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Heavy Metal Pollution and Remediation of Agricultural Soils

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Agriculture".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 September 2022) | Viewed by 13625

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Shibao Chen

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Guest Editor

Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Interests: mechanism of transfer and translocation of metals in the soil–plant system; ecological risk of heavy metals in polluted soil; environmental thresholds of heavy metals in soils
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Meng Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Interests: heavy metal uptake, translocation and accumulation in the soil–plant system; ecological risk assessment and remediation of contaminated agricultural soils
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Unlike organic contaminants, most heavy metals do not undergo microbial or chemical degradation, and the total concentration of inorganic metals in soils persists for a long time after their introduction. After heavy metals enter the soil, they may cause potential harm to human health through the food chain. Therefore, with great public awareness of the implications of contaminated soils by metals on human and animal health, there has been increasing interest in the occurrence and characteristics of soil heavy metals, and the development of technologies to remediate contaminated lands.

Being aware of the importance of soil sustainability, we are pleased to announce the launch of a new Special Issue with the theme of “Heavy Metal Pollution and Remediation of Agricultural Soils”. The topics of interest include the following scientific issues:

1) Source, processes, and health risk of heavy metals in soil–plant ecosystems;

2) Behavior, fate, bioavailability, and effects of heavy metals in the soil environment;

3) Heavy metal uptake, translocation, and accumulation in soil–plant systems;

4) Mitigation measures and regulations of heavy metals in agro-soil contaminations.

Hence, this Special Issue titled “Heavy Metal Pollution and Remediation of Agricultural Soils” of Sustainability invites the submission of papers on the above areas from leading experts from various disciplines to share recent knowledge on theoretical foundations and practical remediation strategies for the cleanup of contaminated agricultural soils, ultimately in order to improve the quality of our ambient environment, and to save our Earth.

Prof. Dr. Shibao Chen
Dr. Meng Wang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

cadmium
arsenic
lead
chromium
mercury
soil pollution
agronomy
soil remediation
ecotoxicology
biogeochemistry

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 889 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effects of Five-Year Biosolid Application on the Diversity and Community of Soil Arthropods

by Guihua Li, Kangli Guo, He Zhang and Jianfeng Zhang

Sustainability 2022, 14(20), 13359; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su142013359 - 17 Oct 2022

Viewed by 1015

Abstract

Land application of biosolids is a beneficial form of management, although heavy metal contamination is a major concern. Biosolid application can shape the abundance, species richness, and community structure of arthropods, which are important regulators of soil processes. We investigated the effect of the five-year (2012–2017) application of domestic biosolids at 0, 15, 30, and 45 ton ha⁻¹ on the soil properties, enzyme activity, heavy metal concentrations, abundance, and diversity of soil arthropods in degraded sandy soil. The results showed that the application of a high amount of biosolids resulted in an increase in soil organic carbon of 2.6 times and in the water content of 2.8 times compared with CK (no biosolids). The total metal concentrations of Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb increased by 6.6%, 3.2%, 6.6%, 7.7%, 13.3%, and 22.5%, respectively, compared with CK in soil (p > 0.05). The activities of seven enzymes, which mainly participate in carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphate (P), and sulfur (S) transformation, increased by 1.53%~122.7%, indicating that the soil function did not change under biosolid application. The number of individual arthropods collected from a square meter of soil changed from 0 to 2560. The total abundance of arthropods increased from 1.2 to 4 times under biosolid application (p < 0.05), but biosolid application had no effects on simple measures of richness and diversity (Shannon–Weaver index). Multivariate ordination techniques showed a significant shift of the arthropod community structure under biosolid application due to differing responses of several taxa to the biosolids. Redundancy analysis highlighted the influential role of soil chemical properties (soil organic C, total N, water content, microbial biomass, and pH) and cadmium in shaping the soil arthropod structure. These results suggest that long-term biosolid application with limited heavy metal concentrations does not have detrimental effects on soil arthropods or microbial-related soil function. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heavy Metal Pollution and Remediation of Agricultural Soils)

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15 pages, 1829 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Response of Cd Chemical Fractions to Moisture Conditions and Incubation Time in Arable Land Soil

by Nan Lu, Yang Wei, Zhaoxin Zhang, Yan Li, Gang Li and Jichang Han

Sustainability 2022, 14(10), 6270; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14106270 - 21 May 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1240

