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Biologically Enhanced Treatments of Hazardous Pollutants in Soil and Water: Biodegradation, Transformation, and Remediation

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 December 2023) | Viewed by 5340

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Rui Liu

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Guest Editor

Institute for Ecological Research and Pollution Control of Plateau Lakes, School of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China
Interests: soil and water remediation; pollution ecotoxicology; pollution ecological process; plant–microbe interaction; bioremediation

Prof. Dr. Yuebing Sun

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Tianjin 300191, China
Interests: farmland pollution and remediation; heavy metals; soil pollution and food safety; immobilization remediation; risk assessment

Prof. Dr. Zhiguo Yu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Hydrology and Water Resources, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, China
Interests: soil/sediment and water remediation; pollution ecological process; pollutant biogeochemistry; hydrological processes; trace metal cycling and transformations
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soil and water pollution caused by heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants, such as pesticides and pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs), is a global issue. During the last several decades, various treatment technologies have been developed for removing or minimizing those hazardous pollutants in soil and water. Among them, biologically enhanced treatments are effective and economical methods to improve the efficiency of contaminated soil remediation and polluted water treatment by adding functional plants and microbes, nutrients or substrate analogues into bioremediation systems. The development of biologically enhanced treatment requires a fundamental understanding of the interactions between bioaugmentation agents and their surrounding environmental media, and of the co-metabolic mechanisms of microorganisms and plants in the bioremediation process. This Special Issue aims to feature full-length articles, reviews, and communications addressing the current research progress on bioremediation processes, co-metabolic mechanisms, plant–microbe interactions and novel technologies developed for enhanced bioremediation, highly efficient degrading microorganism screening, and the construction of genetically engineered bacteria in contaminated soil remediation and polluted water treatment. The environmental impact assessment of biologically enhanced treatments is of interest for this Special Issue. Thus, this Special Issue calls for research articles, reviews, analyses, short communications, and viewpoints related this topic.

Topics may include, but are not limited to, the following:

New developments in biologically enhanced treatments, including the screening and identification of microorganisms of plants in the remediation of contaminated soils and water and their underlying mechanisms, genetically engineered microorganisms or plants for enhanced bioremediation, and novel combinations of selected microorganisms and plants for the synergistic removal of pollutants;
Characterization of the interactions of bioaugmentation agents with pollutants and plants or other microorganisms used in the bioremediation process;
Identification of co-metabolic mechanisms, biodegradation pathways, and transformation of pollutants in soil remediation and water treatment processes;
Assessment of the risks and benefits of biologically enhanced treatments to human and environmental health.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Rui Liu
Prof. Dr. Yuebing Sun
Prof. Dr. Zhiguo Yu
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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

biologically enhanced treatment
contaminated soil remediation
polluted water treatment
co-metabolic mechanisms
plant–microbe interaction
biodegradation pathways
transformation of pollutants

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 2355 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Breeding, Biosorption Characteristics, and Mechanism of a Lead-Resistant Strain

by Lining Bao, Yu Cui, Haiwei Wu, Jingwen Xu and Shuguang Zhu

Toxics 2023, 11(5), 412; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11050412 - 26 Apr 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1289

Abstract

To effectively carry out the bioremediation of a Pb²⁺ polluted environment, a lead-tolerant strain named D1 was screened from the activated sludge of a factory in Hefei, and its lead removal in a solution with Pb²⁺ concentration of 200 mg/L could reach 91% under optimal culture conditions. Morphological observation and 16S rRNA gene sequencing were used to identify D1 accurately, and its cultural characteristics and lead removal mechanism were also preliminarily studied. The results showed that the D1 strain was preliminarily identified as the Sphingobacterium mizutaii strain. The experiments conducted via orthogonal test showed that the optimal conditions for the growth of strain D1 were pH 7, inoculum volume 6%, 35 °C, and rotational speed 150 r/min. According to the results of scanning electron microscopy and energy spectrum analysis before and after the D1 exposure to lead, it is believed that the lead removal mechanism of D1 is surface adsorption. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results revealed that multiple functional groups on the surface of the bacterial cells are involved in the Pb adsorption process. In conclusion, the D1 strain has excellent application prospects in the bioremediation of lead-contaminated environments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biologically Enhanced Treatments of Hazardous Pollutants in Soil and Water: Biodegradation, Transformation, and Remediation)

