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Advanced Studies of Pollutants in Water, Air, and Soil: Assessment and Remediation

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Pollution Prevention, Mitigation and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (19 December 2025) | Viewed by 6985

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Dr. Yan Ma

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School of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), Beijing 10083, China
Interests: soil remediation; solid waste resource utilization; polluted site management and policy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We aim to publish cutting-edge research that addresses soil degradation, groundwater resource management, pollution prevention, and remediation strategies. This Special Issue encourages interdisciplinary studies that integrate geochemistry, hydrology, microbiology, and environmental policy to develop innovative solutions for soil and groundwater conservation. We prioritize work that contributes to the sustainable use of these resources, ensuring the protection of both natural ecosystems and human health. By fostering a deeper understanding of the complex interactions between soil and water, our Special Issue seeks to inform and guide policy, management practices, and technological advancements that promote environmental resilience and the long-term viability of our planet's critical resources. We are particularly interested in studies that explore the nexus of soil and water in the context of climate change, urbanization, and agricultural intensification, as these factors significantly influence the health and integrity of our soil and groundwater systems. Through a commitment to rigorous scientific inquiry and a forward-looking approach, our Special Issue aims to be a leading voice in the global discourse on environmental sustainability and the stewardship of our soil and groundwater resources. Additionally, we strive to provide a platform for dialogue among researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to exchange ideas and experiences, thereby enhancing collaborative efforts towards sustainable environmental management. Our ultimate goal is to contribute to a global shift towards more responsible and effective stewardship of our soil and groundwater resources for the benefit of present and future generations.

Dr. Yan Ma
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 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-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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

soil health
environmental sustainability
soil degradation
resource management
pollution prevention
remediation strategies

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 3711 KB

Open AccessArticle

Urban Villages as Hotspots of Road-Deposited Sediment: Implications for Sustainable Urban Management

by Mengnan He, Cheng Chen, Jianmin Zhang, Jinge Ma and Yang Liu

Sustainability 2026, 18(3), 1543; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18031543 - 3 Feb 2026

Viewed by 434

Abstract

Rapid urbanization has fostered the proliferation of urban villages (UVs), high-density informal settlements that pose unique challenges for environmental management. Despite their prevalence, the dynamics of pollutant accumulation in these transitional neighborhoods remain underexplored. This study investigated nitrogen and phosphorus accumulation in road-deposited sediment (RDS) within Shenzhen, a representative megacity in southern China, utilizing field sampling and statistical analysis to identify dominant drivers. The results indicate that UVs function as significant pollution hotspots, with RDS accumulation rates approximately 3.7 times higher than in formal built-up areas. Analysis revealed that pollution intensity is primarily driven by natural factors such as slope, whereas pollution load is controlled by anthropogenic supply factors. This creates a critical input–output imbalance where high pollutant inputs exceed the natural removal capacity. Consequently, effective mitigation of urban non-point source pollution requires shifting from traditional engineering solutions to spatially sensitive planning strategies, offering practical guidance for enhancing urban sustainability in rapidly urbanizing regions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Studies of Pollutants in Water, Air, and Soil: Assessment and Remediation)

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19 pages, 2798 KB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of Stratified Prediction Methods for Spatial Distribution of Groundwater Contaminants (Benzene, Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons, and MTBE) at Abandoned Petrochemical Sites

by Tianen Zhang, Zheng Peng, Fengying Xia, Rifeng Kang and Yan Ma

Sustainability 2026, 18(2), 888; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18020888 - 15 Jan 2026

Viewed by 420

Abstract

This study evaluates the accuracy of various Geographic Information System interpolation methods in predicting the stratified spatial distribution of organic pollutants (Benzene, Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons [TPH], and Methyl Tert-butyl Ether [MTBE]) in groundwater at a petrochemical-contaminated site. Given the limitations of traditional monitoring methods in predicting spatial distribution, this study focuses on the spatial computational prediction of volatile organic compound concentrations at a former petrochemical industrial site. Three interpolation methods—Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW), Radial Basis Function (RBF), and Ordinary Kriging (OK)—were applied and evaluated. Prediction accuracy was assessed using leave-one-out cross-validation, with performance quantified through key metrics: Root Mean Square Error, Coefficient of Determination, and Spearman’s Rank Correlation Coefficient. Results demonstrate significant variations in optimal prediction methods depending on pollutant type and depth stratum. For pollutants predominantly enriched in shallow and middle layers (Benzene, TPH), OK yielded the highest accuracy and stability. Conversely, for predictions of pollutants primarily concentrated in deeper layers, RBF achieved superior performance. IDW consistently underperformed across all strata and pollutants. All interpolation methods generally exhibited systematic overestimation of pollutant concentrations (mean cross-validation error > 0). Through a hierarchical evaluation of the accuracy and interpolation effectiveness of these methods, this study develops a more accurate modeling framework to describe the composite groundwater contamination patterns at petrochemical sites. This study systematically evaluates the spatial prediction accuracy of various non-aqueous phase liquid species under differing groundwater-table depths, identifies the most robust interpolation method, and thereby provides a benchmark for enhancing predictive fidelity in subsurface contaminant mapping. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Studies of Pollutants in Water, Air, and Soil: Assessment and Remediation)

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23 pages, 6236 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Influence of Nitrogen and Phosphorus on Adsorption, Dissolution and Carbon Flux of Limestone Under Different Soil Layer Depths

by Liang Li, Haiping He, Jiacai Li, Wenhai Wang and Zhiwei Jiang

Sustainability 2025, 17(24), 11326; https://doi.org/10.3390/su172411326 - 17 Dec 2025

