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Emerging Contaminants in Soils and Plants: Inventory, Monitoring, Impacts on Human Health, and Mitigation Strategies

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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: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 2309

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Prof. Dr. Evangelia Golia

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Laboratory of Soil Science, School of Agriculture, Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Environment, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: soil science; soil chemistry; environmental analysis; environmental monitoring; GIS; heavy metal(oid)s; trace elements; microplastics; contamination monitoring; urban and agricultural soil pollution; physicochemical behavior of metals in environment; phytoremediation
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The present Special Issue will present articles on emerging and persistent pollutants, both inorganic and organic, that pose a significant environmental risk in mainly soil ecosystems. Soil is an integral part of the environment, and yet it is an important reservoir reflecting long-term pollution; furthermore, it is a habitat for food cultivation and human living. It is, therefore, necessary to monitor its pollution levels frequently and permanently, to record the levels and type of pollutants, their synergistic or competitive action, their kinetics, and their fate on the solid surface or in the soil solution.

Contaminant transfer to plants or humans along with potential health risks is indisputable, making labeling imperative. In addition, analytical methods that already exist or that are being developed which rapidly or simultaneously identify a number of these pollutants will constitute an important part of this Special Issue. Strengthening interdisciplinary interactions and regulatory frameworks will improve environmental protection and sustainability. Ultimately, remediation methods for contaminated soils can be a valuable application, giving contaminated soils a further chance for development and sustainability. Improving soil health and quality is the ultimate goal of this Special Issue, as soil is an important and irreplaceable resource.

Prof. Dr. Evangelia Golia
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-anonymized 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

emerging & persistent pollutants
pollutants in urban & rural soil environment
health risk assessments
pollution monitoring
artificial intelligence & geostatistical methods for sustainable management and development
phyto- & bio-remediation

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 18608 KB

Open AccessArticle

Phosphate Removal from Wastewater via Coagulation and Preliminary Evaluation of the Recovered Residues for Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) Cultivation

by Paraskevi Chalkidi and Athanasia K. Tolkou

Sustainability 2026, 18(15), 7809; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18157809 - 2 Aug 2026

Viewed by 205

Abstract

Phosphate (

P O_{4}^{3 -}

) discharge from municipal wastewater is a major contributor to eutrophication, highlighting the need for efficient treatment technologies that enable both phosphorus (P) removal and potential reuse. In this study, tin (Sn)- and calcium (Ca)-based coagulants, [...] Read more.

Phosphate (

P O_{4}^{3 -}

P O_{4}^{3 -}

removal and tentative recovery from both aqueous solutions and municipal wastewater. Among the tested materials,

{SnCl}_{4}

exhibited the highest performance, achieving 97.2–100%

P O_{4}^{3 -}

removal over a wide pH range and at low dosages, demonstrating its high affinity toward

P O_{4}^{3 -}

. The CS@Sn composite material demonstrated satisfactory efficiency, while the Ca-based coagulants exhibited lower efficiency and greater sensitivity to solution chemistry. CaO achieved maximum phosphate removal of 89% under neutral to alkaline conditions, but its efficiency decreased significantly under acidic conditions. CS@Ca and CS@Sn/Ca composites exhibited only moderate removal efficiencies under all experimental conditions tested. SEM and FTIR analyses indicated that

P O_{4}^{3 -}

removal occurred through interactions with hydrolyzed Sn(IV) species. The recovered phosphate-rich residues were subsequently subjected to a preliminary pot experiment using lettuce (Lactuca sativa) to explore their potential for agricultural reuse. The results provided an initial indication that some recovered residues may support early plant growth, although further agronomic evaluation under controlled conditions is required. Therefore,

{S n C l}_{4}

represents a promising approach for simultaneous phosphate removal and potential recovery, while the preliminary plant cultivation results indicate potential for agricultural reuse of the recovered residues, warranting further investigation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Contaminants in Soils and Plants: Inventory, Monitoring, Impacts on Human Health, and Mitigation Strategies)

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29 pages, 6207 KB

Open AccessArticle

From Varied Irrigation Regimes to Flood-Induced Crop Failure: An 8-Year Simulation of Hydrodynamics and Scenario-Based Assessment of Short-Chain Perfluoralkyl and Polyfluoralkyl Substance Leaching Under Sequential Storms Daniel and Elias in Thessaly, Greece

by Anastasia Angelaki, Christos Georgiou, Nikolaos Kosmas, Vasileios Giouvanis, Mohamed Elhag and Aris Psilovikos

Sustainability 2026, 18(15), 7783; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18157783 - 1 Aug 2026

Viewed by 234

Abstract

Sequential extreme hydrological events driven by climate change pose severe risks to both crop survival and groundwater quality in flood-prone agricultural regions. The current study investigated the long-term soil hydrodynamics and potential perfluoralkyl and polyfluoralkyl substance (PFAS) leaching in a mountain tea (Sideritis raeseri) plantation in Thessaly plain, Greece, before, during and after the consecutive extreme storms Daniel and Elias (in September 2023). An 8-year simulation was performed, covering the years 2018–2025, including an initial calibration/validation phase (2018) followed by the 2019–2025 simulation of hydrodynamics and potential short-chain PFAS leaching, under two hypothetical solute transport scenarios. Model HYDRUS-1D was calibrated and validated using field data (precipitation, irrigation, evaporation, transpiration and biomass) from the 2018 growing season under four irrigation treatments (100%, 75%, 50% and 0% of ET_c, where ET_c is crop evapotranspiration) to secure reliable soil hydraulic properties and was subsequently extended to simulate soil water dynamics until 2025, when crop failure was observed. To quantify environmental risks, two hypothetical solute transport scenarios with different initial depths of contamination (0–20cm and 0–100 cm) and an initial short-chain PFAS soil pore water concentration of 0.1 ppb (equal to upper EU limit) were executed exclusively for the 2019–2025 period to simulate the potential leaching of the contaminants through the soil. The simulation successfully captured the agronomic reality, showing that prolonged waterlogging conditions persisted, suggesting a severe risk of root anoxia, potentially leading to the subsequent crop failure in 2025. Furthermore, solute transport modeling captured the leaching process and predicted that under typical Mediterranean hydrological conditions, short-chain PFAS had already potentially leached beyond the root zone prior to the extreme events. However, the sequential floods acted as an acute hydraulic flush, evacuating the residual chemicals towards deeper soil layers. Moreover, the 0–100 cm contaminated profile represents the most critical hazard to the underlying aquifer, delivering a higher load and elevated risks for the groundwater table than the shallow (0–20 cm) contamination profile. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Contaminants in Soils and Plants: Inventory, Monitoring, Impacts on Human Health, and Mitigation Strategies)