Abstract

Heavy metal pollution in soils is an issue of global concern, and many scholars have focused on Cadmium (Cd) because of its strong biological migration and toxicity. This study explored arable land soil, changes in external Cd contamination processes and its response to soil moisture conditions, and indoor simulation. After adding an external source of 5 mg/kg d.w., the distribution of soil Cd fractions content, EXC-Cd, CAB-Cd, FMO-Cd, OM-Cd, and RES-Cd, were continuously monitored under different water management regimes, and correlation analysis and regression equations were calculated. The results show that after external Cd entered arable land soils, the binging strength of pollutants and soil gradually increased with incubation time, and the distribution of Cd chemical forms was more stable under different water management regimes. The oversaturated water content promotes the transformation of EXC-Cd to other forms. The transformation of CAB-Cd fractions can be accelerated to other fractions by field capacity, and the active conversion period was 30–60 d. Not all Cd fractions correlated between each other, under the four water management regimes, but it seems that the reducibility of the soil environment was more conducive to external Cd fixation and stability. The response surface design method (RSM) was used to establish quantitative regimes between Cd fractions with incubation time and soil moisture, and the soil moisture content and incubation time had an obvious effect on FMO-Cd content, with R² = 0.9542. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heavy Metal Pollution and Remediation of Agricultural Soils)

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14 pages, 3186 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Heavy Metals Contaminants in Watercress (Nasturtium officinale R. BR.): Toxicity and Risk Assessment for Humans along the Swat River Basin, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

by Nasrullah Khan, Jawad Khan, Rafi Ullah, Kishwar Ali, David Aaron Jones and Muhammad Ezaz Hasan Khan

Sustainability 2022, 14(8), 4690; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14084690 - 14 Apr 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2398

Abstract

This research aimed to investigate the bioaccumulation and health risk associated with absorption of the selected heavy metals (HMs) i.e., lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) in a wild leafy vegetable Nasturtium officinale that grows along the Swat River in swampy areas. The areas were categorized using the ecological risk index (RI), which indicates how heavy metal concentrations in soil and plants change over time. The bioaccumulation factor was greater than that at the 400 ≤ RI sites, indicating a probable health risk of these metals from N. officinale consumption. Furthermore, the health risk index for Cd and Pb was more significant, i.e., greater than one in the majority of the samples, indicating health concerns associated with consuming N. officinale from the study site. However, Zn and Cu levels were lower than the nutritionally needed levels, raising the risk of deficiency in the population. Plants cultivated in Pb and Cd-polluted sites were nutrient deficient in Cu and Zn. Intake of such plants can expose people to HM contamination and nutritional deficiencies. The results concluded that the plants accumulated significant HM contents and may have health concerns but are safe for consumption in children and adults. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heavy Metal Pollution and Remediation of Agricultural Soils)

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15 pages, 1795 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Contamination Assessment and Source Apportionment of Metals and Metalloids Pollution in Agricultural Soil: A Comparison of the APCA-MLR and APCA-GWR Models

by Zhouqiao Ren, George Christakos, Zhaohan Lou, Haitao Xu, Xiaonan Lv and Xufeng Fei

Sustainability 2022, 14(2), 783; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14020783 - 11 Jan 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1327

Abstract

Metals and metalloids accumulate in soil, which not only leads to soil degradation and crop yield reduction but also poses hazards to human health. Commonly, source apportionment methods generate an overall relationship between sources and elements and, thus, lack the ability to capture important geographical variations of pollution sources. The present work uses a dataset collected by intensive sampling (1848 topsoil samples containing the metals Cd, Hg, Cr, Pb, and a metalloid of As) in the Shanghai study area and proposes a synthetic approach to source apportionment in the condition of spatial heterogeneity (non-stationarity) through the integration of absolute principal component scores with geographically weighted regression (APCA-GWR). The results showed that three main sources were detected by the APCA, i.e., natural sources, such as alluvial soil materials; agricultural activities, especially the overuse of phosphate fertilizer; and atmospheric deposition pollution from industry coal combustion and transportation activities. APCA-GWR provided more accurate and site-specific pollution source information than the mainstream APCA-MLR, which was verified by higher R2, lower AIC values, and non-spatial autocorrelation of residuals. According to APCA-GWR, natural sources were responsible for As and Cr accumulation in the northern mainland and Pb accumulation in the southern and northern mainland. Atmospheric deposition was the main source of Hg in the entire study area and Pb in the eastern mainland and Chongming Island. Agricultural activities, especially the overuse of phosphate fertilizer, were the main source of Cd across the study area and of As and Cr in the southern regions of the mainland and the middle of Chongming Island. In summary, this study highlights the use of a synthetic APCA-GWR model to efficiently handle source apportionment issues with spatial heterogeneity, which can provide more accurate and specific pollution source information and better references for pollution prevention and human health protection. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heavy Metal Pollution and Remediation of Agricultural Soils)