Viewed by 454

Abstract

The overuse of chemical fertilizers can result in elevated concentrations of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in soil, potentially impacting rock weathering processes and carbon flux in karst regions. This study analyzed the impacts of chicken dung fertilizer and compound fertilizer on the weathering of carbonate rocks within the water-soil-rock system, yielding the following results: (1) The peak concentrations of various ions in the compound fertilizer system (Ca²⁺: 36.8 mg/L, Mg²⁺: 4.3 mg/L, N: 284.2 mg/L, P: 920.6 mg/L, HCO₃⁻: 16,170.3 mg/L) were generally superior to those in the chicken manure fertilizer system (15.4 mg/L, 1.9 mg/L, 306.9 mg/L, 27.9 mg/L, and 4576.5 mg/L, respectively), with a difference of approximately fourfold between the two systems; (2) Nitric acid generated by nitrification in fertilizers and phosphoric acid in compound fertilizers modify the chemical equilibrium of rock weathering, enhance dissolution, and influence the dynamics of HCO₃⁻; (3) Nitrogen and phosphorus in compound fertilizers are predominantly eliminated through ion exchange and adsorption. Calcium-phosphate precipitates are generated on the limestone surface within the 20 cm soil column, exhibiting a greater degree of weathering compared to the chicken manure fertilizer treatment; (4) analyses utilizing XRD, FT-IR, XPS, SEM, and additional approaches verified that substantial weathering and surface precipitation transpired on limestone throughout the 20 cm compound fertilizer column. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Studies of Pollutants in Water, Air, and Soil: Assessment and Remediation)

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22 pages, 9798 KB

Open AccessArticle

Application of Machine Learning Approaches to Predict Soil Element Background Concentration at Large Region Scale

by Jiao Li, Linglong Meng, Tianran Li, Pengli Xue, Hejing Wang and Jie Hua

Sustainability 2025, 17(17), 7853; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17177853 - 31 Aug 2025

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1834

Abstract

Soil element background concentration is foundational data for environmental quality assessment, contamination diagnosis, and sustainable land management. However, existing investigation-based methods are time-consuming and inefficient. The machine learning (ML) method has demonstrated excellent performance in predicting soil heavy metal concentration. In this study, based on the nine environmental variables of soil formation from 210 soil monitoring points, including elevation, pH, organic matter, soil type, parent material, plant cover, land use type, topography, and soil texture, decision tree (DT), random forest (RF), extreme gradient boosting (XGB), and support vector machine (SVM) models were used to predict the eleven soil element background concentrations. Among them, SVM and RF models could be used for an effective prediction of the background concentration of all soil heavy metals. Compared with the XGBoost and DT, the SVM for all heavy metals except for cadmium (Cd) and manganese (Mn) performs best. Although the key factors affecting background concentrations vary among different soil elements, organic matter, soil type, and altitude, they play a crucial role in the accurate prediction of soil element background concentration. This study provides simple and efficient ML models for predicting soil element background concentration at the large regional scale. The results of this study can be utilized to distinguish natural geochemical processes from human-induced pollution. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Studies of Pollutants in Water, Air, and Soil: Assessment and Remediation)

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15 pages, 4446 KB

Open AccessArticle

Characteristic Chemical Profile of Particulate Matter (PM_2.5)—A Comparative Study Between Two Periods, Case Study in Medellín, Colombia

by Mauricio A. Correa-Ochoa, Miriam Gómez-Marín, Kelly Viviana Patiño-López, David Aguiar and Santiago A. Franco

Sustainability 2025, 17(12), 5380; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17125380 - 11 Jun 2025

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3322

Abstract

Medellín, a densely populated city in the Colombian Andes, faces significant health and environmental risks due to poor air quality. This is linked to the atmospheric dynamics of the valley in which it is located (Aburrá Valley). The region is characterized by a narrow valley and one of the most polluted areas in South America. This is a comparative study of the chemical composition of PM_2.5 (particles with diameter less than 2.5 µm) in Medellín between two periods (2014–2015 and 2018–2019) in which temporal trends and emission sources were evaluated. PM_2.5 samples were collected from urban, suburban, and rural stations following standardized protocols and compositional analyses of metals (ICP-MS), ions (ion chromatography), and carbonaceous species (organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) by thermo-optical methods) were performed. The results show a reduction in average PM_2.5 concentrations for the two periods (from 26.74 µg/m³ to 20.10 µg/m³ in urban areas), although levels are still above WHO guidelines. Urban stations showed higher PM_2.5 levels, with predominance of carbonaceous aerosols (Total Carbon—TC = OC + EC = 35–50% of PM_2.5 mass) and secondary ions (sulfate > nitrate, 13–14% of PM_2.5 mass). Rural areas showed lower PM_2.5 concentrations but elevated OC/EC ratios, suggesting the influence of biomass burning as a major emission source. Metals were found to occupy fractions of less than 10% of the PM_2.5 mass; however, they included important toxic species associated with respiratory and cardiovascular risks. This study highlights progress in reducing PM_2.5 levels in the region, which has been impacted by local policies but emphasizes current and future challenges related mainly to secondary aerosol formation and carbonaceous aerosol emissions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Studies of Pollutants in Water, Air, and Soil: Assessment and Remediation)

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