Safe Utilization and Ecological Restoration of Heavy Metal Polluted Farmland

A special issue of Toxics (ISSN 2305-6304). This special issue belongs to the section "Toxicity Reduction and Environmental Remediation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 October 2024 | Viewed by 1286

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Institute of Environment, Resource, Soil and Fertilizer, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, China
Interests: heavy metal; contamination; phytoremediation; soil; cadmium

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Guest Editor
College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
Interests: heavy metals; plant-microbe interaction; bioavailability; endophytic bacteria; phytoremediation; soil pollution and food safety
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Heavy metals are naturally occurring elements that have a high density and are toxic to living organisms, including humans. Some common heavy metals include lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, nickel, copper and chromium. They can persist in the environment for long periods, and have been a significant environmental concern posing high risks to both ecosystems and human health.

To address heavy metal pollution, regulations and guidelines are implemented to control and minimize the release of heavy metals into the environment. This includes the enforcement of emission standards for industries, the proper management and disposal of hazardous waste, and the implementation of monitoring programs to assess the levels of heavy metal contamination in different environmental compartments.

The remediation of heavy metal-contaminated soil is crucial to mitigate the risks posed by this pollution. Several techniques are employed to remove or reduce heavy metals from the soil. Physical methods, such as excavation and soil capping, involve physically removing the contaminated soil or covering it with a barrier to prevent further contamination. Chemical methods, such as soil washing and chemical immobilization, aim to change the chemical properties of heavy metals in the soil, making them less mobile and less available to plants and organisms. Biological methods, such as the use of plants in phytoremediation, utilize certain plant species that can accumulate and remove heavy metals from the soil.

Dr. Bin Guo
Prof. Dr. Ying Feng
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • heavy metal
  • environment
  • phytoremediation
  • utilization
  • ecological restoration
  • toxicity
  • safe utilization

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 2398 KiB  
Article
Temporal and Spatial Variation of Toxic Metal Concentrations in Cultivated Soil in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, China: Characteristics and Mechanisms
by Mengzhuo Cao, Yanbo Jia, Xin Lu, Jinfa Huang, Yanlai Yao, Leidong Hong, Weijing Zhu, Weiping Wang, Fengxiang Zhu and Chunlai Hong
Toxics 2024, 12(6), 390; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics12060390 - 26 May 2024
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Abstract
The toxic metal (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn) pollution in 250 agricultural soil samples representing the urban area of Jiaxing was studied to investigate the temporal and spatial variations. Compared to the early 1990s, the pollution level has increased. [...] Read more.
The toxic metal (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn) pollution in 250 agricultural soil samples representing the urban area of Jiaxing was studied to investigate the temporal and spatial variations. Compared to the early 1990s, the pollution level has increased. Industry and urbanization were the main factors causing toxic metal pollution on temporal variation, especially the use of feed containing toxic metals. The soil types and crop cultivation methods are the main factors causing toxic metal pollution on spatial variation. Although the single-factor pollution indices of all the toxic metals were within the safe limits, as per the National Soil Environmental Quality Standard (risk screening value), if the background values of soil elements in Jiaxing City are used as the standard, the pollution index of all the elements surveyed exceeds 1.0, reaching a level of mild pollution. The soil samples investigated were heavily contaminated with toxic metal compounds, and their levels increased over time. This situation poses potential ecological and health risks. Full article
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16 pages, 5830 KiB  
Article
A Modified Model for Quantitative Heavy Metal Source Apportionment and Pollution Pathway Identification
by Maodi Wang, Pengyue Yu, Zhenglong Tong, Xingyuan Shao, Jianwei Peng, Yasir Hamid and Ying Huang
Toxics 2024, 12(6), 382; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics12060382 - 23 May 2024
Viewed by 517
Abstract
Current source apportionment models have successfully identified emission sources and quantified their contributions. However, when being utilized for heavy metal source apportion in soil, their accuracy needs to be improved, regarding migration patterns. Therefore, this work intended to improve the pre-existing principal component [...] Read more.
Current source apportionment models have successfully identified emission sources and quantified their contributions. However, when being utilized for heavy metal source apportion in soil, their accuracy needs to be improved, regarding migration patterns. Therefore, this work intended to improve the pre-existing principal component analysis and multiple linear regression with distance (PCA-MLRD) model to effectively locate pollution pathways (traffic emissions, irrigation water, atmospheric depositions, etc.) and achieve a more precise quantification. The dataset of soil heavy metals was collected from a typical area in the Chang-Zhu-Tan region, Hunan, China in 2021. The identification of the contribution of soil parent material was accomplished through enrichment factors and crustal reference elements. Meanwhile, the anthropogenic emission was identified with principal component analysis and GeoDetector. GeoDetector was used to accurately point to the pollution source from a spatial differentiation perspective. Subsequently, the pollution pathways linked to the identified sources were determined. Non-metal manufacturing factories were found to be significant anthropogenic sources of local soil contamination, mainly through rivers and atmospheric deposition. Furthermore, the influence of irrigation water on heavy metals showed a more pronounced effect within a distance of 1000 m, became weaker after that, and then gradually disappeared. This model may offer improved technical guidance for practical production and the management of soil heavy metal contamination. Full article
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