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Sustainable Ecological Environment Restoration
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Sustainable Ecological Environment Restoration

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Social Ecology and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2022) | Viewed by 13583

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Xiaying Xin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution and School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Interests: single cell; ecotoxicology and environmental risk assessment; emerging chemicals of concern; climate change impact; water and wastewater treatment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The United Nations General Assembly has declared a new UN decade for ecosystem restoration, aiming to massively scale up the restoration of degraded and destroyed ecosystems, as a proven measure to fight the climate crisis and enhance food security, water supply and biodiversity. To actively respond to the call, we ask you to share your innovative research findings in the field of ecosystem restoration, to the Special Issue “pollution risk assessment and ecological environmental restoration” of the journal Sustainability by MDPI. Pollution risk assessment is to identify and assess the risks of environmental pollutants, focusing on examining pollutant sources, determining environmental impacts, and evaluating effective control measures. Ecosystem restoration reverses the degradation of ecosystems, such as landscapes, lakes and oceans, to regain their ecological functionality; in other words, to improve the productivity and capacity of ecosystems to meet the needs of society. Emerging pollutants, heavy metals, and nutrient pollutants have obtained rising concerns in risk assessment and ecosystem restoration. Emerging pollutants consist of pharmaceuticals and personal care products, per and polyfluoroalkyl substances, flame retardants, pesticides, plastics, and surfactants, that are consistently being found in groundwater, surface water, municipal wastewater, drinking water, and food sources. The climate crisis also adds complexity to deal with risk assessment and ecosystem restoration. Particularly, in the past decade, emerging concerns on risk assessment and ecosystem restoration have become increasingly available to improve environmental quality analyses, environmental impact assessment, and land and water management practices, as well as future planning and sustainability management. This Special Issue of Sustainability aims to conduct pollutant risk assessment under climate change, using experiments and modeling approaches, and showcases the state-of-the-art in ecosystem restoration. We hope that research discoveries and developed technologies will help us to highlight recent progress in sustainable ecological environment restoration and to outline possible issues that need further exploration.

Dr. Xiaying Xin
Guest Editor

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. Sustainability 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 2400 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 pollutants
  • heavy metals
  • nutrients
  • risk assessment
  • toxicology
  • water quality
  • climate change effects
  • water resources management
  • water treatment
  • biotechnology
  • nanotechnology
  • solid waste management
  • ecological restoration
  • soil and water conservation effects

