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Fate and Transport of Contaminants in Soil and Water

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A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Soil and Water".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 September 2026 | Viewed by 3729

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Editors

Dr. Changyin Zhu

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Guest Editor

Co-Innovation Center for the Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Ecology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Interests: free radicals; reductive degradation; contaminant remediation; reductive radicals; chlorinated hydrocarbon; soil remediation; pyrogenic carbon; electron transfer

Dr. Da Ouyang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Environmental & Resource Sciences, Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Hangzhou, China
Interests: emerging contaminants; microplastic; free radicals; oxidation; soil remediation; source identification; fate and transport

Dr. Hui Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

1. Key Laboratory of Regional Environmental and Eco-Remediation, Ministry of Education, Shenyang University, Shenyang 110044, China
2. Northeast Geological S&T Innovation Center of China Geological Survey, Shenyang 110000, China
Interests: remediation of organically contaminated soils; microbial remediation of organic contamination and plants; surfactant enhancement and in situ biostimulation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soil and water (including groundwater) are two important environmental media in Earth’s critical zone, as well as being the material foundation for the survival of life on our planet. Contaminants from natural events and anthropogenic activities are changing the conditions of both soil and water, which has a strong impact on the environmental functions of soil and water and threatens human health and environmental safety.

Scientists are using new methods to try to identify and trace the source of contaminants in soil and water, in particular emerging contaminants such as microplastics, antibiotics, endocrine disrupters, and persistent organic pollutants. Using physical, chemical method, and mathematical models, researchers are exploring the laws of transport and the fate of contaminants in soil and water, which is critical for us to understand and evaluate the environmental risks of these contaminants. Physical, chemical, and biological technologies such as barrier walls, phytoremediation, oxidation, reduction, and microbial degradation are being developed to restore contaminated soil and water.

With this Special Issue of Water, we offer a platform for the publication of innovative original articles and reviews regarding the fate and transport of contaminants in soil and water. The scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following: (1) the identification and source tracing of contaminants (especially emerging contaminants) in soil and water; (2) determination of the distributions, pathways, and destinations of contaminants in soil and water; (3) investigation of the transport and fate of contaminants in soil and water using modelling methods; (4) development of highly efficient, low-cost, and environmentally friendly technologies for contaminants in soil and water.

Dr. Changyin Zhu
Dr. Da Ouyang
Dr. Hui Wang
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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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

emerging contaminants
micropollutants
soil pollution
water pollution
contaminant remediation
source identifi-cation, fate, and transport
degradation and by-products
numerical modelling

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 4419 KB

Open AccessArticle

Quantifying Non-Fickian Pollutant Transport in Layered Heterogeneous Media Under Non-Uniform Flow Field: Bimodal Transport and Sub-Diffusion

by Dongbao Zhou, Xiheng Ma, Shanglei Pan and Xi Chen

Water 2026, 18(11), 1309; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18111309 - 28 May 2026

Viewed by 319

Abstract

Characterizing pollutant transport in heterogeneous layered media, such as structured surface soils and layered aquifers, is crucial for predicting and managing environmental pollution. However, the characterization of the coupled bimodal transport and sub-diffusion dynamics of contaminants in layered porous media under a non-uniform flow field remains challenging. In this paper, we develop a 2D-fractional multi-peak (2D-FMP) model to systematically investigate the complicated non-Fickian pollutant transport in the layered media systems. The model analysis reveals the effects of hydrological properties and media heterogeneity on bimodal transport and sub-diffusion behavior. The results show that: (1) The two-peak pollutant transport behavior becomes more apparent as the contrast in media porosity increases. Furthermore, an increase in dispersivity within the slow region (region 1) decreases the concentration value of the second peak in the entire region, indicating that discrepancies in media properties are critical factors influencing multi-peak transport. (2) A smaller time index in region 1 (

γ_{1}

) results in a lower concentration value for the second peak across the entire region, and the power-law late-time tails become heavier as

