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Advances in Management and Remediation of Contaminated Soils

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (3 July 2023) | Viewed by 6593

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Muhammad Qaswar

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Guest Editor

Department of Environment, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent 9000, Belgium
Interests: soil contamination; soil remediation; proximal soil sensing; precision agriculture; predictive modeling; long-term fertilization

Dr. Waqas Ahmed

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation, College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Haikou 570100, China
Interests: soil contamination; environmental application of biochar; soil remediation; waste water treatment; soil chemistry

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soil contamination has become one of the major global environmental issues due to rapid industrialization and urbanization. Soil contamination is defined as the accumulation of persistent toxic compounds, chemicals, salts, radioactive elements or disease-causing agents in soil, which have an adverse impact on plant growth and human health. In addition to common contaminants such as heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants, soils are being polluted with hydrocarbons, chlorophenols, polychlorinated biphenyls, antibiotics, microplastics and nanoparticles. Several kinds of soil remediation techniques have been developed, including physical, chemical and biological techniques, although most of them are in their infancy stage. Moreover, the application of soil remediation techniques is limited by several factors, such as (1) ability to monitor the contaminated sites, (2) diverse nature of the host environment and (3) secondary pollution due to soil-remediating agents. Thus, innovative, cost-effective and sustainable techniques are required for the remediation of contaminated soil. This Special Issue focuses on new developments in the field of contaminated soil remediation, such as physical remediation, chemical remediation, bioremediation, nanoremediation, electrokinetic remediation or phytoremediation techniques, as well as factors affecting remediation techniques.

This Special Issue is open to all aspects related to soil remediation techniques, particularly innovative methods of soil remediation, including physical, chemical and biological methods. Studies on occurrence, fate, risk assessment, mapping, modeling and monitoring of soil contaminants are also welcome.

Main topics include, but are not limited to:

Occurrence, characterization and transformation of emerging pollutants in soil–plant systems;
Monitoring and mapping of soil contamination ;
Modeling and prediction of soil contamination;
Development and application of innovative methods for soil remediation;
Sustainable and environmentally friendly techniques for soil remediation.

Dr. Muhammad Qaswar
Dr. Waqas Ahmed
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

Soil remediation techniques
Chemical remediation
Bioremediation
Physical remediation
Predictive modeling of soil contaminants
Mapping of contaminants

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 1586 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Biochar with Organic and Inorganic Fertilizers Improves Defenses, Nitrogen Use Efficiency, and Yield of Maize Plants Subjected to Water Deficit in an Alkaline Soil

by Norhan M. M. El-Syed, Ayman M. Helmy, Sara E. E. Fouda, Mohamed M. Nabil, Tamer A. Abdullah, Sadeq K. Alhag, Laila A. Al-Shuraym, Khalid M. Al Syaad, Anam Ayyoub, Mohsin Mahmood and Ahmed S. Elrys

Sustainability 2023, 15(16), 12223; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151612223 - 10 Aug 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1253

Abstract

Nutrient management practices, such as optimum fertilizer addition rate and co-addition of inorganic fertilizers and organic amendments (compost and biochar), were investigated to enhance crop production and nitrogen (N) use efficiency. However, how these practices improve the defense system, N use efficiency, yield quantity and quality, and physio-biochemical constituents of maize (Zea mays L.) plants grown on an alkaline soil under different irrigation levels (well-watered conditions, mild drought, and severe drought) remains unclear. A two-year field trial was carried out in a split–split plot with a randomized complete block design with three irrigation levels (100% evapotranspiration (ET), 80% ET, and 60% ET) as the main plots, two amendments (5 Mg ha^–1 biochar or compost) as subplots, and three regimes of inorganic fertilization (119-16-69, 179-24-99, and 238-31-138 kg N-phosphorus (P)-potassium (K) ha⁻¹) as sub-subplots. We found that maize yield, oil, starch, protein, carbohydrates, and NPK uptake significantly decreased with increasing drought levels, but catalase, peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and proline contents significantly increased. The addition of organic amendments (compost or biochar) with inorganic fertilizers was more effective in enhancing the above attributes than inorganic fertilizers alone, but these attributes were positively related to inorganic fertilizer rates. The treatment of compost or biochar plus 238-31-138 kg N-P-K ha⁻¹ was the best treatment. The agronomic efficiency of applied fertilizer N (NAE) significantly decreased with increasing drought levels by 28.4–34.7%. The addition of biochar with inorganic fertilizers significantly enhanced NAE by 11.6% compared to inorganic fertilizers alone. Comparing the effect of inorganic fertilizer rates across all irrigation levels, the treatment of 119-16-69 kg N-P-K ha⁻¹ gave the highest NAE. Thus, the addition of optimum NPK fertilizer rate with biochar or compost is suitable to enhance the yield quantity and quality of maize plants grown on alkaline soils by improving its defensive system and N use efficiency, especially under the expected increase in aridity response to climate change. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Management and Remediation of Contaminated Soils)

