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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Resources and Sustainable Utilization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2022) | Viewed by 21236

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Guannan Liu

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Guest Editor

Institute of Mineral Resources, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, China
Interests: heavy metals; soil; mine; tailings; pollution; comprehensive utilization; remediation

Dr. Han Qu

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Guest Editor

Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China
Interests: environment chemistry; chemical biology, exposome, pubilc health

Dr. Xiaohua Zhu

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Guest Editor

National Research Center for Geoanalysis, Beijing 100037, China
Interests: environment remediation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With the rapid development of the economy and society, soil pollution by heavy metals, pesticides, mulch film, etc., and the decrease in soil fertility have led to enormous concerns in the past few years. Soil pollution and the reduction in soil fertility severely threaten crop yield and quality and the health of human beings. The scientific management of soil environment and soil amendment/remediation are necessary. Many methods of soil amendment and remediation have been studied and used in the lab or field in order to enhance the soil quality and reduce environmental risk. Meanwhile, many studies concerning the environmental risk assessment of soils and the source apportionment of soil pollutants have contributed to enhancing soil quality, reducing the input of soil pollutants, and generating some strategies for environmental management. It is necessary to propose or improve some methods of soil amendment/remediation that are cost-effective, effective in the long term, and operable. Thus, this Special Issue on “Future Directions for Soil Remediation and Environmental Management” focuses on soil pollution, soil amendment, and the management of soil environment. This Special Issue encourages the submission of both lab and field studies on soil amendments. Specific topics include (but are not limited to):

The environmental risk assessment of soil pollution by heavy metals, organic pollutants, and microplastics;
The source apportionment of soil pollutants, such as heavy metals, pesticides, etc.;
Soil amendment and remediation including lab experiments, field experiments, and case studies on soil amendments;
Strategies for the management of soil, especially agricultural soil.

Dr. Guannan Liu
Dr. Han Qu
Dr. Xiaohua Zhu
Guest Editors

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Keywords

soil
remediation
risk assessment
heavy metals
pesticides
environmental management

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 7451 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Persistence of Hg-Contaminated Soil Stabilization in Typical Areas of Dehua County, Fujian Province, China

by Rui Wang, Nan Chen, Guannan Liu, Jianhua Ding, Ming Chen and Jiawen Zhang

Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 1018; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021018 - 5 Jan 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1737

Abstract

The in-situ stabilization remediation of Hg-contaminated soil in Qianyang, Dehua County, Fujian Province, was studied through the pre-experiments (stabilization orthogonal experiment and pot experiment) and field plot experiments for two consecutive years. The pre-experiments results showed that the main factors of the stabilization were the initial concentration of Hg in the soil and the amount of amendment added, followed by the amendment type, while the aging time had less effect. When the initial concentration of Hg in the soil was less than 10 mg·kg⁻¹ and the amendment (modified biochar with modified attapulgite) added ratio was 0.2–0.4%, indicating optimized stabilization effect. After one-time application of 6750 and 11,250 kg·hm⁻² amendment in low (1.38 mg·kg⁻¹), medium (2.46 mg·kg⁻¹), and high (8.52 mg·kg⁻¹) Hg-contaminated soils, it could accelerate the transformation of Hg from exchangeable to residual and oxidizable Hg, enhance the activities of catalase, urease, and invertase in the soil. After one year of remediation, the case of adding 6750 kg·hm⁻² amendment showed a significant stabilization effect. Compared to the control group, the available Hg content in the soil and Hg content in the water spinach reduced to 52.1–62.0% and 58.2–66.6%, respectively. When the application amount was increased to 11,250 kg·hm⁻², the reduction rates were 43.2–46.0% and 58.2–62.0%, respectively. After two years of remediation, the stabilization effect was weakened, but the available Hg content in the soil and the water spinach was still significantly lower than that of the control, indicating that the persistence of the stabilization was good. For the soil contaminated slightly by Hg, the Hg content in the water spinach within two years was lower than the limit value of the Chinese standard (0.01 mg·kg⁻¹). Although the Hg content in the water spinach for the soil contaminated highly by Hg was higher than the limit value, it could reduce to 67.3%, indicating an acceptable stabilization effect on heavily contaminated soil. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Future Directions for Soil Remediation and Environmental Management)

