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Soil Quality and Innovation in Agriculture: Dynamics, Indicators, and Sustainability

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Soil Conservation and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2025) | Viewed by 14429

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Eleftherios Evangelou

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Guest Editor

Institute of Industrial and Forage Crops, Hellenic Agricultural Organization “Demeter”, 41335 Larisa, Greece
Interests: soil quality; soil health management; soil quality monitoring; soil organic carbon pools; re-use of agricultural and municipal wastes on soils; use of innovative technologies in agriculture/precision agriculture
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Life on Earth depends on healthy soils. Soil is the living skin of our planet that is essential for the provision of food, clean water, good air, safe climate, and biodiverse landscapes. Globally, soils store about 80% of the carbon in terrestrial ecosystems, making them the largest terrestrial carbon sink. However, soils are fragile, and the impact of our actions on soils are often overlooked or ignored. To ensure a healthy and green future for our current and future generations, we need to protect and take care of soils.

Soil quality has emerged as the central concept for examining and integrating relationships and functions among various biological, chemical, and physical parameters of soils, which are important in the context of sustainable land use and management.

Soil quality degradation has been one of the major challenges affecting the agriculture sector, and soil management could serve as an essential tool for improving soil quality in agricultural lands. Assessing soil quality involves the measurement of physical, chemical, and biological soil properties that act as soil quality indicators and using them to identify soil properties that may inhibit soil function or to monitor soil management practices’ effects on soil quality. Nowadays, innovations in agriculture could provide new tools for the sustainable soil management that could enhance the soil quality of our lands.

This issue focuses on the advances of soil quality research, including the methods of soil quality monitoring, potential indicators and their dynamics, which could be used for the soil quality assessment, and the effect of innovation in agriculture on soil quality dynamics.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

Soil quality indicators and their dynamics;
Methods of soil quality monitoring;
Management and restoration of soil quality in different soil environments;
Evaluation of the impact of soil quality degradation on agricultural production;
Innovations in agriculture affecting soil quality and sustainability.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Eleftherios Evangelou
Guest Editor

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Keywords

soil quality indicators
sustainable soil management
soil quality monitoring
innovation in agriculture
soil functions

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Published Papers (12 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 1700 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Soil Respiration in Maize, Wheat, and Barley Across a Growing Season: Findings from Croatia’s Continental Region

by Dija Bhandari, Nikola Bilandžija, Tajana Krička, Zvonimir Zdunić, Soni Ghimire, Theresa Reinhardt Piskáčková and Darija Bilandžija

Sustainability 2025, 17(9), 4207; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17094207 - 7 May 2025

Viewed by 374

Abstract

Soil respiration (Rs) in croplands is of primary importance in understanding the carbon (C) cycle mechanism and C balance of agroecosystems. This study examines the seasonal Rs dynamics in three predominant cereal crops, maize, wheat, and barley, in continental Croatia during the growing season 2021/2022. This study was conducted at the Agricultural Institute Osijek, featuring a continental climate and silty clay soil. Rs was measured monthly throughout the growing season by following an in situ closed static chamber method and using Infrared Gas Analyzers (IRGAs) with three replicates for each crop and a fallow control. This study found that crop type plays a prominent role in Rs dynamics, while temperature and moisture can have modifying effects. Significant (p < 0.05) temporal variation in Rs between months was found in wheat, barley, and maize. Mean seasonal Rs values for wheat, barley, and maize were, respectively, 14.73, 19.64, and 12.72 kg CO₂-C ha⁻¹ day⁻¹. Cropped fields demonstrated two to three times higher Rs than no vegetation/fallow and indicated the significance of autotrophic respiration in cropped fields. There exists a seasonal dynamics of Rs governed by the complex interaction of biotic and abiotic factors that influences Rs. This necessitates a multifaceted examination for effective understanding of seasonal Rs dynamics and its integration to modeling studies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Quality and Innovation in Agriculture: Dynamics, Indicators, and Sustainability)

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16 pages, 11306 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of Soil Nutrient Content and Carbon Pool Dynamics Under Different Cropping Systems

by Huinan Xin, Caixia Lv, Na Li, Lei Peng, Mengdi Chang, Yongfu Li, Qinglong Geng, Shuhuang Chen and Ning Lai

