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Dear Colleagues,

Local, regional, and global environments are subject to a range of diffuse contamination issues that are caused or exacerbated by human activity. Some of these involve naturally occurring elements and compounds, whereas others relate to xenobiotics. Some are inconsequential, whereas others may pose serious threats to ecosystems, human health, and economic activity. Many are only poorly or partially characterized.

In this second Special Issue devoted to diffuse contamination of the environment, we invite any papers that explore the spread, status, environmental behavior, and/or potential significance of any instance of diffuse contamination, from heavy metals to microplastics. Papers relating to any diffuse contamination issue are welcomed, and the scope is wide to facilitate a broader conversation.

The selected topic may:

involve one element or compound, or a class or category of substances;
focus on one environmental compartment or be multicompartmental;
take the form of a research paper or a systematic review article;
include the results of specific monitoring investigations, or modeling studies, or applicable epidemiological investigations.

Dr. Nicholas D. Kim
Guest Editor

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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.

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

diffuse contamination
heavy metals
xenobiotic substances
emerging contaminants
microplastics
chemical contaminants
science and public policy

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 2067 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Copper Contamination Affects the Biogeochemical Cycling of Nitrogen in Freshwater Sediment Mesocosms

by Tomson Tomoiye, Jianyin Huang and Niklas J. Lehto

Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 9958; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15139958 - 22 Jun 2023

Viewed by 1349

Abstract

Trace elements can have a wide variety of effects on microbial populations and their function in the aquatic environment. However, specific impacts on chemical and biological processes are often difficult to unravel, due to the wide variety of chemical species involved and interactions between different elemental cycles. A replicated mesocosm experiment was used to test the effect of increasing copper concentrations, i.e., from 6 mg kg⁻¹ to 30 and 120 mg kg⁻¹, on nitrogen cycling in a freshwater sediment under laboratory conditions. Nitrous oxide emissions from the treated sediments were measured over three consecutive 24 h periods. This was followed by measurements of iron, manganese, copper and mineral nitrogen species (nitrate and ammonium) mobilisation in the sediments using the diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) and diffusive equilibria in thin films (DET) techniques and sequential extractions. Increasing copper concentrations are shown to have resulted in significantly reduced nitrate formation near the sediment–water interface and increased nitrous oxide emissions from the sediment overall. The concomitant mobilisation and sequestration of iron with ammonium in the sediment with the highest Cu treatment strongly imply links between the biogeochemical cycles of the two elements. Modest Cu contamination was shown to affect the nitrogen cycle in the tested freshwater sediment, which suggests that even relatively small loads of the metal in fresh watercourses can exert an influence on nutrient loads and greenhouse gas emissions from these environments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diffuse Contamination of the Environment — From Heavy Metals to Microplastics)

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18 pages, 3890 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Co-Selection of Heavy Metal and Antibiotic Resistance in Soil Bacteria from Agricultural Soils in New Zealand

by Ali Heydari, Nick D. Kim, Jacqui Horswell, Gerty Gielen, Alma Siggins, Matthew Taylor, Collette Bromhead and Barry R. Palmer

Sustainability 2022, 14(3), 1790; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14031790 - 04 Feb 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2999

Abstract

Accumulation of trace elements (including heavy metals) in soil from usage of superphosphate fertilisers induces resistance of soil bacteria to trace elements of environmental concern (TEoEC) and may co-select for resistance to antibiotics (Ab). This study aimed to investigate selection of co-resistance of soil bacteria to Cd, Zn and Hg, and Ab in soils with varied management histories. Genetic diversity of these bacteria and horizontal transfer of Cd resistance genes (cadA and czcA) were also investigated. Soils with either pastoral and arable management histories and either high levels of Cd and Zn, or indigenous bush with background levels of these TEoEC from the Waikato region, New Zealand were sampled. Plate culturing with a range of TEoEC and Ab concentrations, Pollution Induced Community Tolerance (PICT) assay, antibiotic sensitivity, terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRFLP) and horizontal gene transfer (HGT) analyses were employed to investigate co-selection of TEoEC and Ab resistance. Higher levels of bacterial resistance to TEoEC and Ab correlated with higher levels of TEoEC in soil. Bacterial community structures were altered in soils with high TEoEC levels. Cd resistance genes were transferred from donor bacterial isolates, to recipients and the transconjugants also had resistance to Zn and/or Hg and a range of Ab. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diffuse Contamination of the Environment — From Heavy Metals to Microplastics)

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