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Toxics
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PFAS, Plastic Mulch Film, and Heavy Metal: Environmental Fate, Biological...
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PFAS, Plastic Mulch Film, and Heavy Metal: Environmental Fate, Biological Toxicity and Innovative Remediation Technologies

A special issue of Toxics (ISSN 2305-6304). This special issue belongs to the section "Emerging Contaminants".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 23 October 2026 | Viewed by 4085

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Chang-Gui Pan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
Interests: PFAS; PPCP; microplastics; environmental fate; adsorption; degradation; risk assessment; ecotoxicology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Zhi Guo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China
Interests: microplastics; emerging contaminants; biodegradation; remediation technologies; heavy metal

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

PFAS, plastic mulch film, and heavy metal pose escalating threats to global ecosystems due to their persistence, bioaccumulation, and endocrine-disrupting effects. Recent studies have revealed their ubiquitous presence from terrestrial soils to marine environments. They have also been shown to accumulate in wildlife and human tissues, leading to adverse health effects. To address the environmental contamination issues associated with these pollutants, it is essential to understand their environmental behavior and fate and promote pollution control technologies for them with the aim of reducing the risks that they pose to ecosystems. This Special Issue will serve as a platform on which researchers, scientists, and practitioners can share the latest findings, innovative ideas, and practical solutions related to the environmental fate and biological effects of these emerging pollutants, alongside innovative microbial remediation technologies with which to address them.

General domains of interest include

  1. Transport transformation and environmental fate of PFAS and mulch film, and heavy metal.
  2. Assessments of ecological risk and biological toxicity;
  3. Innovative remediation technologies.

Specifically, we invite contributions on the following:

  • Sources, pathways, and distribution of PFAS, plastic mulch film, and heavy metal in various environmental matrices (e.g., water, soil, sediment, multimedia environments);
  • Transformation, persistence, and mechanisms of PFAS and plastic mulch film, and heavy metal under different environmental conditions, including the roles of abiotic and biotic processes;
  • Degradation mechanisms of plastic mulch film into microplastics/nanoplastics and their interactions with co-pollutants (e.g., PFAS);
  • Laboratory- and field-based studies on biological toxicity across species (microorganisms, plants, animals, humans);
  • Multi-species impacts in real-world ecosystems (soil, freshwater, marine systems);
  • Development and optimization of novel biological remediation techniques for the effective removal, degradation, or immobilization of PFAS, plastic mulch film, and heavy metal in contaminated environments.
  • Innovative remediation technologies of heavy metal.

Dr. Chang-Gui Pan
Dr. Zhi Guo
Guest Editors

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. Toxics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2600 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

  • PFAS
  • plastic mulch film
  • fate
  • transformation
  • environmental effects
  • remediation technologies
  • heavy metal