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18 pages, 1182 KB

Open AccessArticle

Microplastics in Mediterranean Agricultural Soils: Effects on Soil Properties, Metal Accumulation in Plants, and Implications for Sustainable Agroecosystems

by Dimitrios Alexiadis, Evangelia E. Golia, Rafaella Vogia, Vasiliki Liava and Ana Pérez-Gimeno

Sustainability 2026, 18(6), 2777; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18062777 - 12 Mar 2026

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 760

Abstract

The influence of three different types of microplastics (PE, PET, and PS) on soil physicochemical properties is the main scope of the present investigation. To this end, a pot experiment has been conducted, incorporating each kind of microplastic (MP) in two different soil samples in equal portions. The soils were typical of Mediterranean areas, moderately contaminated with Pb and Zn. Furthermore, two different plants, Nicotiana tabacum L. (Burley cv.) and Cannabis sativa L. (Fedora cv.), were planted to study the influence of a multi-contaminated soil environment on plant growth, along with their ability to absorb metals in their tissues. The addition of microplastics caused stronger reactions in slightly acidic soil, where the bioavailability of zinc and lead increased by 5–20% compared to alkaline soil rich in CaCO₃. Plant-to-soil indices have been calculated to monitor the plant’s capacity to transfer metals from the soil environment to plant tissues. PE induced the strongest and most consistent responses, increasing Zn and Pb bioavailability and systematically enhancing total concentration factors (TC), bioaccumulation factors (BAF), and translocation factors (TF) by up to 20%, particularly in acid soil, while PET reduced the mobility of metals on the surface while enhancing vertical transport, and PS caused moderate but stable changes. Plant responses were cultivar-dependent. Plant biomass increased by approximately 7–15% in Cannabis sativa L. (cv. Fedora 17), while Nicotiana tabacum L. (cv. Burley) showed greater sensitivity to the presence of microplastics. Even low MP inputs can subtly but persistently modify soil structure, metal dynamics, and soil–plant transfer processes without increasing total metal loads, highlighting the importance of soil chemistry and polymer type in assessing the environmental risk of microplastics for sustainable agroecosystems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Contaminants in Soils and Plants: Inventory, Monitoring, Impacts on Human Health, and Mitigation Strategies)

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24 pages, 3837 KB

Open AccessArticle

Agro-Environmental Potential of Biosulfate as a New Soil Fertilizer: Herbicide Retention–Release and Effects on Ligninolytic Fungi and Horticultural Plants

by Elisabetta Loffredo, Nicola Denora, Danilo Vona and Nicola Colatorti

Sustainability 2026, 18(5), 2457; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18052457 - 3 Mar 2026

Viewed by 487

Abstract

Sustainable agriculture is increasingly reliant on reducing anthropogenic inputs and recycling organic waste while protecting ecosystems. In this context, this study investigated the agro-environmental properties of biosulfate, focusing on its interaction with herbicides and its effects on soil fungi and horticultural plants. Two biosulfate samples obtained from urban sewage sludge from the Barletta (BIO-BA) and Foggia (BIO-FO) treatment plants were characterized by Fourier transform infrared–attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The adsorption/desorption of the herbicides metribuzin (MET), S-metolachlor (S-ME) and cycloxydim (CYC) on biosulfates was evaluated by studying adsorption kinetics and isotherms. All herbicides reached adsorption equilibrium within a few hours, according to pseudo-second-order kinetics, indicating a predominant chemical interaction between biosulfate and the molecules. Considering the organic C content of BIO-BA (~21%) and BIO-FO (~17%), which was less than half that commonly measured for other organic fertilizers, such as compost and digestate, their adsorption capacity was high, with Freundlich adsorption constants ranging from 772 µg g⁻¹ (S-ME on BIO-BA) to 1464 µg g⁻¹ (CYC on BIO-FO). A low hysteresis coefficient indicated a rather slow and incomplete release of the molecules from the biosulfate. Exposure of the fungi Pleurotus ostreatus and Pleurotus eryngii to 1, 2, 3, and 4% BIO-BA and BIO-FO stimulated mycelium growth, indicating that responses depended on fungal species and biosulfate dose. Finally, germination and early growth of lettuce and basil were generally unaffected by either biosulfate, as parameters such as germination percentage, root and shoot length, and fresh and dry biomass were not statistically different from the control. Some growth stimulation was observed in basil. Overall, biosulfate appears to be a promising soil fertilizer, as it can contribute to soil organic matter, retain xenobiotics, and exert biostimulatory effects under controlled conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Contaminants in Soils and Plants: Inventory, Monitoring, Impacts on Human Health, and Mitigation Strategies)

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