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 2031 KiB  
Article
Acidified Cow Dung-Assisted Phytoextraction of Heavy Metals by Ryegrass from Contaminated Soil as an Eco-Efficient Technique
by Sana Ashraf, Sajid Rashid Ahmad, Qasim Ali, Sobia Ashraf, Muzaffar Majid and Zahir Ahmad Zahir
Sustainability 2022, 14(23), 15879; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su142315879 - 29 Nov 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1414
Abstract
Heavy metal contamination of soil is an alarming environmental dilemma all over the world. With increasing industrialization, timely development of low-cost and eco-friendly remedial techniques for heavy metal-contaminated soil is needed. Phytoremediation is an emerging technique to remove heavy metals from contaminated soil [...] Read more.
Heavy metal contamination of soil is an alarming environmental dilemma all over the world. With increasing industrialization, timely development of low-cost and eco-friendly remedial techniques for heavy metal-contaminated soil is needed. Phytoremediation is an emerging technique to remove heavy metals from contaminated soil for environmental sustainability. In the present study, ryegrass was used for phytoextraction of lead and cadmium from contaminated soil in a pot experiment. To enhance the bioavailability of heavy metals, cow dung was acidified by amending with elemental sulfur and molasses and also bioaugmented with an SS-16 sulfur-oxidizing strain to boost biological sulfur oxidation and, hence, four chemically different organic products were prepared. The pot experiment was conducted for a period of 60 days under Pb- and Cd-spiked soil for growing ryegrass with the application of a 10% slurry of each acidified organic product. A significant increase in root and shoot fresh mass as well as Pb and Cd accumulation in the root and shoot of the ryegrass was recorded. As compared to the control and the acidified organic product, P4 was the most effective product overall. Bioconcentration and translocation factors of ryegrass for Pb and Cd were also calculated. At the same time, acidified cow dung slurry (10%) also improved the antioxidative defense mechanism of ryegrass. The results suggest that acidified organic products could be effective for phytoextraction of lead and cadmium from contaminated soil, and in the future acidified cow dung slurry can be used to restore heavy metal-polluted soils in an environmentally sustainable way. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Ecological Environment Restoration)
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18 pages, 8091 KiB  
Article
Enhanced Treatment of Decentralized Domestic Sewage Using Gravity-Flow Multi-Soil-Layering Systems Coupled with Iron-Carbon Microelectrolysis
by Shan Ren, Pei Song, Haichun Cheng, Chao Liu and Rongsheng Chen
Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 12892; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su141912892 - 09 Oct 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1306
Abstract
Soil-based decentralized treatment technology has become increasingly popular as an ideal solution for water pollution control in rural areas. It is very necessary to optimize the removal mechanisms and performance of such technologies on rural domestic sewage treatment. This was the first study [...] Read more.
Soil-based decentralized treatment technology has become increasingly popular as an ideal solution for water pollution control in rural areas. It is very necessary to optimize the removal mechanisms and performance of such technologies on rural domestic sewage treatment. This was the first study of a gravity-flow multi-soil-layering (MSL) system coupled with iron-carbon microelectrolysis (ICM). Influent COD/TN (C/N) ratio and bottommost soil mixture block (SMB) submersion were selected as the operating factors relevant to the ICM in MSL systems. Such two key factors were investigated in the factorial experiment. The removal efficiencies of COD, TP, NH3-N, NO3−-N, and TN could be reached up to 96.3, 100, 95.4, 93.8, and 79.6%, respectively. Different levels of factors could comprehensively drive the performance variation. The factorial analysis indicated that the bottommost SMB submersion had the most significant and dominant negative effects on aerobic processes. The ideal TP removal attributed to the presence of the bottommost SMB submersion. It played the dominant role for the bottommost SMB submersion in facilitating an electrochemical reaction through the ICM. Zero-valent iron or ferrous ions could be transformed to final ferric ions more efficiently during the period of the ICM reactions. The ICM could promote the capability of a SMB for removing nutrients in sewage, especially provide electron donors to denitrifying bacteria in MSL systems. However, there were non-significant effects of the influent C/N ratio on the removal performance of MSL systems. This study can help enrich the pollutant removal mechanisms in MSL systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Ecological Environment Restoration)
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14 pages, 1246 KiB  
Article
Screening of Plant Species Response and Performance for Green Belt Development: Implications for Semi-Urban Ecosystem Restoration
by Winifred U. Anake, Faith O. Bayode, Hassana O. Jonathan, Conrad A. Omonhinmin, Oluwole A. Odetunmibi and Timothy A. Anake
Sustainability 2022, 14(7), 3968; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14073968 - 28 Mar 2022
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2227
Abstract
Screened plant species with potential for green belt development can act as eco-sustainable tools for restoring the polluted ecosystem. Eight plant species from two study locations in Ado-Odo, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria, were examined to identify their air pollution response and performance by [...] Read more.
Screened plant species with potential for green belt development can act as eco-sustainable tools for restoring the polluted ecosystem. Eight plant species from two study locations in Ado-Odo, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria, were examined to identify their air pollution response and performance by deploying two air pollution indices, namely air pollution tolerance index (APTI) and anticipated performance index (API). APTI results identified all screened plants as sensitive species suitable as bio-indicators of air pollution, with Ficus auriculata (2.42) common to the non-industrial location being the most sensitive. API scores categorized Ficus auriculata (56.25%) as a moderate performer, while Syzygium malaccense (75%) and Mangifera indica (75%) were identified as very good performers, suitable for green belt development. The relationship between each biochemical parameter with APTI was investigated using regression analysis and two-way analysis of variance. The model result showed a significant relationship between each biochemical parameter with APTI, and relative water content had the highest influence on APTI (R2 = 0.99436). Both indices (APTI and API) are suitable for screening and recommending native plant species for cultivation in the polluted environment, thus promoting ecological restoration. Hence, Syzygium malaccense, Mangifera indica and Ficus auriculata, respectively, were recommended for green belts design. Further intensive screening to identify tolerant species and best to excellent performer’s trees suitable for restoring the ecosystem is advised. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Ecological Environment Restoration)
