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Land
Special Issues
Impact of Pollutants on Soil Health
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Impact of Pollutants on Soil Health

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Land, Soil and Water".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2025) | Viewed by 3601

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ioannis Zafeiriou

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Guest Editor
Laboratory of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Department of Natural Resources Management & Agricultural Engineering, School of Environment & Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece
Interests: mine affected soils; As desorption; P sorption; soil characteristics; selenium; acid soils; alkaline soils; adsorption; desorption; freundlich; langmuir; mediterranean soils; selenate; selenite; calcareous soil; biochar; lettuce; enhanced phytoextraction; sunflower; potentially toxic elements (PTEs); soil fractionation; Se uptake; Se fractions; biofortification; biostimulant
Prof. Dr. Dionisios Gasparatos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece
Interests: soil science; plant nutrition; land degradation; soil processes; integrated soil nutrient management; biochar; organic farming; sustainable agriculture
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Nikolaos Monokrousos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Soil Ecology, International Hellenic University, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: soil microbial ecology; soil nematodes; soil enzymes; plant–soil microbe interactions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soil health degradation has been one of the world's most pressing environmental problems over the past few decades, and it will worsen unless we take immediate action. Soil health deterioration is caused by natural and anthropogenic processes that alter the ecosystem's inherent physical, chemical, and biological properties. Drought, flooding, water pollution, extensive use of chemicals and fertilizers, disposal of non-biodegradable waste, deforestation, intensive agriculture, unsustainable land management practices, mining, industry, and urbanization are believed to be the most significant causes of soil health degradation. The purpose of this Special Issue is to examine soil degradation caused by pollutants and to present innovative methods and techniques that could either reverse the phenomenon or make it more manageable.

We are especially interested in contributions that illustrate soil health deterioration, emphasize an in-depth understanding of the mechanisms that lead to this condition, and develop innovative scientific methods and applications to limit or reverse the phenomenon. We welcome submissions concerning any type of land (cultivated or not, forest, abandoned, etc.) that has been degraded or is threatened to be degraded by organic or inorganic pollutants, referring especially to highly polluted areas (i.e., industrial zones, mining sites, plant-processing areas, waste disposal areas), and provide sustainable land management practices to meet the requirements of a growing population while attempting to minimize the risks for human health and the environment. This Special Issue also covers conventional and novel soil amendments that can be used to immobilize contaminants and improve soil functions. Acceptable types of articles include original research, opinions, and reviews.

Dr. Ioannis Zafeiriou
Dr. Dionisios Gasparatos
Dr. Nikolaos Monokrousos
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. Land 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 2600 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

  • land use/management
  • soil contamination
  • soil health
  • soil amendments
  • soil science