Sustainability 2025, 17(9), 3881; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17093881 - 25 Apr 2025

Viewed by 241

Abstract

Understanding the effects of agricultural practices on soil nutrient dynamics is critical for optimizing land management in arid regions. This study analyzed spatial patterns, driving factors, and surface stocks (0–20 cm) of soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and their stoichiometric ratios (C:N, C:P, and N:P) across six cropping systems (paddy fields, cotton fields, wheat–maize, orchards, wasteland, and others) in the Aksu region, Northwest China, using 1131 soil samples combined with geostatistical and field survey approaches. Results revealed moderate to low levels of SOC, TN, and TP, and stoichiometric ratios, with moderate spatial autocorrelation for SOC, TN, TP, and C:N but weak dependence for C:P and N:P. Cropping systems significantly influenced soil nutrient distribution: intensive systems (paddy fields and orchards) exhibited the highest SOC (22.31 ± 10.37 t hm⁻²), TN (2.20 ± 1.07 t hm⁻²), and TP stocks (peaking at 2.58 t hm⁻² in orchards), whereas extensive systems (cotton fields and wasteland) showed severe nutrient depletion. Soil pH and elevation were key drivers of SOC and TN variability across all systems. The C:N ratio ranked highest in “other systems” (e.g., diversified rotations), while wheat–maize fields displayed elevated C:P and N:P ratios, likely linked to imbalanced fertilization. These findings highlight that sustainable intensification (e.g., paddy and orchard management) enhances soil carbon and nutrient retention, whereas low-input practices exacerbate degradation in arid landscapes. The study provides actionable insights for tailoring land-use strategies to improve soil health and support ecosystem resilience in water-limited agroecosystems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Quality and Innovation in Agriculture: Dynamics, Indicators, and Sustainability)

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18 pages, 1456 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Long-Term Multi-Treatment Experiments on Organic Matter and Enzymatic Activity in Sandy Soil

by Krystyna Kondratowicz-Maciejewska, Joanna Lemanowicz and Iwona Jaskulska

Sustainability 2025, 17(7), 3252; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17073252 - 5 Apr 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 464

Abstract

This study shows an evaluation of the condition of organic matter against enzymatic activity in soil. Long-term static field experiments with fertilisation with manure (FYM), different minerals, and mineral–manure were used for the research. Assays were obtained of the content of total organic carbon (TOC), dissolved fraction (DOC), susceptibility to oxidation (CL1) and (CL), total nitrogen (TN), dissolved nitrogen fraction (DTNT), and available forms of potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium. The activity of enzymes dehydrogenases, catalase, β-glucosidase, proteases, alkaline, and acid phosphatase was determined. We calculated the enzymatic indices and those evaluating the labile organic carbon management (CMI and CPI) in soil. An increase in TOC, up to 8.85 g kg⁻¹ and 8.56 g kg⁻¹ (FYM, FYM + KN), respectively, as compared with the control (5.67 g kg⁻¹), did not have a significant effect on the content of labile carbon fraction CL for the fertilisation treatments. Only a higher CL content was found in the soil with the FYM + PN and FYM + NPK + Mg treatments (2.07 g kg⁻¹ and 2.05 g kg⁻¹). All the fertilisation treatments under study demonstrated a decrease in the value of the carbon management index (CMI). Similar DOC values (on average, 75.14 mg kg⁻¹) were noted. The average percentage share of the DOC fraction accounted for 1.163% TOC, and it was lower as compared with the control variant (1.33% TOC). The mineral fertilisation treatments decreased soil enzyme activities. Multiparametric enzymatic soil fertility indices differed due to soil properties, depending on the fertilisation applied. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Quality and Innovation in Agriculture: Dynamics, Indicators, and Sustainability)

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18 pages, 1229 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Tillage System as a Practice Affecting the Quality of Soils and Its Sustainable Management

by Joanna Lemanowicz, Erika Balontayová, Bożena Dębska, Agata Bartkowiak and Piotr Wasilewski

Sustainability 2025, 17(7), 2867; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17072867 - 24 Mar 2025

