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The Generation, Migration and Transformation, Impact Assessment, Prevention and Control Measures of Heavy Metals to Environmental Pollution

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Pollution Prevention, Mitigation and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2023) | Viewed by 9310

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Yuanan Hu

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Guest Editor

School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China
Interests: soil pollution; heavy metals; source apportionment; polluton prevention
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Yafeng Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
Interests: environmental geochemistry; heavy metal pollution; mineralogy; rare-earth element geochemistry; solid waste utilization

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Heavy metal pollution has been reported globally and obtained wide attentions. Exposure to heavy metals such as mercury, lead, arsenic, chromium, and cadmium may result in adverse health effects to humans and even poisoning. Heavy metals in environment can be contributed by both the natural origins (such as rock weathering and magmatic activities) and anthropogenic sources (such as industrial production and mining activities). The generation, migration and transformation, health risk assessment, and control measures of heavy metals are important topics in the field of environmental geochemistry and other related research areas.

Heavy metals introduced into the environment cannot be biodegraded, thus the challenges caused by heavy metals are global concerns for the sustainable development of human society. This Special Issue entitled “The generation, migration and transformation, impact assessment, prevention and control measures of heavy metals to environmental pollution”, which belongs to the section of “Pollution Prevention, Mitigation and Sustainability” in Sustainability, is collecting papers aimed at a wide range of topics on heavy metals in the environment (not limited to):

(1) Generation, transportation and fate of heavy metals in the environment

(2) Soil and water contamination of heavy metals

(3) Environmental geochemical behaviors of heavy metals

(4) Risk assessment of heavy metals

(5) Bioaccumulative mechanism of heavy metals

(6) Advanced control measures of heavy metals

We are pleased to invite you to contribute your relevant manuscripts for this Special Issue. Both original research papers and reviews are welcome. The keywords listed below represent a few of the priorities. We look forward to receiving your contribution.

Prof. Dr. Yuanan Hu
Dr. Yafeng 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.

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

heavy metals
fate
soil pollution
water contamination
biological accumulation
environmental geochemical baseline
risk assessment
heavy metal removal
environmental remediation

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 3876 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Studies on the Accumulation, Translocation, and Enrichment Capacity of Soils and the Plant Species Phragmites Australis (Common Reed) with Heavy Metals

by Dana Chitimus, Valentin Nedeff, Emilian Mosnegutu, Narcis Barsan, Oana Irimia and Florin Nedeff

Sustainability 2023, 15(11), 8729; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15118729 - 29 May 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1278

Abstract

In the present study, heavy metal concentrations (Cu, Zn, Pb, As) from former industrial areas were analyzed in soil and the plant species Phragmites Australis (common reed), a plant species found in shallow river banks. The objectives of the study were to determine the accumulation, translocation, and enrichment capacity of soils and plants (root, stem, leaf, and flower) with heavy metals, and to evaluate the potential of the plant species Phragmites Australis (common reed) in the phytoremediation of heavy-metal-polluted soils. The sediments and plants investigated were particularly rich in heavy metals such as Cu, Zn, Pb, and As, and Pb and Zn concentrations were determined to be of phytotoxic level. The highest transfer coefficient of heavy metals from the soil to the root of the plant species Phragmites Australis (common reed) was for the metals Cu and Zn. The transfer of heavy metals from the root of the plant species Phragmites Australis (common reed) to the aerial part of the plant was lowest for Cu. A very low enrichment factor value was recorded for the metal As. The mobility of heavy metals was generally higher from the sediment to the plant roots, with the order of the average transfer coefficient values being Cu > Zn > Pb > As for all three areas analyzed. The translocation of heavy metals from the root to the upper aerial part of the plant was in the form of As > Pb > Zn > Cu in the plant species Phragmites australis (common reed). According to the average values obtained for the three coefficients, the accumulation, translocation, and enrichment capacity of heavy metals in soil and the plant species Phragmites Australis (common reed), it can be stated that the plant species Phragmites Australis (common reed) is very suitable for use in the process of soil remediation by phytoremediation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Generation, Migration and Transformation, Impact Assessment, Prevention and Control Measures of Heavy Metals to Environmental Pollution)

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26 pages, 13110 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatio-Temporal Assessment of Manganese Contamination in Relation to River Morphology: A Study of the Boac and Mogpog Rivers in Marinduque, Philippines

by Cris Edward F. Monjardin, Christopher Power and Delia B. Senoro

Sustainability 2023, 15(10), 8276; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15108276 - 19 May 2023