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18 pages, 3946 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experiment and Model Study on the Destination of 3,5,6-Trichloro-2-pyridinol in the Purple Soil of Southwestern China with a High Ratio of Biochar Applied

by Shanggui Sun, Dongxing Ren, Wenjuan Lei and Xiangyang Zhou

Sustainability 2022, 14(14), 8712; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14148712 - 16 Jul 2022

Viewed by 1591

Abstract

3,5,6-Trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCP), the main degradation production of the pesticide chlorpyrifos and the herbicide triclopyr, features anti-degradation and high water solubility that challenge the in situ prevention of the migration of TCP from soils to water bodies. Biochar is a widely used amendment, but previous studies focused on the low content of biochar application that restricted the off-site prevention. In this study, therefore, both experiments and models were employed to explore the destination of TCP in purple soil, an Entisol with low organic matter content, large pores, and high water conductivity in southwestern China with a high ratio of biochar applied. Soil columns were homogeneously packed by mixing biochar at 0, 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 7.5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%, then the impulsive input of the breakthrough curves was used to explore the adsorption and desorption process of TCP, and the release of adsorbed TCP was traced by Br⁻. Following the dynamic outflow during the adsorption processes was simulated using the cumulative distribution function of gamma distribution, and the release of TCP was simulated by coupling the mass balance equation and first-order decay kinetics equation. The results revealed that the adsorption ability of the soil increased exponentially with the content of mixed biochar, implying a much larger increment at high content. For the removal rate of 90%, e.g., the increment was about 20 mg/kg when the content of biochar was raised from 15% to 20%, while it was about 7 mg/kg when the content was raised from 0 to 5%. The dynamic release and the unreleasable TCP could be well simulated by the first-order decay kinetics equation and the logarithmic model, respectively. The releasable TCP showed an increase–decrease pattern, and the maximum was observed at a 5% biochar content. These results above will provide a systematic experimental scheme, model support, and data reference to control organic pollutants with high solubility, stability, and strong migration using biochar in an off-site pattern such as an ecological ditch system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Future Directions for Soil Remediation and Environmental Management)

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15 pages, 7916 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Agricultural Structures Management Based on Nonpoint Source Pollution Control in Typical Fuel Ethanol Raw Material Planting Area

by Guannan Cui, Xinyu Bai, Pengfei Wang, Haitao Wang, Shiyu Wang and Liming Dong

Sustainability 2022, 14(13), 7995; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14137995 - 30 Jun 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1771

Abstract

Increasing the promotion and application of biofuel ethanol has been a national strategy in China, which in turn has affected changes in the raw material planting structure. This study analyzed the effects of agricultural land-use changes on water quality in a typical maize fuel ethanol raw material planting area. The results revealed that an increase in cultivated land and construction land would also increase the load of TN (total nitrogen) and TP (total phosphorus), while an expansion in forest land would reduce the load. As for crop structures, maize might have a remarkable positive effect on TN and TP, while rice and soybean performed in no significant manner. Furthermore, scenarios under the carbon neutralization policy and water pollution control were carried out to forecast the nonpoint source pollutants based on the quantitative relations coefficients. It was proven that maize planting was not suitable for vigorous fuel ethanol development. Reducing maize area in the Hulan River Basin was beneficial to reducing nonpoint source pollution. However, the area of maize should not be less than 187 km², otherwise, the food security of the population in the basin would be threatened. Under the change in fuel ethanol policy, this study could provide scientific support for local agriculture land-use management in realizing the carbon neutralization vision and set a good example for the development of the fuel ethanol industry in other maize planting countries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Future Directions for Soil Remediation and Environmental Management)

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13 pages, 1822 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Activity and Gene Expression of Enzymes in Mycelia of Pleurotus Eryngii under Cadmium Stress

by Xiao-Hui Huang, Ning Xu, Li-Guo Feng, Deng-Ni Lai, Fang Wu, Dong Xu and Xin Guo

Sustainability 2022, 14(7), 4125; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14074125 - 30 Mar 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2082