Viewed by 426

Abstract

Sustainable soil management through the use of an appropriate tillage system can positively change the edaphic parameters. The aim of the present study was to compare the effects that reduced tillage (RT) and conventional tillage (CT) systems have on changes in selected physical and chemical properties and enzymatic activity in various soil types. The study included the following soil types: Eutric Fluvisol, Mollic Fluvisol, Haplic Chernozem, Haplic Luvisol, Eutric Regosol, Eutric Gleysol, and Stagnic Planosol. Soil samples were collected in the Danubian Lowland and Eastern Slovak Lowland. The following parameters were determined in the soil samples: soil texture, pH, hydrolytic acidity and the sum of basic exchangeable cations, the contents of carbon (TOC), nitrogen (TN), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and the activities of dehydrogenases (DEH), catalase (CAT), peroxidases (PER), alkaline phosphatase (AlP), acid phosphatase (AcP), proteases, and β-glucosidase (BG). The reaction of the analysed soils, in the RT and CT cultivations alike, ranged from acidic to neutral, and the sorption properties differed between individual soil types. The TOC ranged from 16.53 to 42.07 g kg⁻¹ for conventional cultivation and from 15.51 to 38.90 g kg⁻¹ for reduced tillage. The values of enzymatic soil quality indices values correlated with TOC, DOC, and TN, as well as with pH, the sum of exchangeable base cations, cation exchange capacity, and degree of base saturation of the sorption complex. The tillage system determined changes in the activity of the studied enzymes, but the intensity and direction of these changes depended on the soil type. Based on the enzyme activity results, soil quality indices such as GMea and TEI were calculated. TEI proved to be a more sensitive indicator than GMea. It was shown that, of all studied soil types and regardless of the cultivation system, Eutric Gleyosols had the most variable properties. For conventional tillage, Haplic Luvisol and Eutric Regosol were characterised by the greatest uniformity. In general, the edaphic properties of soils under conventional tillage differed from those of soils under simplified tillage. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Quality and Innovation in Agriculture: Dynamics, Indicators, and Sustainability)

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14 pages, 285 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of Waste Organic Matter on the Soil Chemical Composition After Three Years of Miscanthus × giganteus Cultivation in East-Central Poland

by Elżbieta Malinowska and Paweł Kania

Sustainability 2025, 17(6), 2532; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17062532 - 13 Mar 2025

Viewed by 461

Abstract

The circular economy practice of using waste to fertilize plants should be more widespread. It is a means to manage natural resources sustainably in agriculture. This approach is in line with organic and sustainable farming strategies, reducing the cultivation costs. Organic waste dumped into a landfill decomposes and emits greenhouse gases. This can be reduced through its application to energy crops, which not only has a positive impact on the environment but also improves the soil quality and increases yields. However, organic waste with increased content of heavy metals, when applied to the soil, can also pose a threat. Using Miscanthus × giganteus M 19 as a test plant, an experiment with a randomized block design was established in four replications in Central–Eastern Poland in 2018. Various combinations of organic waste (municipal sewage sludge and spent mushroom substrate) were applied, with each dose containing 170 kg N ha⁻¹. After three years (in 2020), the soil content of total nitrogen (N_t) and carbon (C_t) was determined by elemental analysis, with the total content of P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Na, Fe, Mn, Mo, Zn, Ni, Pb, Cr, Cd, and Cu determined by optical emission spectrometry, after wet mineralization with aqua regia. For the available forms of P and K, the Egner–Riehm method was used, and the Schachtschabel method was used for the available forms of Mg. The total content of bacteria, actinomycetes, and fungi was also measured. The application of municipal sewage sludge (SS) alone and together with spent mushroom substrate (SMS) improved the microbiological composition of the soil and increased the content of N_t and C_t and the available forms of P₂O₅ and Mg more than the application of SMS alone. SMS did not contaminate the soil with heavy metals. In the third year, their content was higher after SS than after SMS application, namely for Cd by 12.2%, Pb by 18.7%, Cr by 25.3%, Zn by 16.9%, and Ni by 14.7%. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Quality and Innovation in Agriculture: Dynamics, Indicators, and Sustainability)

11 pages, 375 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Response of Soil Chemical and Biological Properties to Cement Dust Emissions: Insights for Sustainable Soil Management

by Serdar Bilen, Murat Bilen, Mudahir Ozgul, Ekrem Ozlu and Ugur Simsek

Sustainability 2025, 17(4), 1409; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17041409 - 9 Feb 2025

