Potentially Toxic Elements in Soils Affected by Metal Mining and Processing

Dear Colleagues,

Production of metals has always been and remains an important constituent in the development of civilization. Mining of metal ores, as well as their processing that involves various methods of concentration and smelting, belong to those human activities that strongly affect the environment. They usually lead to its considerable enrichment in potentially toxic elements, such as heavy metals and metalloids. The problem of soil pollution in such sites relates both to abandoned historical mines and smelters and to currently operating plants. Although the contemporary metal industry usually uses modern technologies that can significantly reduce the amounts of contaminants released into the environment, potentially toxic metals and metalloids that have accumulated in soils for decades or centuries can still pose a considerable risk to human health and ecosystems. Their transformations can lead to either beneficial or detrimental effects.

This Special Issue of Minerals welcomes works dealing with various problems related to soil contamination in the sites affected by metal ore mining and processing, including weathering of metal(loid)-hosting minerals, biogeochemistry of potentially toxic elements in soils, their release into water and uptake by plants, assessment of associated environmental risk, as well as the methods of soil remediation.

Prof. Dr. Anna Karczewska
Prof. Dr. Karolina Lewińska
Guest Editors

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