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Minerals
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Environmental Geochemistry of Heavy Metals: Contamination, Impacts, and Countermeasure Strategies
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Environmental Geochemistry of Heavy Metals: Contamination, Impacts, and Countermeasure Strategies

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Mineralogy and Biogeochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 29 August 2025 | Viewed by 2112

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Takahiko Arima

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division of Sustainable Resources Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8628, Japan
Interests: environmental remediation; arsenic; acid mine drainage; abandoned mine site; naturally occurring heavy metals; water quality; geo-environment; heavy metals contamination
Dr. Walubita Mufalo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division of Sustainable Resources Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8628, Japan
Interests: environmental science; geochemistry; environmental remediation; restoration technology; acid mine drainage; abandoned mine site; naturally occurring heavy metals; water quality; geo-environment; heavy metals contamination; bioaccessibility of heavy metals
Prof. Dr. Toshifumi Igarashi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division of Sustainable Resources Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8628, Japan
Interests: earth resource engineering; civil engineering (environmental systems); environmental assessment; acid mine drainage; groundwater and soil contamination; toxic elements

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Environmental degradation from industrialization is often inevitable due to the release of heavy metals from mine wastes, tailings, slags, excavated rocks from tunnel construction, civil engineering works, and mineral processing facilities. These heavy metals, whether naturally occurring or anthropogenic sources, can be released into the environment through acid mine or rock drainage when exposed to oxidative conditions. Metals such as lead, zinc, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury persist in the environment, accumulating in soils and water bodies, and eventually entering the food chain. This contamination process poses significant risks to ecosystems and human health. Therefore, understanding the environmental geochemistry of these metals is crucial for effective countermeasures.

In this Special Issue, we aim to provide an update on novel advances focusing on environmental geochemistry of heavy metals and countermeasure strategies. This Special Issue will cover metal and potentially toxic elements in water, soil, and groundwater, highlighting the latest progress in the following areas:

  1. Multi-Element Analysis: understanding inter-element relationships in various compartments, their geochemical behavior, and implications for contamination.
  2. Sources and Pathways: examining their sources, contamination levels, and the pathways through which they enter and persist in the environment.
  3. Advances in Analysis Methods: quantifying heavy metals in various environmental matrices and investigating the interactions between contaminants and soil components, including batch sorption analysis and column tests.
  4. Environmental Monitoring and Countermeasure: exploring novel countermeasure techniques and monitoring strategies to mitigate the impact of heavy metal contamination on ecosystems and human health.

This Special Issue seeks to continuously expand the scope of knowledge and innovation in addressing the complex challenges posed by heavy metal contamination.

Dr. Takahiko Arima
Dr. Walubita Mufalo
Prof. Dr. Toshifumi Igarashi
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. Minerals 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 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

  • potentially toxic elements
  • soil pollution sources and assessment
  • groundwater contamination
  • geochemistry of heavy metals
  • trace element speciation and mobility
  • acid mine drainage
  • environmental remediation and monitoring
  • naturally occurring heavy metals

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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