Viewed by 847

Abstract

Land use change is associated with both higher fossil fuel usage and global cement production, significantly impacting environmental sustainability. Cement dust emission is the third-largest source of anthropogenic CO₂ emissions, right behind fossil fuel usage due to intense agricultural practices like aggressive tillage management. This study’s aim is to determine cement dust emissions impacts on various tillage management methods and the formation of cement dust-affected CO₂ emissions, soil pH, soil organic matter content, total nitrogen content, available phosphorus, CaCO₃ content, bacteria and fungi populations, and enzyme activities. The target of this study is to evaluate how cement dust emissions impact the soil properties and sustainability of different tillage practices. Composite soils from wheat–sugar beet (potato)–fallow cropping sequences under conventional tillage (CT) and no-till (NT) management were collected (0–30 cm depth) with three replications at varying distances from a cement factory (1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 km). To find differences among individual treatments and distances, a two-way ANOVA was employed along with Duncan’s LSD test comparing the various effects of tillage techniques. The associations between soil chemical and biological properties and CO₂ fluxes under the impact of cement dust were examined using Pearson’s correlation analysis. There were notable relationships between soil microbial population, enzyme activities, pH, CaCO₃, and CO₂ fluxes. The sampling distance from the cement plant had a substantial correlation with soil organic carbon, urease activity, pH, CaCO₃, and bacterial populations. According to the study, different tillage methods (CT and NT) affected the diversity and abundance of microorganisms within the soil ecosystem. CT was more beneficial for the microbial population and for sustainable management. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Quality and Innovation in Agriculture: Dynamics, Indicators, and Sustainability)

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16 pages, 4967 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Solid Dairy Manure Application on Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Corn Yield in the Upper Midwest, USA

by Eric Young and Jessica Sherman

Sustainability 2024, 16(24), 11171; https://doi.org/10.3390/su162411171 - 20 Dec 2024

Viewed by 913

Abstract

Dairy manure is an important nitrogen (N) source for crops, but its role in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and farm sustainability is not fully understood. We evaluated the effects of application of two dairy manure sources (bedded pack heifer, BP, and separated dairy solids, SDS) on corn silage yield and GHG emissions (carbon dioxide, CO₂; methane, CH₄; nitrous oxide, N₂O) compared to a urea-fertilizer-only control (80 kg N ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹). The BP and SDS were applied at 18.4 and 19.4 Mg dry matter ha⁻¹ in fall 2020 in the final year of ryegrass production. No-till corn was planted from 2021 to 2023, and GHG emissions were measured each season (from May to November). The results showed significantly greater CO₂-C emissions for BP in 2021 and no differences in 2022 or 2023. A small N₂O-N emission increase for BP occurred in the spring after application; however, seasonal fluxes were low or negative. Mean CH₄-C emissions ranged from 2 to 7 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ with no treatment differences. Lack of soil aeration appeared to be an important factor affecting seasonal N₂O-N and CH₄-C emissions. The results suggest that GHG models should account for field-level nutrient management factors in addition to soil aeration status. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Quality and Innovation in Agriculture: Dynamics, Indicators, and Sustainability)

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21 pages, 2258 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Identification of Soil Quality Factors and Indicators in Mediterranean Agro-Ecosystems

by Eleftherios Evangelou and Christina Giourga

Sustainability 2024, 16(23), 10717; https://doi.org/10.3390/su162310717 - 6 Dec 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1704