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Review

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33 pages, 4906 KiB

Open AccessReview

Review of Explosive Contamination and Bioremediation: Insights from Microbial and Bio-Omic Approaches

by Daniel Corredor, Jessica Duchicela, Francisco J. Flores, Maribel Maya and Edgar Guerron

Toxics 2024, 12(4), 249; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics12040249 - 29 Mar 2024

Viewed by 921

Abstract

Soil pollution by TNT(2,4,6-trinitrotoluene), RDX(hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazacyclohexane), and HMX(octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine), resulting from the use of explosives, poses significant challenges, leading to adverse effects such as toxicity and alteration of microbial communities. Consequently, there is a growing need for effective bioremediation strategies to mitigate this damage. This review focuses on Microbial and Bio-omics perspectives within the realm of soil pollution caused by explosive compounds. A comprehensive analysis was conducted, reviewing 79 articles meeting bibliometric criteria from the Web of Science and Scopus databases from 2013 to 2023. Additionally, relevant patents were scrutinized to establish a comprehensive research database. The synthesis of these findings serves as a critical resource, enhancing our understanding of challenges such as toxicity, soil alterations, and microbial stress, as well as exploring bio-omics techniques like metagenomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics in the context of environmental remediation. The review underscores the importance of exploring various remediation approaches, including mycorrhiza remediation, phytoremediation, bioaugmentation, and biostimulation. Moreover, an examination of patented technologies reveals refined and efficient processes that integrate microorganisms and environmental engineering. Notably, China and the United States are pioneers in this field, based on previous successful bioremediation endeavors. This review underscores research’s vital role in soil pollution via innovative, sustainable bioremediation for explosives. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biologically Enhanced Treatments of Hazardous Pollutants in Soil and Water: Biodegradation, Transformation, and Remediation)

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18 pages, 2015 KiB

Open AccessReview

Microbially Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation as a Bioremediation Technique for Mining Waste

by Samantha M. Wilcox, Catherine N. Mulligan and Carmen Mihaela Neculita

Toxics 2024, 12(2), 107; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics12020107 - 27 Jan 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1144

Abstract

Mining waste represents a global issue due to its potential of generating acidic or alkaline leachate with high concentrations of metals and metalloids (metal(loid)s). Microbial-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) is an engineering tool used for remediation. MICP, induced via biological activity, aims to precipitate calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) or co-precipitate other metal carbonates (MCO₃). MICP is a bio-geochemical remediation method that aims to immobilize or remove metal(loid)s via enzyme, redox, or photosynthetic metabolic pathways. Contaminants are removed directly through immobilization as mineral precipitates (CaCO₃ or MCO₃), or indirectly (via sorption, complexes, or inclusion into the crystal structure). Further, CaCO₃ precipitates deposited on the surface or within the pore spaces of a solid matrix create a clogging effect to reduce contaminant leachate. Experimental research on MICP has shown its promise as a bioremediation technique for mining waste. Additional research is required to evaluate the long-term feasibility and potential by-products of MICP-treated/stabilized waste. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biologically Enhanced Treatments of Hazardous Pollutants in Soil and Water: Biodegradation, Transformation, and Remediation)

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14 pages, 1103 KiB

Open AccessReview

Role of Lake Aquatic–Terrestrial Ecotones in the Ecological Restoration of Eutrophic Water Bodies

by Tingting Dai, Rui Liu, Xingxing Zhou, Jing Zhang, Mengting Song, Ping Zou, Xiaoyi Bi and Shuibing Li

Toxics 2023, 11(7), 560; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11070560 - 26 Jun 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1296

Abstract

Freshwater lake eutrophication is a global concern causing adverse effects on aquatic ecosystems. The degradation of lake aquatic–terrestrial ecotones, which are the transitional zones between terrestrial and water ecosystems, contributes to eutrophication. These ecotones play vital roles in nutrient cycling, runoff control, biodiversity conservation, and habitat provision. In the past three decades, the research on lake aquatic–terrestrial ecotones has focused on techniques for managing contaminants and runoff purification. This paper reviews the recent studies on the restoration ability of eutrophic water bodies in lake aquatic–terrestrial ecotones in recent years regarding three aspects: the establishment, restoration mechanism, and improvement of restoration function. In addition, ecological factors such as lakeshore height, water level, surface runoff, shallow groundwater level, and rainfall intensity have impacts on the restoration capacity of lake aquatic–terrestrial ecotones. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biologically Enhanced Treatments of Hazardous Pollutants in Soil and Water: Biodegradation, Transformation, and Remediation)

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