Abstract

Cadmium (Cd) is a highly toxic pollutant and a nonessential element for plant growth. Here, we investigated the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), H₂O₂, sugars, and the activity and gene expression of antioxidant enzymes and sugar metabolism-related enzymes in the mycelia of Pleurotus eryngii grown in the presence of 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2.0, and 4.0 mg·L⁻¹ Cd. Raising Cd concentration resulted in increases, followed by decreases in the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and H₂O₂ in the mycelia. The maximum concentrations of MDA and H₂O₂ reached 318.61 and 7411.40 μmol·L⁻¹, respectively, at a Cd concentration of 1 mg·L⁻¹_. Antioxidative enzymes (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX)) activities peaked at 1 mg·L⁻¹ Cd. Furthermore, Pleurotus eryngii produced trehalose, glucose, fructose, and maltose in the fermentation broth in response to Cd stress. The levels of trehalose, arabinose, and fructose in the fermentation broth decreased continuously. The levels of glucose increased continuously, whereas those of maltose first increased and then decreased. Gene expression level of chitin synthase, glucose-1-phosphate uridyl transferase peaked significantly at 2 mg·L⁻¹ of Cd, while that of trehalase 2 is 0.5 mg·L⁻¹, and those for fructose-diphosphate aldolase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, reached the maximum at 4 mg·L⁻¹. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Future Directions for Soil Remediation and Environmental Management)

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16 pages, 3246 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Diversity and Potential Function of Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Communities from Different Mangrove Sediments

by Yong Zhang, Hongjie Gui, Shufei Zhang and Changxu Li

Sustainability 2022, 14(6), 3333; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14063333 - 12 Mar 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3756

Abstract

Mangrove trees generally play important roles in protecting intertidal ecosystems. The mangrove root-associated sediments provide a repertoire of microbial communities that contribute to pivotal ecological functions in the system. In the present study, we used the high-throughput sequencing and PICRUSt-predicted functional information (based on 16S/18S rDNA profiles) to investigate the bacterial, archaeal, and fungal communities in two mangrove systems, located in the estuary of the Jiulong River (China), with different contaminated conditions and frequencies of human activity. Diverse distribution patterns for microbial communities were observed in six sediment samples collected from the two survey areas, which were found to be related mainly to the substrates in mangrove sediments. The sediments were predominated by relatively higher ratios of heterotrophic bacteria that participated in the degradation of organic matters, including phylum of Chloroflexi, Acidobacteriota, Desulfobacterota, and Proteobacteria. In addition, Crenarchaeota and Ascomycota presented the highest abundances of archaea and fungi, respectively. The relatively high concentrations of calcium, nitrogen, magnesium, and phosphorus in mangrove sediments correlated significantly with the microbial communities. In addition, although the potential functions were similar in the two sites based on COG and KEGG pathways, the abundances of enzymes involved in the degradation processes of cellulose and hemicellulose and the metabolism of nitrogen and sulfur presented distinctions. These results provide insights into the environmental conditions shaping microbial assemblies of the mangrove sediments under the impacts of human activities; for instance, a more abundant amount of calcium was found in urban areas in this study. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Future Directions for Soil Remediation and Environmental Management)

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15 pages, 2554 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Heavy Metal(loid)s Pollution of Agricultural Soils and Health Risk Assessment of Consuming Soybean and Wheat in a Typical Non-Ferrous Metal Mine Area in Northeast China

by Dexian Li, Guannan Liu, Xiaosai Li, Ruiping Li, Juan Wang and Yuanyi Zhao

Sustainability 2022, 14(5), 2953; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14052953 - 3 Mar 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2602

Abstract

During mining, some of the essential metal(loid)s for plants or humans are discharged into the environment with non-essential metal(loid)s. Thus, comprehensive investigations of their distribution and the health risk of consuming food crops near mines are significant. A total of 26 soils and 25 food crops (soybean grains and wheat grains) were sampled to investigate arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), selenium (Se), molybdenum (Mo), and manganese (Mn) in soils and crops in a typical non-ferrous metal mine area in Northeast China. The distribution patterns of soil heavy metal(loid)s and principal component analysis (PCA) results indicated that Cd, Cu, Zn, Mo, and Mn in soils were significantly affected by mining activities and were mainly or partly derived from the mines. Moreover, these soil heavy metal(loid)s (except Se) in the Tongshan copper mine area were attenuated with distance in the downstream direction. The BCF (bioconcentration factor) values of non-essential elements (Se, Hg, Cr, As, Cd, Pb) were relatively lower and positively related to soil nutrients. On the contrary, higher BCF values of essential elements (Cu, Zn, and Mo) and a weak relationship between the BCF of essential elements and soil nutrients were found. The mean I_geo values of soil heavy metal(loid)s indicated that As and Cu were at an unpolluted-to-moderately-polluted level (I_geo > 1), while other heavy metal(loid)s all presented an unpolluted level (I_geo < 1). Nevertheless, some soil samples were obviously polluted (I_geo > 1), such as KQ, D1, D3, D5, D6, and T1. The HQ (hazard quotient) and HI (hazard index) values of As and Mn both exceeded 1, indicating the higher potential health risks of consuming soybean grains and wheat grains for all people groups. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Future Directions for Soil Remediation and Environmental Management)

