.5% when 3 g/L ZVI was added to 21 mM Na₂S₂O₈ at 60 °C. Finally, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) detected DMPO-OH and DMPO-SO₄ signals, which played a major role in the degradation of pyrene. Overall, these results show that the combination of rhamnolipid elution and persulfate oxidation system effectively remediated pyrene-contaminated soil and provides some implications for the combined remediation with biosurfactants and chemical oxidation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Contamination, Prevention and Cleanup)

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15 pages, 2279 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Pollution and Risk Assessments of Heavy Metal(loid)s in the Soil around Lead-Zinc Smelteries via Data Integration Analysis

by Ziruo Zhou, Chi Peng, Xu Liu, Zhichao Jiang, Zhaohui Guo and Xiyuan Xiao

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(15), 9698; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19159698 - 06 Aug 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2347

Abstract

Pb–Zn smelting is a major cause of heavy metal(loid) contaminations in soils. We collected data on heavy metal(loid)s in the soils near Pb–Zn smelteries globally from 54 peer-reviewed reports to study the metals’ distribution, pollution index, and potential ecological and health risks. We observed that 90% of the studied Pb–Zn smelteries were distributed in Asia and Europe. Heavy metal(loid)s were mainly deposited within a 2 km distance to the smelteries, with mean concentrations (mg/kg) of 208.3 for As, 26.6 for Cd, 191.8 for Cu, 4192.6 for Pb, and 4187.7 for Zn, respectively. Cd and Pb concentrations in the soil exceeded their corresponding upper continental crust values several hundred folds, suggesting severe contamination. The smelting area had the highest heavy metal(loid) contamination in soil, followed by the forest land, farmland, and living area. Compared with the soil environmental standard values from various countries, As, Cd, Pb, and Zn were considered priority pollutants for protecting the ecosystem and human health. Likewise, As, Cd, and Pb were suggested as the priority pollutants for protecting groundwater safety. The potential ecological and health risks of heavy metal(loid)s in the soil within 2 km of Pb–Zn smelteries were severe and should be of concern. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Contamination, Prevention and Cleanup)

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18 pages, 9278 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Cd on Pyrolysis Velocity and Deoxygenation Characteristics of Rice Straw: Analogized with Cd-Impregnated Representative Biomass Components

by Zhi Xu, Zhaohui Guo, Huimin Xie and Yulian Hu

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(15), 8953; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19158953 - 23 Jul 2022

Viewed by 1217

Abstract

The pyrolysis characteristics of cadmium (Cd)-impregnated cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin were studied to elucidate the pyrolysis velocity and deoxygenation characteristics of Cd-contaminated rice straw. The results show that Cd significantly affects the pyrolysis characteristics of a single biomass component. With a heating rate of 5 °C·min⁻¹ and a Cd loading of 5%, the initial pyrolysis temperature of cellulose and hemicellulose decreases while that of lignin increases. The maximum pyrolysis velocity of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin is decreased by 36.6%, 12.4%, and 15.2%, respectively. Cd increases the pyrolysis activation energy of the three components and inhibits their deoxygenation. For the pyrolysis of Cd-contaminated rice straw, both the initial depolymerization temperature and the pyrolysis velocity of hemicellulose is reduced, while the pyrolysis velocity of cellulose is accordingly increased. When Cd loading amplifies to 0.1%, 1%, and 5%, the maximum pyrolysis velocity of hemicellulose is decreased by 7.2%, 10.5%, and 21.3%, while that of cellulose is increased by 8.4%, 62.1%, and 97.3%, respectively. Cd reduces the release of volatiles and gas from rice straw, such as CO₂, CO, and oxygen-containing organics, which retains more oxygen and components in the solid fraction. This research suggested that Cd retards the pyrolysis velocity and deoxygenation of rice straw, being therefore beneficial to obtaining more biochar. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Contamination, Prevention and Cleanup)

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15 pages, 2978 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Derivation of Soil Criteria of Cadmium for Safe Rice Production Applying Soil–Plant Transfer Model and Species Sensitivity Distribution

by Xuzhi Li, Junyang Du, Li Sun, Ya Zhang, Yanhong Feng, Liping Zheng, Guoqing Wang and Xinghua Huang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(14), 8854; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19148854 - 21 Jul 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1463

Abstract

Widespread soil contamination is hazardous to agricultural products, posing harmful effects on human health through the food chain. In China, Cadmium (Cd) is the primary contaminant in soils and easily accumulates in rice, the main food for the Chinese population. Therefore, it is essential to derive soil criteria to safeguard rice products by assessing Cd intake risk through the soil–grain–human pathway. Based on a 2-year field investigation, a total of 328 soil–rice grain paired samples were collected in China, covering a wide variation in soil Cd concentrations and physicochemical properties. Two probabilistic methods used to derive soil criteria are soil–plant transfer models (SPT), with predictive intervals, and species sensitivity distribution (SSD), composed of soil type-specific bioconcentration factor (BCF, Cd concentration ratio in rice grain to soil). The soil criteria were back-calculated from the Chinese food quality standard. The results suggested that field data with a proper Cd concentration gradient could increase the model accuracy in the soil–plant transfer system. The derived soil criteria based on soil pH were 0.06–0.11, 0.33–0.59, and 1.51–2.82 mg kg⁻¹ for protecting 95%, 50% and 5% of the rice safety, respectively. The soil criteria with soil pH further validated the soil as being safe for rice grains. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Contamination, Prevention and Cleanup)

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15 pages, 4492 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial-Temporal Distribution, Morphological Transformation, and Potential Risk of Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen in the Contaminated Unconfined Aquifer from a Retired Nitrogenous Fertilizer Plant

by Kunhua Yang, Dengdeng Jiang, Yun Chen, Jing Wei, Feiyang Xia, Wenyi Xie, Yan Zhou, Xuwei Li and Shaopo Deng

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(13), 8022; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19138022 - 30 Jun 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1501

Abstract

The accumulation of nitrogen in groundwater in the industrial plots, especially the high ammonium, can result in a serious threat to the groundwater system in the urban area. This study monitored the dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) of the polluted groundwater four times in one year in a retired nitrogenous fertilizer plant site with a production history of nearly 40 years, to analyze the spatial-temporal characteristics of DIN species (NH₄⁺-N, NO₃⁻-N, and NO₂⁻-N) and the effects of groundwater environment on their transfer and transformation. The results showed that NH₄⁺-N (<0.025 to 1310 mg/L) was the main DIN species (61.38–76.80%) with low mobility, whereas the concentration of NO₃⁻-N and NO₂⁻-N was 0.15–146 mg/L and <0.001–12.4 mg/L, accounting for 22.34–36.07% and 0.53–2.83% of total DIN, respectively. The concentration and proportion of NO₃⁻-N and NO₂⁻-N showed an upward trend with time, posing a threat to the safety of surrounding groundwater, and their high spatial-temporal variation was related to the morphological transformation and the transport. In the wet season, the pH and redox condition benefited the nitrification, and NO₃⁻-N easily migrated from the deep soil solution to groundwater, hence the NO₃⁻-N can be accumulated. Therefore, the analysis of species and behaviors of DIN in shallow groundwater is indispensable for environmental risk assessment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Contamination, Prevention and Cleanup)

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