Long-Term Stability of Lead and Trace Metals in Organically Amended Urban Soils

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will focus on the long-term stability and aging of lead (Pb) and other trace metal pollutants in organically amended urban soils.

Urban soils affected by legacy metal contamination present ongoing challenges for safe food production, green infrastructure, and public health. Organic amendments such as biochar and compost are increasingly used both as soil conditioners and as practical remediation strategies. While many studies demonstrate short-term reductions in metal mobility and bioaccessibility following organic amendment application, the persistence of trace metal immobilization over months or several years remains insufficiently understood, particularly under realistic urban soil management conditions.

This Special Issue invites contributions that investigate the extent of trace metal stabilization in biochar- and compost-amended urban soils, including amendment–soil interactions, aging processes, and environmental perturbations. Studies examining trace metal  speciation, binding mechanisms, and transformation pathways over time, as well as the influence of soil pH, redox dynamics, organic matter inputs, biochar properties, and biochar–compost co-application, are encouraged. Particular emphasis will be placed on research that evaluates the timing, frequency, and necessity of amendment re-application to maintain trace metal stability and regulatory compliance.

Laboratory- and field-based investigations, long-term monitoring studies, modeling efforts, and policy-relevant assessments employing robust analytical approaches (e.g., X-ray fluorescence, spectroscopic methods, and bioaccessibility extractions) are welcome. This Special Issue aims to advance evidence-based guidance for the sustainable management of trace metal-contaminated urban soils.

Dr. Ekaterina A. Bazilevskaya
Dr. Nadia Martínez-Villegas
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Soil Systems 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.