15 pages, 5460 KiB  
Article
Distribution, Sources, and Ecological Risk Assessment of Potentially Toxic Elements in Surface Sediments of Dongzhai Harbor, Hainan Island, China
by Gucheng Zhang, Jianxiu Fan, Jinli Wang, Guicheng Xue, Bo Ma, Ming Ruan, Jinbo Zhou and Wenli Ling
Minerals 2025, 15(4), 349; https://doi.org/10.3390/min15040349 - 27 Mar 2025
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Abstract
The mangrove wetland ecosystem functions as a natural purifier and a significant repository for pollutants, effectively facilitating the transfer and transformation of contaminants into sediments. This study focuses on the Dongzhai Harbor wetland on Hainan Island, aiming to investigate the spatial distribution patterns, [...] Read more.
The mangrove wetland ecosystem functions as a natural purifier and a significant repository for pollutants, effectively facilitating the transfer and transformation of contaminants into sediments. This study focuses on the Dongzhai Harbor wetland on Hainan Island, aiming to investigate the spatial distribution patterns, pollution status, potential sources, and ecological risk levels of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, Cd, Ni, and As) in the surface sediments of the region. The sediment quality in the study area generally complies with Marine Sediment Quality Standards. Results from the contamination factor (CF), pollution load index (PLI), geoaccumulation index (Igeo), and potential ecological risk index (RI) indicate that Zn, Cr, Ni, Pb, and Cu are primarily derived from natural sources. In contrast, Cd and As exhibit mild to moderate pollution levels, likely influenced by natural and anthropogenic activities. Cd is identified as the primary potentially toxic element pollutant and ecological risk factor in the study area, presenting a low ecological risk level. The mean range of effects-median quotient (M-ERM-Q) and hazard quotient (HQ) of the sediment toxicological profiles indicate that there is some risk of toxicity from PTEs in the sediments of the study area. This research provides valuable references for pollution prevention and control in the Dongzhai Harbor mangrove wetland. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Geochemistry of Heavy Metals: Contamination, Impacts, and Countermeasure Strategies)
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20 pages, 5571 KiB  
Article
Utilization of the Finer Particle Fraction of Arsenic-Bearing Excavated Rock Mixed with Iron-Based Adsorbent as Sorption Layer
by Daisuke Ishigami, Takahiko Arima, Satoshi Shinohara, Yutaka Kamijima, Keijirou Ito, Tasuma Suzuki, Keita Nakajima, Walubita Mufalo and Toshifumi Igarashi
Minerals 2025, 15(3), 242; https://doi.org/10.3390/min15030242 - 26 Feb 2025
Viewed by 1340
Abstract
Excavated rocks generated during tunnel construction may pose an environmental hazard due to the release of acidic leachate containing potentially toxic elements (PTEs). Addressing this concern requires strategic countermeasures against mitigating the release of PTEs. This study investigated the efficacy of a novel [...] Read more.
Excavated rocks generated during tunnel construction may pose an environmental hazard due to the release of acidic leachate containing potentially toxic elements (PTEs). Addressing this concern requires strategic countermeasures against mitigating the release of PTEs. This study investigated the efficacy of a novel approach for managing altered excavated rocks that generate acidic leachates with elevated arsenic (As) by utilizing the finer altered rock as a base material for the sorption layer. The proposed method involves classifying the altered excavated rocks into coarse (9.5–37.5 mm) and finer (<9.5 mm) fractions, with the finer fractions incorporated with iron (Fe)-based adsorbent to form a bottom sorption layer for the disposal of coarser rock samples. Leaching behavior and As immobilization efficiency were assessed through shaking, stirring leaching tests, batch sorption tests, and column tests under varying particle size fractions of the rock samples. Results indicate that altered finer rock fractions exhibit increased As leaching under shaking conditions due to enhanced dissolution. The addition of >1% of Fe-based adsorbent to the finer rock in the sorption layer effectively suppressed As leaching concentration, meeting the management criterion of <0.3 mg/L for specially controlled contaminated soils in Japan. Batch sorption tests using the finer rock samples with the Fe-based adsorbent confirmed their efficacy as effective adsorbents. This efficacy was further elucidated in column experiments consisting of the coarse rock samples and fine altered rock samples mixed with the Fe based adsorbent at the bottom as a sorption layer. Results showed that the sorption layer effectively decreased the As leached from the rock layer, utilizing the altered excavated fine rock as a base material in the sorption layer. This approach highlights the potential for repurposing excavated rocks as sorption media, enabling sustainable management strategies for As-contaminated rocks. This study provides an innovative framework for integrating adsorption-based remediation, contributing to sustainable countermeasure strategies for excavated rocks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Geochemistry of Heavy Metals: Contamination, Impacts, and Countermeasure Strategies)
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