γ_{1}

decreases. This indicates that discrepancies in media heterogeneity between region 1 and region 2 also significantly influence anomalous bimodal transport. The model’s application further validates the ability of the 2D-FMP framework to capture coupled bimodal transport and sub-diffusion in natural layered media. The 2D-FMP model developed in this study sheds light on the quantification of non-Fickian transport in layered media systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fate and Transport of Contaminants in Soil and Water)

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17 pages, 12262 KB

Open AccessArticle

Natural Attenuation of Petroleum Hydrocarbons: Distinct Microbial Mechanisms in Soil Versus Groundwater

by Jingli Pang, Yijian Feng, Xia Ma, Yiqin Yu, Maoyue Wang and Chi Zhang

Water 2026, 18(10), 1245; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18101245 - 21 May 2026

Viewed by 406

Abstract

Natural attenuation is a potential way to reduce total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) contamination, but the microbial mechanisms that explain differences in attenuation performance between soil and groundwater remain unclear. In this study, field investigation and metagenomic analysis were conducted at a decommissioned refinery site with more than 20 years of operation. Over a four-year period, the average TPH degradation rate in the soil attenuation zone reached 307.7 ± 135.2 mg kg⁻¹ year⁻¹, whereas the groundwater attenuation group showed an average degradation rate of 5.2 ± 3.6 mg L⁻¹ year⁻¹. Metagenomic results showed that TPH attenuation in soil and groundwater was associated with two different microbial consortia adapted to local conditions. In soil, the attenuation zone was characterized by a possibly sessile and cooperative consortium dominated by Pseudomonadota and Actinomycetota, with Sphingomonas and Nocardioides as representative genera. The consortium showed broader amino acid metabolic potential (e.g., ko00250, ko00260, and ko00310) and a higher abundance of functions related to biofilm formation and quorum sensing, which may promote stable and surface-attached growth. In groundwater, the attenuation zone was characterized by a possibly motile and more specialized consortium dominated by Pseudomonadota, including Novosphingobium, Sphingorhabdus, and Tabrizicola. The consortium possessed a less complex catabolic network for TPHs and intermediates (e.g., ko01220/ko00621/ko00624; nahAc/catE/fadA/pcaD/atoB), coupled with stronger potential for motility and secretion. In both soil and groundwater, attenuation was associated with lower eukaryotic activity and enrichment of prokaryotic functions related to oxidative stress defenses and high-yield respiration. These results showed that natural attenuation of TPHs in soil and groundwater involved different microbial features, which could improve the evaluation of natural attenuation in heterogeneous environments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fate and Transport of Contaminants in Soil and Water)

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15 pages, 2606 KB

Open AccessArticle

Elucidating the Degradation of Naphthalene in Fenton-like Processes Coupled with Various Sulfur-Iron Materials: Performance and Mechanisms

by Guilu Zeng, Chi Zhang, Shuguang Lyu and Xia Ma

Water 2026, 18(8), 918; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18080918 - 11 Apr 2026

Viewed by 424

Abstract

In this work, three sulfur-iron materials (sulfide-modified nanoscale zerovalent iron (S-nZVI), ferrous sulfide (FeS), and pyrite (FeS₂)) were employed to enhance the Fenton process for naphthalene (NAP) degradation. The enhancement performance and mechanisms of S-nZVI, FeS, and FeS₂ were investigated and compared. The results showed that NAP removal was enhanced from 56.4% in the H₂O₂/Fe(II) system to 88.6%, 83.0%, and 89.1% with the addition of S-nZVI, FeS, and FeS₂, respectively. Three sulfur-iron materials could all reduce Fe(III) produced in aqueous solution, regenerate Fe(II), and slow down the precipitation of dissolved iron. In addition, the addition of sulfur-iron materials could promote the generation of hydroxyl radical (HO•), thus intensifying the degradation of NAP. The results of scavenging tests indicated that HO• was the dominant reactive oxygen species (ROS) for NAP removal, while superoxide radical (O₂⁻•) also participated. The effect of complex water matrices on NAP degradation was evaluated, showing that sulfur-iron material-enhanced techniques had a wide pH application range and had great tolerance to inorganic ions and humic acid. Moreover, NAP degradation intermediates and their toxicity were elucidated. Finally, the obvious removal of various pollutants in sulfur-iron material-enhanced systems demonstrated that these technologies could be used to remediate organic-polluted groundwater. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fate and Transport of Contaminants in Soil and Water)