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13 pages, 2063 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Exogenous Application of Plant Growth Regulators (SNP and GA3) on Phytoextraction by Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) Grown in Lead (Pb) Contaminated Soil

by Adrianne Beavers, Marina Koether, Thomas McElroy and Sigurdur Greipsson

Sustainability 2021, 13(19), 10866; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su131910866 - 30 Sep 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2010

Abstract

Soil lead (Pb) contamination is a major environmental and public health risk. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), a second-generation biofuel crop, is potentially useful for the long-term phytoremediation and phytoextraction of Pb contaminated soils. We evaluated the efficacy of a coordinated foliar application of plant growth regulators and soil fungicide and a chelator in order to optimize phytoextraction. Plants were grown in soil culture under controlled conditions. First, three exogenous nitric oxide (NO) donors were evaluated at multiple concentrations: (1) S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP); (2) sodium nitroprusside (SNP); and (3) S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO). Second, the effect of SNP (0.5 μM) was examined further with the model chelate EDTA and the soil fungicide propicanazole. Third, a combined foliar application of SNP and gibberellic acid (GA3) was examined with EDTA and propicanazole. The soil application of propiconazole (a broad-spectrum fungicides) reduced AMF colonization and allowed greater Pb phytoextraction. The foliar application of SNP resulted in similar concentrations of Pb (roots and foliage) to plants that were challenged with chelates and soil fungicides. The combined foliar application of SNP and GA3 resulted in significantly greater average Pb concentration (243 mg kg⁻¹) in plant foliage in comparison to control plants (182 mg kg⁻¹) and plants treated with GA3 alone (202 mg kg⁻¹). The combined foliar application of SNP and GA3 resulted in the greatest phytoextraction efficiency and could therefore potentially improve phytoextraction by switchgrass grown in Pb contaminated soils. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heavy Metal Pollution and Remediation of Agricultural Soils)

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15 pages, 3498 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Bacteria Isolated from Wastewater Irrigated Agricultural Soils Adapt to Heavy Metal Toxicity While Maintaining Their Plant Growth Promoting Traits

by Abdul Wahab Ajmal, Saleha Saroosh, Shah Mulk, Muhammad Nadeem Hassan, Humaira Yasmin, Zahra Jabeen, Asia Nosheen, Syed Muhammad Usman Shah, Rabia Naz, Zuhair Hasnain, Tariq Mahmood Qureshi, Abdul Waheed and Saqib Mumtaz

Sustainability 2021, 13(14), 7792; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13147792 - 13 Jul 2021

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 4269

Abstract

The present study explored the plant growth promotion and bioremediation potential of bacteria inhabiting wastewater irrigated agricultural soils. Thirty out of 75 bacterial isolates (40%), 29/75 (39%) and 28/75 (37%) solubilized Zn, K and PO₄ during plate essays respectively. Fifty-six percent of the isolates produced siderophores, while 30% released protease in vitro. Seventy-four percent of bacteria resisted Pb, Ni and Cd at various concentrations added to the culture media plates. Sixteen out of 75 (26%) isolates were able to fix N in Nbf medium. Among these 16 N fixers, N fixing nifH, nifD and nifK genes was detected through PCR in 8, 7 and 1 strain respectively using gene specific primers designed in the study with Enterobacter sp. having all three (nifHKD) genes. Isolated bacteria showed resemblance to diverse genera such as Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Enterobacter, Citrobacter, Acinetobacter, Serratia, Klebsiella and Enterococcus based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. In addition to showing the best mineral solubilization and metal resistance potential, Citrobacter sp. and Enterobacter sp. also removed 87%, 79% and 43% and 86%, 78% and 51% of Ni, Cd and Pb, respectively, from aqueous solution. These potent bacteria may be exploited both for bioremediation and biofertilization of wastewater irrigated soils leading to sustainable agriculture. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heavy Metal Pollution and Remediation of Agricultural Soils)

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