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15 pages, 4907 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characterization and Assessment of Organic Pollution at a Fumaric Acid Chemical Brownfield Site in Northwestern China

by Ye Yang, Chaokun Li, Zhiwen Chen, Yingying Dong, Nan Zhang, Yulu Wei, Hui Xi and Wendong Wang

Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 12476; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912476 - 30 Sep 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1252

Abstract

Large-scale fumaric acid chemical brownfield sites have posed a significant obstacle to environmental safety, public safety, and the redevelopment of brownfield sites. A comprehensive study was conducted to determine the main pollution indicators, soil pollution characteristics, and the multiple potential risks to the environment and the ecosystem of a fumaric acid brownfield site in northwestern China. The results showed that 1,2,3-trichloropropane(1,2,3-TCP) was the primary pollutant at the fumaric acid brownfield site. The atmospheric volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in this brownfield site did not exceed the Chinese standard limits. The soil contamination was more severe within the site, with a total of about 30 VOCs detected, including the uncommon brominated pollutants. The level of longitudinal soil contamination decreased with increasing soil depth. The distillation area was more contaminated with a maximum exceedance multiple of 11,291.8. The longitudinal contamination depths in the distillation and reactor zones were 10.0 m and 4.0 m, respectively. Soil texture and production processes are considered to be one of the influencing factors for the depth of vertical soil contamination. Our findings heighten the awareness of brownfield site soil contamination and provide a reference for contamination controls and the comprehensive management of fumaric acid brownfield sites. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Management and Remediation of Contaminated Soils)

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11 pages, 3306 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Interaction of Soil Nutrients and Arsenic (As) in Paddy Soil in a Long-Term Fertility Experiment

by Muhammad Qaswar, Liu Yiren, Kailou Liu, Lv Zhenzhen, Hou Hongqian, Xianjin Lan, Ji Jianhua, Waqas Ahmed, Liu Lisheng, Abdul M. Mouazen and Zhang Huimin

Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 11939; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141911939 - 22 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1453

Abstract

In this study, we examined the interaction between arsenic (As) and nutrients in paddy soil which received pig manure and chemical fertilizers for 36 years (since 1984). The treatments consisted of: CK (without fertilization); NPK (chemical nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilization); NPK30%M (70% NPK plus 30% manure); NPK50%M (50% NPK plus 50% manure); and NPK70%M (30% NPK plus 70% manure). The combined application of pig manure and chemical fertilizer improved grain yield, soil pH and nutrient levels compared to chemical fertilizer application treatment. In comparison to CK, grain yield increased by 55.9%, 75.0%, 74.9% and 71.9%, respectively under the NPK, NPK30%M, NPK50%M and NPK70%M treatments. Soil As concentration increased by increasing the amount of manure input, and the highest concentration of As was 0.64 mg kg⁻¹ found in the NPK70%M treatment. Increasing the rate of manure application decreased the As bioaccumulation coefficient (BAC) for rice grain. SOC, total N and P showed a positive correlation with the soil-available As concentration and negative correlation with BAC. Furthermore, the partial least square model (PLS) showed that the soil pH and SOC were the most influencing factors on BAC among the different properties of soil, which explained the 75.4% and 17.6% of total variations, respectively. This study concluded that the addition of pig manure together with chemical fertilizers can increase crop production by supplying essential nutrients, but the concentration of As in manure should be monitored to reduce soil and food contamination. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Management and Remediation of Contaminated Soils)

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19 pages, 4844 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Variability in Soil Parent Materials at Different Development Stages Controlled Phosphorus Fractions and Its Uptake by Maize Crop

by Mohsin Mahmood, Tianwei Xu, Waqas Ahmed, Jie Yang, Jiannan Li, Sajid Mehmood, Wenjie Liu, Jiechang Weng and Weidong Li

Sustainability 2022, 14(9), 5048; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14095048 - 22 Apr 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1956

Abstract

An adequate phosphorus (P) supply in the rhizosphere is essential for proper P uptake through plant roots. Distributions of P varies depending on the soil structure, formation, and the parent material from which it originates. More research is needed to determine whether soil depth and parent materials have an impact on P distribution. It was hypothesized that the type of soil formed by different parent materials is related to P uptake and soil P fractions. Soil samples were taken from different profiles at various stages of development in loess, alluvium, shale, and sandstone parent materials. The samples were analyzed for P fractions using the Jiang and Gu fractionation scheme. In the present study, the P fractions were controlled according to the quantity and the components, such as organic matter, clay minerals, carbonates, iron, and aluminum oxides. Studying the phosphatase enzyme activity related to P fractions, the soil parent material, and their development was highly beneficial in defining which P pools are more accessible to plants, as well as the effect of phosphatase in limiting P availability. Among all the tested parent materials, the total P in soils derived from the loess parent material was higher (792 mg kg⁻¹) than in soils derived from alluvium, shale, and sandstone, respectively. The amount of apatite P in alluvium parent material was higher, accounting for 51–56% of total P. Other P forms varied significantly in parent materials in the following order loess > alluvium > shale >> sandstone. Phosphatase enzyme was found to be an indicator of P availability by limiting its uptake by plants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Management and Remediation of Contaminated Soils)

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