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 11568 KiB  
Article
Spatial Distribution, Source Apportionment, and Pollution Assessment of Toxic Metals Around Agricultural Soils Based on APCS-MLR Receptor Modelling: A Case Study of the Northern Slope of Tianshan Mountains
by Buasi Nueraihemaiti, Halidan Asaiduli, Abudugheni Abliz, Panqing Ye and Xianhe Liu
Land 2024, 13(12), 2067; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13122067 - 1 Dec 2024
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Abstract
To investigate the contamination status and analyze the sources of soil toxic metal contamination on the northern slopes of the East Tianshan mountain industrial belt in Xinjiang, northwest China, this study measured the contents of six common toxic metals such as Zn, Cu, [...] Read more.
To investigate the contamination status and analyze the sources of soil toxic metal contamination on the northern slopes of the East Tianshan mountain industrial belt in Xinjiang, northwest China, this study measured the contents of six common toxic metals such as Zn, Cu, Cr, Pb, Hg and As in 82 surface soil (0–20 cm), and using the ground accumulation index, pollution load index, and improved weighted index assessed the contamination characteristics of the soil and using a semi-variance function and APCS-MLR model the identified the potential sources of contamination. The results indicate that the average concentrations of Pb, Hg, and As are significantly higher than the background values in Xinjiang. The average ranking of toxic metal content is as follows: Zn > Cr > Pb > Cu > Hg > as. A single-factor pollution index analysis shows that As and Pb pollution are severe, while Hg and Cu pollution are moderate. The improved weighted index shows that moderate lead pollution accounts for 6.1% and severe lead pollution accounts for 54.88%; 98.88% of arsenic is severely contaminated. The APCS-MLR model identified three main sources of heavy metals: Cu and Cr as industrial production sources, Pb and Zn as transportation and agricultural activity sources, and As, Cr, Cu, Hg, and Zn as natural and mixed pollution sources. This study provides a solid scientific basis for the prevention and control of toxic metal pollution in agricultural soils, thus ensuring food security and sustainable development in the region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Pollutants on Soil Health)
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13 pages, 1798 KiB  
Article
Contamination Characteristics and Source Apportionment of Heavy Metal in the Topsoil of a Small Watershed in South Taihang
by Jiafu Liu, Yuxin Chen, Yingtao Shang, Hongbo Li, Quanlai Ma and Fengjie Gao
Land 2024, 13(7), 1068; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13071068 - 16 Jul 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1381
Abstract
With the rapid development of industrialization and urbanization, the issue of soil environmental pollution is becoming more and more prominent, especially concerning heavy metal contamination, which has garnered significant scholarly attention. The surface watershed formed by waterline is influenced by various factors such [...] Read more.
With the rapid development of industrialization and urbanization, the issue of soil environmental pollution is becoming more and more prominent, especially concerning heavy metal contamination, which has garnered significant scholarly attention. The surface watershed formed by waterline is influenced by various factors such as topography, industrial emissions, and agricultural runoff, resulting in a complex process of migration and accumulation of heavy metal elements from multiple sources. In this study, the pollution characteristics and sources of heavy metal elements Hg, As, Pb, Ni, Cd, Cr, Cu and Zn in 165 surface soil samples from the Manghe River watershed in Jiyuan City were comprehensively analyzed using a variety of methods, including statistics, geostatistics, enriched factor analysis and the Positive Matrix Factorization Model (PMF). The results showed that the concentrations of Hg, Cd, As, Cu, Pb and Zn exceeded their corresponding background values with varying degrees of enrichment. Notably, the average contents of Cd, Hg and Pb were 26.70 times, 3.69 times and 4.49 times higher than those in Chinese soils on average, respectively, showing obvious enrichment characteristics. Moreover, there were distinct spatial distribution patterns for each heavy metal element; Ni and Cr exhibited similar trends mainly controlled by the parent material, while human activities significantly affect the other six elements forming high-value areas around mining and related industries. It is noteworthy that Cu, Hg and Zn were influenced by dominant wind direction in autumn and winter, forming sub-high-value zones in southern forested areas; meanwhile, Cu and Zn were also influenced by agricultural fertilizer application as well as surface runoff, leading to secondary high-value areas in the dryland areas. Further analysis revealed a significant positive correlation among these heavy metal elements, suggesting that they may share common sources. Through the PMF Model, four main factors were identified, with factor 2 (36.25%), factor 1 (23.00%), factor 3 (21.20%) and factor 4 (19.55%) ranked in descending order of contribution rate. The heavy metal pollution in the study area was attributed to anthropogenic activities and natural factors, accounting for 63.75% and 36.25%, respectively. Coal mining, chemical industry smelting, vehicle emissions and excessive use of agrochemicals were identified as the main sources of heavy metal pollution. These pollutants entered the soil through direct emissions, atmospheric deposition, transportation and agricultural activities, exerting a significant impact on the soil environment. Therefore, delving into the spatial distribution pattern of soil heavy metal pollution and precise analysis of its sources are of great importance for effective treatment and remediation of soil heavy metal pollution in small watersheds, maintaining healthy soil ecology and safeguarding human health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Pollutants on Soil Health)
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