Fate and Transport of Emerging Contaminants in Soil

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 27 March 2026 | Viewed by 433

Special Issue Editors

School of Environment and Ecology, Institute of Environmental Processes and Pollution Control, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
Interests: transport and degradation of emerging pollutants; environmental behaviour of micro- and nanoplastics; rhizosphere effects of emerging contaminants; bioremediation of emerging pollution contaminated soil; meta-analysis
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Department of Analytical Chemistry, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, 123 Huntington Street, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
Interests: the fate and toxicity of emerging contaminants in the food and agricultural plants; the application of nanotechnology in plants to improve crops' nutritional qualities and suppress plant diseases; nanomaterials and plant interaction using spectroscopy and microscopy techniques; nanomaterial synthesis and surface modification
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Guest Editor
Stockbridge School of Agriculture, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
Interests: detection, characterization, and quantification of emerging contaminants; interactions between micro- and nanoplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS); environmental behaviors and fate of micro- and nanoplastics; ecological and toxicological impacts of micro- and nanoplastics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Special Issue entitled “Fate and Transport of Emerging Contaminants in Soil” focuses on elucidating the processes governing the retention, degradation, mobility, and bioavailability of emerging contaminants (ECs) in soil. This collection aims to synthesize state-of-the-art knowledge on ECs in soil systems, fostering collaboration among environmental chemists, toxicologists, hydrologists, and policymakers. It seeks to bridge gaps between laboratory research, field applications, and policy implementation to safeguard soil health and food security. It emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches to assess their ecological and health impacts, as well as innovative solutions for monitoring, risk assessment, and sustainable mitigation. Emerging contaminants (ECs), including pharmaceuticals, personal care products, microplastics, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and industrial chemicals, pose significant risks to soil ecosystems and human health due to their persistence, bioaccumulation potential, and unknown long-term effects. Understanding their fate, transport, and transformation in soil systems is critical to developing effective remediation strategies and regulatory frameworks. This Special Issue invites cutting-edge research and reviews addressing the behavior, modeling, and management of ECs in terrestrial environments. 

Topics of interest include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Mechanisms: Sorption–desorption dynamics, biotic/abiotic degradation, and interactions with soil organic matter.
  • Modeling: Predictive tools for contaminant transport, bioavailability, and exposure pathways.
  • Analytical Methods: Advanced techniques for detecting and quantifying ECs in complex soil matrices.
  • Ecotoxicity: Effects on soil microbiota, plants, and terrestrial organisms.
  • Remediation: Bioremediation, phytoremediation, and engineered strategies for EC removal.
  • Policy and Risk Assessment: Regulatory challenges, lifecycle analysis, and global case studies.

Dr. Xiaona Li
Dr. Yi Wang
Dr. Xiupei Zhou
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • emerging contaminants
  • soil pollution
  • ecotoxicology
  • transport and transformation
  • degradation mechanisms
  • remediation technology
  • environmental policy

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

16 pages, 4639 KB  
Article
A Nitrifying Bacteria-Based Oxygen Consumption Assay for Multifaceted Soil Toxicity Monitoring
by Suleman Shahzad, Aparna Sharma, Syed Ejaz Hussain Mehdi, Fida Hussain, Sandesh Pandey, Mudassar Hussain, Woochang Kang and Sang Eun Oh
Toxics 2025, 13(11), 937; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13110937 - 30 Oct 2025
Viewed by 299
Abstract
Soil toxicity resulting from either natural or anthropogenic heavy metal contamination was evaluated through a nitrifying bacteria bioassay focused on the inhibition of oxygen consumption. Every contaminated soil sample inhibited the nitrifying bacteria bioassay, with inhibition levels ranging from 71% to 100%. The [...] Read more.
Soil toxicity resulting from either natural or anthropogenic heavy metal contamination was evaluated through a nitrifying bacteria bioassay focused on the inhibition of oxygen consumption. Every contaminated soil sample inhibited the nitrifying bacteria bioassay, with inhibition levels ranging from 71% to 100%. The optimal conditions for maximizing O2 consumption during the test procedure were established as follows: a test culture volume of 1 mL, a soil sample weight of 1 g, a rotation rate of 100 revolutions per minute, and a reaction duration of 48 h. In low- or uncontaminated soils, oxygen consumption ranged from 3.2 mL to 3.0 mL from a headspace volume of 1 mL filled with O2. In contrast, contaminated soils exhibited a lower range, with values between 0.1 mL and 1.0 mL. EC50 levels for NB O2 consumption were: Cr6+ 1.21 mg/kg; Cu2+ 6.92 mg/kg; Ag+ 8.38 mg/kg; As3+ 8.99 mg/kg; Ni2+ 10.35 mg/kg; Hg2+ 11.01 mg/kg; Cd2+ 31.33 mg/kg; Pb2+ 129.62 mg/kg. Values for inherent test variability (CVi), variation resulting from the natural characteristics of soil (CVns), and minimal detectable difference (MDD) were found to range between 1.6% and 4.7%, 7.8% and 14.6%, and 2.9% and 5.9%, respectively. A 10% toxicity threshold was set as the maximal tolerable inhibition (MTI) for effective soil toxicity assessment. Nitrifying bacteria bioassays offer a fast, affordable, and user-friendly tool for real-time soil toxicity assessment, boosting soil health monitoring and ecosystem protection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fate and Transport of Emerging Contaminants in Soil)
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