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 2815 KB  
Article
Concentration-Governed Transition in DOM Function: From Surface Reductant to Performance Barrier on FeMnOx for Optimal Cr(VI) Removal
by Yuxi Tang, Xiaole Ti, Rui Yang, Zeyu Zhang, Wenjie Zhang, Xiaojie Sun, Bin Dong and Ningjie Li
Toxics 2026, 14(3), 231; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics14030231 - 8 Mar 2026
Viewed by 597
Abstract
Loading dissolved organic matter (DOM) onto iron–manganese oxides (FeMnOx) was a promising strategy for enhancing the hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) removal from wastewater. To optimize this process and gain deeper mechanistic insight, this study systematically investigated the DOM loading characteristics onto FeMnOx and its [...] Read more.
Loading dissolved organic matter (DOM) onto iron–manganese oxides (FeMnOx) was a promising strategy for enhancing the hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) removal from wastewater. To optimize this process and gain deeper mechanistic insight, this study systematically investigated the DOM loading characteristics onto FeMnOx and its subsequent effect on Cr(VI) adsorption. DOM loading onto FeMnOx was significantly affected by the initial concentration of DOM and pH, with optimal loading conditions identified as a DOM concentration of 75 mg/L, pH of 4, ionic strength of 0.005 mol/L, temperature of 50 °C, and contact time of 4 h. During loading, FeMnOx preferentially adsorbed low-molecular-weight/low-aromaticity components such as tryptophan-like (C1) and fulvic acid-like (C2) substances. The adsorption process followed a non-uniform monolayer surface adsorption and involved multiple stages dominated by chemical interactions. DOM coating on FeMnOx significantly enhanced the Cr(VI) removal, and the maximum adsorption capacity under optimal loading conditions increased from 18.46 mg/g to 23.26 mg/g. Characterization by SEM-EDS, BET, ICP-MS, XPS, FTIR, and CV revealed that a moderate DOM loading (55–75 mg/L) enhanced the material’s surface reducibility and mesoporous structure. This improvement was attributed to the reduction of surface Mn(IV) to more-reactive Mn(III) by reductive functional groups in DOM, thereby promoting Cr(VI) adsorption and reduction. In contrast, excessive DOM loading (105 mg/L) formed a dense organic layer that masked active sites and hindered electron transfer, ultimately compromising the long-term reductive capability. These findings elucidate the concentration-dependent regulatory role of DOM in modifying FeMnOx properties, providing a theoretical foundation for the rational design of efficient DOM–metal oxide composites for heavy metal remediation in aquatic environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue PFAS, Plastic Mulch Film, and Heavy Metal: Environmental Fate, Biological Toxicity and Innovative Remediation Technologies)
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18 pages, 5317 KB  
Article
A Novel Graphitic Biochar Derived from Banana Peels for Efficient PFAS Removal: Mechanistic Insight from Integrated Experiments and DFT Calculations
by Liu-Yi Wei, Ru-Meng Wu, Zhen-Zhu Liu, Feng-Jiao Peng, Jun-Jie Hu and Chang-Gui Pan
Toxics 2026, 14(3), 204; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics14030204 - 27 Feb 2026
Viewed by 717
Abstract
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have raised considerable concern due to their ubiquity, persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity. However, cost-effective, high-performance adsorbents for PFAS removal from aquatic environments remain limited. Here, we synthesized a porous graphitic biochar adsorbent (Zn-BBC) from banana peel waste via [...] Read more.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have raised considerable concern due to their ubiquity, persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity. However, cost-effective, high-performance adsorbents for PFAS removal from aquatic environments remain limited. Here, we synthesized a porous graphitic biochar adsorbent (Zn-BBC) from banana peel waste via zinc chloride (ZnCl2) activation and applied it to removing ten legacy and alternative PFASs from water. Zn-BBC achieved removal efficiencies > 95% for all target PFASs. The adsorption of PFASs onto Zn-BBC followed pseudo-second-order (PSO) kinetics, suggesting chemisorption. Additionally, the adsorption isotherms were well described by the Sips model, indicating surface heterogeneity. Zn-BBC exhibited robust performance over a broad pH range (3–9). Coexisting ions (CO32−, SO42−, Zn2+, Ca2+, and Mg2+), tested individually at 10 mM each, had negligible effects on the adsorption of the PFASs examined, except for perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA). In contrast, humic acid (10 mM) significantly reduced the removal rates of PFBA, perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), and hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (GenX). Nevertheless, in river and lake waters, Zn-BBC achieved >85.0% removal of all PFASs except PFBA. In regeneration experiments, Zn-BBC exhibited excellent reusability. Experimental characterization and density functional theory (DFT) calculations jointly revealed that PFAS adsorption involves electrostatic interactions, hydrophobic interactions, π-CF interactions, surface complexation, and hydrogen bonding. These results suggest that Zn-BBC is a promising sorbent for PFAS removal in water. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue PFAS, Plastic Mulch Film, and Heavy Metal: Environmental Fate, Biological Toxicity and Innovative Remediation Technologies)
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Review

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17 pages, 826 KB  
Review
Fungal Degradation of Microplastics—An Environmental Need
by Rachel R. West, Mason T. MacDonald and Chijioke U. Emenike
Toxics 2026, 14(1), 70; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics14010070 - 12 Jan 2026
Viewed by 2256
Abstract
Plastic waste is a global issue due to the popularity of the product. Over time, plastic degrades into smaller particles known as microplastics and becomes harder to deal with as it easily disperses and can be missed by physical catches. Conventional degradation involves [...] Read more.
Plastic waste is a global issue due to the popularity of the product. Over time, plastic degrades into smaller particles known as microplastics and becomes harder to deal with as it easily disperses and can be missed by physical catches. Conventional degradation involves environmental forces like ultraviolet (UV) light, water, temperature, and physical abrasion. However, there is increasing interest in microbial plastic degradation, which could positively impact the transformation of (micro)plastics in various environmental matrices. Most of the available research has focused on bacterial degradation, but there is mounting evidence on the impact of fungal degradation. This review discusses conventional and bacterial degradation, then discusses the advantages of fungal involvement in the degradation of microplastics. Biodegradation enhanced by fungal enzymes is a valuable tool that could greatly improve the removal of these microplastic pollutants from the environment. Due to some biochemical complexities, fungi are naturally omnipresent in marine and terrestrial environments under all sorts of climates. Fungi could thrive by themselves or in association with other microorganisms, which could also be applied in non-biotic plastic degradation processes as an alternative to other forms of plastic management in the environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue PFAS, Plastic Mulch Film, and Heavy Metal: Environmental Fate, Biological Toxicity and Innovative Remediation Technologies)
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