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16 pages, 6010 KiB  
Article
Decomposition Behavior of Biodegradable and Single-Use Tableware Items in the Warnow Estuary (Baltic Sea)
by Amina Baccar Chaabane, Esther Robbe, Gerald Schernewski and Hendrik Schubert
Sustainability 2022, 14(5), 2544; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14052544 - 22 Feb 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2541
Abstract
Due to the increasing demand for alternative and supposedly more sustainable single-use tableware compared to conventional fossil-based plastic items, there now exists a broad variety of innovative new bio-based and biodegradable items. The aim of this research is to conduct a monitoring of [...] Read more.
Due to the increasing demand for alternative and supposedly more sustainable single-use tableware compared to conventional fossil-based plastic items, there now exists a broad variety of innovative new bio-based and biodegradable items. The aim of this research is to conduct a monitoring of the biodegradability of selected tableware items: polylactic acid (PLA), crystallized polylactic acid (CPLA), wood, palm leaf, paper/cellulose and sugar cane bagasse, as well as a common fossil-based plastic polystyrene (PS) as a comparative material in a water column, to determine their possible use as a substitute for single-use plastic flatware. In situ experiments were performed over a one-year period to consider changes in water temperature, salinity gradients, pH values and dissolved oxygen (DO). The main findings show that tableware items composed of palm leaf, sugar cane bagasse and paper are less resistant to estuary conditions. However, wood, PLA, CPLA and PS items showed a certain resistance during the experimentation period. Furthermore, items placed in the upper incubators degraded relatively faster than those of the same material but placed in the lower incubators. The results indicate that temperature and exposure to natural light could be an important factor in terms of accelerating the degradation of the materials considered. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Ecological Environment Restoration)
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13 pages, 1868 KiB  
Article
Impact of Microplastics on Oil Dispersion Efficiency in the Marine Environment
by Min Yang, Baiyu Zhang, Yifu Chen, Xiaying Xin, Kenneth Lee and Bing Chen
Sustainability 2021, 13(24), 13752; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su132413752 - 13 Dec 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3053
Abstract
Oil spill and microplastics (MPs) pollution has raised global concerns, due to the negative impacts on ocean sustainability. Chemical dispersants were widely adopted as oil-spill-treating agents. When MPs exist during oil dispersion, MP/oil-dispersant agglomerates (MODAs) are observed. This study explored how MPs affect [...] Read more.
Oil spill and microplastics (MPs) pollution has raised global concerns, due to the negative impacts on ocean sustainability. Chemical dispersants were widely adopted as oil-spill-treating agents. When MPs exist during oil dispersion, MP/oil-dispersant agglomerates (MODAs) are observed. This study explored how MPs affect oil-dispersion efficiency in oceans. Results showed that, under dispersant-to-oil volumetric ratio (DOR) 1:10 and mixing energy of 200 rpm, the addition of MPs increased the oil droplet size, total oil volume concentration, and oil-dispersion efficiency. Under DOR 1:25 and mixing energy of 120 rpm, the addition of MPs increased the oil droplet size but resulted in a decrease of total oil volume concentration and dispersion efficiency. Compared with the oil volume concentration, the oil droplet size may no longer be an efficient parameter for evaluating oil-dispersion efficiency with the existence of MODAs. A machine learning (ML)-based XGBRegressor model was further constructed to predict how MPs affected oil volume concentration and oil-dispersion efficiency in oceans. The research outputs would facilitate decision-making during oil-spill responses and build a foundation for the risk assessment of oil and MP co-contaminants that is essential for maintaining ocean sustainability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Ecological Environment Restoration)
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15 pages, 28486 KiB  
Article
The Optimization of Canola Crop Production through Wheat Residue Management within a Western Canadian Context—A Case Study of Saint-Front, Saskatchewan
by Xiaying Xin, Guohe Huang, David Halstead, Katelyn Gaetz, Leila Benmerrouche, Jing Huang, Yuwei Wu, Jinbo Zhang, Yupeng Fu and Nan Wang
Sustainability 2021, 13(18), 10459; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su131810459 - 20 Sep 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2048
Abstract
In this study, the processes of wheat residue degradation in combination with various tillage treatments were explored to determine the ideal management prescription for maximizing canola crop production. A field experiment within a western Canadian context (near Saint-Front, Saskatchewan), consisting of a 2 [...] Read more.
In this study, the processes of wheat residue degradation in combination with various tillage treatments were explored to determine the ideal management prescription for maximizing canola crop production. A field experiment within a western Canadian context (near Saint-Front, Saskatchewan), consisting of a 2 × 3 factorial design, was conducted to determine the fate of crop residue under different harvest and treatment scenarios. ATR-Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, FTIR spectromicroscopy, and synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence imaging (SR-XFI) were used to explore wheat residue degradation mechanisms. The results indicated maximum canola yields and residue degradation occurred in combination with a combine outfitted with an aftermarket chopper and post-harvest treatment by harrow. Crop residue degradation was attributed to cellulose/linen hydrolysis and supramolecular structure changes from high crystalline to amorphous cellulose. Multi-element loss usually accompanied crop residue degradation. An important aspect of this study is the adoption of field-scale analysis to accurately portray real-world sustainable management techniques within a western Canadian context. The findings provided an optimal combination of crop residue treatment and tillage treatment to increase canola production, which had the potential ability to be applied in other countries. It is also an initial attempt to develop a technical composite of FTIR spectromicroscopy and SR-XFI for examining the mechanism of residue decomposition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Ecological Environment Restoration)
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