Abstract

Soil quality offers a holistic approach for understanding the relationships between soil’s biological, chemical, and physical properties, which is crucial for sustainable land use and the management of non-renewable soil resources. This study evaluates the impact of land use on a set of 23 soil quality indicators (SQIs) across 5 land uses of the Mediterranean agro-ecosystems: forest, olive groves, wheat fields, a corn/wheat crop rotation system, and pasture. Seasonal soil sampling was carried out over two consecutive years in three conventionally managed fields representing each land use type. For each sampling, physicals SQIs (soil moisture, porosity-Vp-, bulck density-BD-, water holding capacity-WHC-, clay, silt, sand), chemical SQIs (organic carbon-Corg-, total Nitrogen-TN-, C/N, PH, electrical conductivity-EC-, ammonium-NH₄-N-, nitrate-NO₃-N- and available nitrogen-Nmin-), and biological SQIs (soil microbial biomass C-Cmic- and N-Nmic-, Cmic/Nmic, Cmic/Corg, Nmic/TN, active carbon—Cact-, Cact/Corg) were evaluated. Through multivariate analysis, five key soil quality factors—organic matter, microbial biomass, nutrients, C/N ratio, and compaction—were identified as indicators of soil quality changes due to land use, explaining 82.9% of the total variability in the data. Discriminant analysis identified organic matter and the C/N factors as particularly sensitive indicators of soil quality changes, reflecting the quantity and quality of soil organic matter, incorporating 87.8% of the SQIs information resulting from the 23 indicators. ΤΝ, accounting for 84% of the information on the organic matter factor, emerges as a key indicator for predicting significant changes in soil quality due to land use or management practices. The TN and C/N proposed indicators offer a simplified yet effective means of assessing soil resource sustainability in the Mediterranean agroecosystems, providing practical tools for monitoring and managing soil quality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Quality and Innovation in Agriculture: Dynamics, Indicators, and Sustainability)

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16 pages, 2579 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Chemical and Physical Aspects of Soil Health Resulting from Long-Term No-Till Management

by Edyta Hewelke, Lilla Mielnik, Jerzy Weber, Aneta Perzanowska, Elżbieta Jamroz, Dariusz Gozdowski and Paweł Szacki

Sustainability 2024, 16(22), 9682; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16229682 - 6 Nov 2024

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1119

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare the long-term effects of conventional tillage (CT) and no-till (NT) systems on the main soil properties that determine soil health. The research was conducted in a field experiment established in 1975 in Chylice, central Poland, at the WULS-SGGW Experimental Station Skierniewice. Soil samples collected from 0–10 and 10–20 cm of the mollic horizon of the Phaeozem were analysed for total organic carbon (TOC) content, fractional composition of SOM and spectroscopic properties of humin, soil structural stability, soil water retention characteristics and soil water repellency (SWR). The results showed that NT practice almost doubled the TOC in the 0–10 cm layer. However, optical parameters of humin indicated that NT management promoted the formation of humin with a lower molecular weight and lower degree of condensation of aromatic structures. In the NT 0–10 cm layer, a significant increase in the number of water-resistant macroaggregates was found. In the 0–10 cm layer, the water capacity increased by 9%, 18%, 22% and 26% compared to CT at (certain soil suction) pF values of 0.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 4.2, respectively. SWR occurs regardless of the cultivation method at a soil moisture equivalent to pF 4.2, and the greatest range of SWR was found in the NT 0–10 cm layer. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Quality and Innovation in Agriculture: Dynamics, Indicators, and Sustainability)

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13 pages, 1604 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Influence of Rural Urbanization on the Change in Soil Organic Matter of Farmland in Northeast China

by Xiaodong Wang, Long Fei, Yu An, Xiaohui Liu and Mei Zhang

Sustainability 2024, 16(11), 4683; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16114683 - 31 May 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1258

Abstract

Studying the impact of urbanization on changes in the soil organic matter (SOM) content of farmland plays an important role in determining the influence mechanism of urbanization regarding regional environmental change. Taking the farmland in Yushu City, northeast China, as the research area, in May 2019, 68,393 sample plots (each plot: 60 m × 60 m) were set up in farmland and sampled to measure the SOM content of each plot while combining image data from the same period in the study area (resolution: 60 m). This investigation was based on 17 levels divided by the size of areas occupied by residences, using residential areas as the center and a radius of 60 m. Through a gradually buffered extrapolation method combined with mathematical functions, the influence of rural urbanization on the changes in SOM content was revealed. These results showed that the slope of the linear function between the SOM content and the residential area level was greater than zero and that with the continuous advancement of urbanization, the SOM content had an increasing trend. When urbanization advanced to the stage of larger cities, large-scale mechanized production led to land degradation. When urbanization advanced to the stage of towns, intensive cultivation was beneficial for land restoration. The findings of this study provide a reference basis for future studies of the relationship between rural urbanization and agricultural mechanization around the world. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Quality and Innovation in Agriculture: Dynamics, Indicators, and Sustainability)