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16 pages, 2890 KB

Open AccessArticle

Occurrence of Organic Contaminants and Microbial Community Structure in River Sediments and Mollusks from an E-Waste Recycling Area in Southeast China

by Lingxi Zhan, Chaofeng Shen, Fei Li, Feng Zhang, Xia Ma, Chao Wu, Xin Xu, Jiang Zhang and Xiaodan Yang

Water 2026, 18(7), 773; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18070773 - 25 Mar 2026

Viewed by 535

Abstract

This study investigated the characteristics and interrelationships of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phthalate esters (PAEs), and microbial communities in coastal river sediments and benthic mollusks collected from an e-waste recycling area in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province. In sediments, 16 PAHs and six PAEs were detected, with concentrations ranging from 2.66 to 379.99 μg/kg and 76.5 to 3426.57 μg/kg, respectively. Four-ring PAHs (particularly fluoranthene and pyrene) and Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) were dominant, with DEHP posing a potential risk, especially at site 10, warranting further attention. In contrast, only eight PAHs and four PAEs were detected in mollusks, with concentrations of 60.14–523.10 μg/kg and 144.55–3005.71 μg/kg, respectively. Two-ring PAHs (particularly naphthalene) and Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) were dominant, likely derived directly from the overlying water. The PAHs in sediments primarily originated from fossil fuel combustion, biomass burning, and coal combustion, while PAEs were likely derived from the release of plastic waste from solid waste recycling. Lower concentrations and fewer PAH and PAE species were observed in the sediments near the ocean and at greater distances from the e-waste recycling sites. Significant differences were observed in microbial communities between sediment and mollusk samples. Dominant phyla shared by both sample types include proteobacteria, bacteroidetes, firmicutes, and acidobacteria. The concentration of low-ring PAHs was correlated with the microbial communities, particularly in mollusk samples. Relationships were also identified between microbial communities and DEHP concentrations in sediments or DBP concentrations in mollusks. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fate and Transport of Contaminants in Soil and Water)

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17 pages, 2810 KB

Open AccessArticle

Magnetic Intensification of Fenton Processes Using Superconducting Technology for Enhanced Treatment of Printing and Dyeing Wastewater: Mechanisms and Applications

by Qian Luo, Zhenchang Yin, Zhengfeng Hu, Wei Zhang, Yu Zhang, Huimin Huang, Zhihui Chen, Junjie Xu and Rongwu Mei

Water 2025, 17(18), 2686; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17182686 - 11 Sep 2025

Viewed by 1394

Abstract

The rapid industrial development in recent years has led to severe pollution of aquatic environments. It is necessary to develop green and highly efficient treatment technologies for addressing environmental pollution and realizing carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals. This study aims to explore the effect of magnetic fields on chemical oxygen demand (COD) degradation by Fenton reaction. The experimental results demonstrated the following: (1) Magnetic fields convert macromolecular organic compounds into low-molecular-weight organic compounds, promoting the attack of radicals on organic pollutants. (2) The magnetic Fenton process achieved COD removal efficiency of 60.0%. (magnetic field intensity: 1.5 T, magnetization duration: 5 min, pH = 5.0, Fe²⁺ = 2.0 mmol/L, H₂O₂ = 2.0 mmol/L, reaction time: 40 min). (3) The magnetic Fenton process consumes less acidic reagent. Notably, it achieves a 33.3% reduction in both catalyst and oxidant usage under the same COD removal efficiency. This study verifies the feasibility of applying the method in real sewage treatment plants, demonstrating promising application prospects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fate and Transport of Contaminants in Soil and Water)

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