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Review

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20 pages, 741 KiB

Open AccessReview

Speciation Analysis Method of Heavy Metals in Organic Fertilizers: A Review

by Juan Wang, Xuejing Wang, Guoxue Li, Jingtao Ding, Yujun Shen, Di Liu, Hongsheng Cheng, Ying Zhang and Ran Li

Sustainability 2022, 14(24), 16789; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142416789 - 14 Dec 2022

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3309

Abstract

Heavy metals in organic fertilizers pose a risk to the agricultural ecosystem. The environmental risk of heavy metals depends not only on the total amount but also on the speciation. Hence, more information on heavy metals speciation in organic fertilizers is needed to avoid adverse effect. At present, the speciation information of heavy metals is usually obtained by the single-extraction method and sequential extraction method. Common heavy metals that have received attention include Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Cr, Hg and As. There is a lack of reviews on speciation analysis methods for heavy metals, specifically in organic fertilizers. This work aims to comprehensively review the methods, explore the problems of the sequence extraction procedure and summarize the factors affecting the distribution of heavy metals speciation. Each sequence extraction procedure of heavy metals in organic fertilizers is described in detail, and the affecting factors are proposed. The review could contribute proposing the directions of optimizing the sequence extraction procedure of heavy metals in organic fertilizers in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Future Directions for Soil Remediation and Environmental Management)

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Other

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17 pages, 4435 KiB

Open AccessPerspective

Distribution and Source Apportionment of Heavy Metals in Soil around Dexing Copper Mine in Jiangxi Province, China

by Shanqin Ni, Guannan Liu, Yuanyi Zhao, Changqing Zhang and Aiyun Wang

Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 1143; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021143 - 7 Jan 2023

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2730

Abstract

The soil heavy metal pollution around the mine threatens crop growth and human health. Intensively studies of the distribution characteristics and source of soil heavy metals around some typical mines are very crucial for environmental management and green development of mine. A total of eighty-nine soil samples, twenty-one sediment samples, five waste rock samples and two tailing sand samples were sampled to investigate copper (Cu), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr) and mercury (Hg) in soil, sediment, waste rocks and tailings sand around Dexing Copper Mine, Jiangxi Province, China. The concentrations of the seven heavy metals were determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry ICP-MS/atomic fluorescence spectroscopy (AFS). The I_geo values of soil heavy metal showed that 100% of Cu were at an unpolluted-to-moderately-polluted level (Igeo > 0), more than 50% of Cu were heavily polluted (Igeo > 3), 65.16%, and 22.47%, 7.86% and 7.87% of the soil samples for Cd, Hg, As and Zn were overly moderately polluted (Igeo > 1). A total of 13.48% and 11.24% of the soil samples for Pb and Cr, respectively, were moderately polluted (1 < Igeo < 2). The concentrations of heavy metals in soil were Compared with Risk Screening Values for Contamination of Agricultural Land (RSVCAL), with the concentration of 97.75% soil samples for Cu, and 69.21% of soil samples for Cd were higher than RSVCAL. In Dawu river basin the concentration of 50% soil samples for Pb were higher than RSVCAL. According to I_geo and RSVCAL, the soils around Dexing Copper Mine were polluted by heavy metals to some extent, with especially the Cu pollution of soil being the most serious. These heavy metal concentrations exceeding RSVCAL have threatened the safety of agricultural products. The results of soil profile analysis, principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) indicated that the mining activities of Dexing copper mine should be the main source of Cu in the soil. High As concentration in soil obviously caused by the copper mine as well. In addition, Dexing Copper Mine should partly account for soil pollution by Zn, Pb, Cd, Hg and Cr around the mine. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Future Directions for Soil Remediation and Environmental Management)

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