Viewed by 1696

Abstract

This study investigates the contribution of river morphology towards the occurrence of manganese (Mn) in both sediment and surface water (SW), considering the temporal climatic and spatial conditions. The Boac and Mogpog rivers on the island province of Marinduque, Philippines, were examined in this study. These rivers are downstream of the two abandoned open mine pits at San Antonio and Tapian, where mining disasters occurred in 1993 and 1996, respectively. Field sampling programs were conducted in 2019, 2021 and 2022 to measure the Mn concentrations in sediment and SW, and the physicochemical parameters in SW during the same sampling event. Geographic Information System (GIS) tools were employed to characterize the morphology of each river, specifically river slope, river bends, sinuosity, and channel width and length. The Boac and Mogpog rivers were divided into 22 and 15 river segments, respectively, to account for spatial heterogeneity of all parameters. Correlation (r) analysis on the average Mn concentration and river morphology within each segment was performed and indicated that river bends (Boac r = 0.421, Mogpog r = 0.356) and sinuosity (Boac r = 0.403, Mogpog r = 0.352) had the highest correlation with Mn concentrations in sediment. While river slope (Boac r = 0.716, Mogpog r = 0.282) and sinuosity (Boac r = 0.505, Mogpog r = 0.257) were the highest for Mn in SW. This confirmed that the planform of the river affected the accumulation of Mn due to its effect on sediment deposition along the river and its potential to adsorb and/or desorb metals. Furthermore, the pH of SW also directly correlated with sediment Mn (r = 0.293), and inversely correlated with SW Mn (r = −0.465), which was expected as acidic water promotes the release of metals from sediments to SW. The results from this study will aid local government, environmental engineers and managers in their mitigation program through identification of the areas and segments in the river that contain the highest and the least contamination. This is to optimize financial and human resources during river system remediation and monitoring. Data and information extracted from this study are useful in other areas of similar condition. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Generation, Migration and Transformation, Impact Assessment, Prevention and Control Measures of Heavy Metals to Environmental Pollution)

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14 pages, 6838 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Mineral Deposition on the Retention of Potentially Hazardous Elements in Geothermal Spring Sediments

by Yafeng Wang and Hefa Cheng

Sustainability 2023, 15(10), 8040; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15108040 - 15 May 2023

Viewed by 955

Abstract

Geothermal springs are known to contain a variety of potentially hazardous elements (PHEs), which may threaten human health. Their release on Earth’s surface is largely dependent on the retention by the sediments at the spring outflux. In this study, the hot spring waters and the sediments at the corresponding sites were collected from the Nagqu geothermal field on the Tibetan Plateau. The water geochemistry and sediment mineralogy were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The association of PHEs with minerals was analyzed. The results indicate that while the concentrations of PHEs were highly elevated, Be, As, and Tl in some hot springs exceeded the criteria for class III groundwater in China by up to 2, 2, and 19 times, respectively. Cs occurred at relatively high levels, up to 776 μg/L. As, Co, Se, Tl, and U in the hot spring waters were probably captured by iron sulfide minerals in the sediments, while Be and Cs were strongly retained by the carbonate minerals. The releases of V and Cr were apparently regulated by the clay minerals. Overall, the mobility of PHEs from the geothermal springs is controlled by the deposition of minerals at the spring vents. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Generation, Migration and Transformation, Impact Assessment, Prevention and Control Measures of Heavy Metals to Environmental Pollution)

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17 pages, 6447 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparative Study on the Adsorption Characteristics of Heavy Metal Ions by Activated Carbon and Selected Natural Adsorbents

by Jiashi Li, Xiaoqiang Dong, Xiaofeng Liu, Xin Xu, Wei Duan, Junboum Park, Lei Gao and Yisi Lu

Sustainability 2022, 14(23), 15579; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142315579 - 23 Nov 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2572

Abstract

In this study, adsorption of the heavy metal ions (Pb(II), Cu(II) and Cd(II)) from water by peanut shells (PS), sawdust (S) and commercial activated carbon (AC) were comparatively studied. Thus, the relationship between different adsorption parameters and different heavy metal ion removal rates was investigated. The adsorption capacity of the three adsorbents for heavy metal ions increased with an increase in temperature, pH value, contact time, adsorbent dosage, and heavy metal ion concentration, however, it decreased with an increase of adsorbent particle size. All the adsorption processes are better described by Langmuir isotherm or Freundlich isotherm. Thus, the results show good agreement with pseudo-second-order kinetics and the adsorption processes are spontaneous heat absorption processes. Herein, all adsorbents have higher affinity for Pb(II) ions, and hence possess higher removal rates. In addition, heavy metal ions were desorbed significantly at acidic conditions in the desorption experiments. The results demonstrate that PS can be used as a green adsorbent instead of AC for the adsorption of heavy metal ions from the water. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Generation, Migration and Transformation, Impact Assessment, Prevention and Control Measures of Heavy Metals to Environmental Pollution)

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16 pages, 2538 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Pollution, Risk and Transfer of Heavy Metals in Soil and Rice: A Case Study in a Typical Industrialized Region in South China

by Yaping Liu, Xudong Cao, Yuanan Hu and Hefa Cheng

Sustainability 2022, 14(16), 10225; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141610225 - 17 Aug 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1918

Abstract

Rice paddies in industrialized areas are particularly impacted by heavy metal contaminations. Based on 205 pairs of soil and rice samples collected from Yingtan, a typical industrialized region in southern China, the work was carried out to investigate the characteristics of heavy metals in soils and rice, evaluate their corresponding health risks to local residents and elucidate the migration and enrichment patterns of the trace elements from soil to rice. Approximately 98.5%, 77.6% and 70.2% of the soil samples were polluted by Cd, Pb and Cu, while 34.6%, 23.4% and 15.6% of the rice grain samples had contents of Cd, As and Pb exceeding the standard limitations, respectively. Consuming locally produced rice posed serious risks to local residents. The non-carcinogenic risks were primarily due to dietary intake of i-As and Cd, and carcinogenic risks were mainly caused by i-As in rice grains. Cd is most likely to be migrated and enriched. The bioaccumulation process is influenced by a combination of environmental factors, such as soil pH, TOC, heavy metal contents in bioavailable fractions and mineral elements, such as Al, Mn and Fe. The findings help in making effective pollution prevention and control regulations for guaranteeing the health of local residents. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Generation, Migration and Transformation, Impact Assessment, Prevention and Control Measures of Heavy Metals to Environmental Pollution)

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