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16 pages, 3016 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Internal Force Mechanism of Pisha Sandstone as a Soil Amendment to Improve Sandy Soil Structural Stability in Mu Us Sandy Land

by Zhe Liu, Lin Zhou, Yang Zhang, Jichang Han, Yingying Sun, Ruiqing Zhang, Xuxiang Li and Feinan Hu

Sustainability 2024, 16(11), 4415; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16114415 - 23 May 2024

Viewed by 1402

Abstract

Compounding Pisha sandstone (PSS) with sandy soil in Mu Us Sandy Land is a viable agronomical measure to effectively reduce soil erosion and improve soil quality due to the complementary characters and structures of the two materials. Aggregate stability is an important indicator to assess sandy soil erosion resistance and quality, which could be largely affected by soil surface electrochemical properties and particle interaction forces. However, the effect of the compound ratio and particle interaction forces on the aggregate stability of compound soils with Pisha sandstone and sandy soil is still unclear. Therefore, in this study, the electrochemical properties, particle interaction forces, and their effects on the aggregate stability of PSS and sandy soil at five volume ratios (0:1, 1:5, 1:2, 1:1, and 1:0) were determined to clarify the internal force mechanism of PSS to increase sandy soil structural stability in a 10-year field experiment. Experiments were measured by a combined method for the determination of surface properties and aggregate water stability. A ten-year field study revealed that the incorporation of Pisha sandstone significantly enhanced the soil organic carbon (SOC) and cation exchange capacity (CEC) (p < 0.05), while the CEC value notably increased from 4.68 to 13.76 cmol·kg⁻¹ (p < 0.05). The soil surface potential (absolute value) and the electric field intensity gradually decreased with the increase in the Pisha sandstone content. For the compound soil particle interaction force, the addition of Pisha sandstone enhanced the van der Waals attraction force, reduced the net repulsive force between compound soil particles, and promoted the agglomeration of aeolian sandy soil. The overall trend of the aggregate breaking strength of compound soils under different addition ratios of PSS was 1:0 > 1:1 > 0:1 > 1:5 > 1:2. When the Pisha sandstone content in the compound soils was <50%, the aggregate stability was mainly influenced by compound soil particle interaction forces, and the interaction force increase was the key reason for the aggregate breakdown. When the Pisha sandstone content in the compound soils was ≥50%, the aggregate stability was affected by the combined effects of the compound soil particle composition and particle interaction forces. These results indicate that PSS addition ratios and particle interaction force are important factors affecting the structural stability of compound soils, in which the volume ratio of PSS to sandy soil of 1:2 is the appropriate ratio. Our study provides some theoretical references for further understanding of the compound soil structure improvement and sandy soil erosion control in Mu Us Sandy Land. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Quality and Innovation in Agriculture: Dynamics, Indicators, and Sustainability)

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17 pages, 2607 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Assessing Environmental Sustainability of Phytoremediation to Remove Copper from Contaminated Soils

by Juan J. Espada, Rosalía Rodríguez, Andrea Delgado, Gemma Vicente and Luis Fernando Bautista

Sustainability 2024, 16(6), 2441; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16062441 - 15 Mar 2024

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3118

Abstract

Phytoremediation stands out as a promising technology for removing heavy metals from contaminated soils. This work focuses on studying the environmental performance of phytoremediation in removing copper from contaminated soil located in an old Spanish mine using the life cycle assessment (LCA) method. For this purpose, Brassica juncea (brown mustard), Medicago sativa (alfalfa) and their rotary cultivation were assessed along with different options for managing biomass (landfill disposal and biomass cogeneration). In addition, soil excavation and soil washing treatments were also compared to phytoremediation. M. sativa proved superior to B. juncea and their rotary cultivation, regardless of the biomass disposal option, achieving impact reductions of 30–100%. This is due to the ability of M. sativa to fix nitrogen, which reduces fertiliser requirements. Among the biomass management alternatives, cogeneration was superior to landfill disposal in all cases by allowing for energy recovery, thereby reducing environmental impacts by 60–100%. M. sativa + cogeneration is the option that presents the best environmental performance of all the studied treatments, achieving reductions up to negligible values in four of eight impact categories due to the impacts avoided by energy production. On the contrary, soil excavation is the less desirable option, followed by soil washing treatment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Quality and Innovation in Agriculture: Dynamics, Indicators, and Sustainability)

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