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Minerals
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Advances in Heavy Metal Removal from Contaminated Soil and Groundwater
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Advances in Heavy Metal Removal from Contaminated Soil and Groundwater

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Mineralogy and Biogeochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2021) | Viewed by 15657

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Minhee Lee

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Earth Environmental Sciences, Pukyong National University, Busan 48513, Korea
Interests: soil reclamation; soil washing/flushing; carbonation; phytoremediation; bioprecipitation; environmental mineralogy; geochemistry
Dr. Wooyong Um

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division of Advanced Nuclear Engineering/Division of Environmental Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang 37673, Korea
Interests: environmental remediation; radioactive waste managent; aqueous geochemistry

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We have the pleasure of inviting you to participate in a Special Issue of Minerals devoted to “Advances in Heavy Metal Removal from Contaminated Soil and Groundwater”.

Soil and groundwater contamination by heavy metals became a serious problem in the second half of the twentieth century, raising public health concerns over the world. This Special Issue will focus on all aspects of advanced remediation procedures in heavy metal contaminated soil and groundwater and on seeking out new solutions in how to best use physicochemical and biological mechanisms, providing the highest efficiency to clean up heavy metals from soil and groundwater.

This Special Issue aims to cover a diverse range of research items such as migration, toxicity, and speciation of heavy metals in soil and groundwater systems and to develop advanced remediation technologies for heavy metals, bringing together researchers from various disciplines. We strongly encourage papers associated with advanced modifications and applications of reaction mechanisms and feasibility studies to improve heavy metal removal from soil and water systems.

Dr. Minhee Lee
Dr. Wooyong Um
Guest Editors

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. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 washing/flushing
  • soil remediation/reclamation
  • soil stabilization/solidification
  • sorption and carbonation in remediation
  • PRB (permeable reactive barrier)
  • phytoremediation
  • biotechnical treatment
  • mineralogical and geochemical technology
  • remote sensing and monitoring

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 3350 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Soil Contamination by Gas Cloud Generated from Chemical Fire Using Metabolic Profiling and Associated Bacterial Communities
by Jungman Jo, Yongtae Ahn, Kalimuthu Pandi, Heesoo Pyo, Naeun Kim, Seong-Taek Yun, Minseok Kim, Jeongae Lee and Jaeyoung Choi
Minerals 2021, 11(4), 372; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11040372 - 1 Apr 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2545
Abstract
Chemical accidents have frequently occurred in South Korea as a result of the huge amount of chemicals being used in various industries. Even though fire accidents accounted for 71.9% of chemical accidents during 2008–2018 in South Korea, most ecological research and investigation has [...] Read more.
Chemical accidents have frequently occurred in South Korea as a result of the huge amount of chemicals being used in various industries. Even though fire accidents accounted for 71.9% of chemical accidents during 2008–2018 in South Korea, most ecological research and investigation has focused on leakage accidents since most fire or explosion gases are diffused out and disappear into the atmosphere. In this study, the possibility of soil contamination by toluene combustion is proposed. A fire simulation batch test was performed and identified the combustion by-products such as methylbenzene, ethylbenzene, ethynylbenzene, benzaldehyde, 1-phenyl-1-propyne, naphthalene, 2-methylindene using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Naphthyl-2-methyl-succinic acid, a metabolic intermediate of naphthalene metabolism derived from the combustion product of toluene, was also discovered in field soil and the secondary metabolites such as streptomycin 6-phosphate, 3-Nitroacrylate, oxaloacetate using LC–MS. Moreover, Streptomyces scabiei, participating in naphthalene metabolism, was also discovered in filed soil (contaminated soil) using 16s rRNA sequencing. As a result, bacterial stress responses in field soil (contaminated soil) affected by gas cloud were identified by discovering metabolites relating to bacterial self-defense action such as fatty biosynthesis. This study draws a conclusion that soil can be polluted enough to affect bacteria by gas cloud and soil bacteria and can encounter stress for a long term even though toluene and its combustion products had already decomposed in soil. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Heavy Metal Removal from Contaminated Soil and Groundwater)
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15 pages, 1720 KiB  
Article
Top-Down Synthesis of NaP Zeolite from Natural Zeolite for the Higher Removal Efficiency of Cs, Sr, and Ni
by Seokju Hong and Wooyong Um
Minerals 2021, 11(3), 252; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11030252 - 28 Feb 2021
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3877
Abstract
A solid phase of natural zeolite was transformed to Na-zeolite P (NaP zeolite) by a “top-down approach” hydrothermal reaction using 3 M of NaOH solution in a 96 °C oven. Time-dependent X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), XRF, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) [...] Read more.
A solid phase of natural zeolite was transformed to Na-zeolite P (NaP zeolite) by a “top-down approach” hydrothermal reaction using 3 M of NaOH solution in a 96 °C oven. Time-dependent X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), XRF, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis as well as kinetic, isotherm, and cation exchange capacity experiments were performed to understand the mechanism of mineral transition from natural zeolite to NaP zeolite. The XRD crystal peaks of the natural zeolite decreased (decrystallization phase) first, and then the NaP zeolite XRD crystal peaks increased gradually (recrystallization phase). From the XRF results, the dissolution rate of Si was slow in the recrystallization phase, while it was rapid in the decrystallization phase. The specific surface area measured by BET analysis was higher in NaP zeolite (95.95 m2/g) compared to that of natural zeolite (31.35 m2/g). Furthermore, pore structure analysis confirmed that NaP zeolites have more micropores than natural zeolite. In the kinetic experiment, the results showed that the natural zeolite and NaP zeolite were well matched with a pseudo-second-order kinetic model, and reached equilibrium within 24 h. The isotherm experiment results confirmed that both zeolites were well matched with the Langmuir isotherm, and the maximum removal capacity (Qmax) values of Sr and Ni were highly increased in NaP zeolite. In addition, the cation exchange capacity (CEC) experiment showed that NaP zeolite has an enhanced CEC of 310.89 cmol/kg compared to natural zeolite (CEC = 119.19 cmol/kg). In the actual batch sorption test, NaP zeolite (35.3 mg/g) still showed high Cs removal efficiency though it was slightly lower than the natural zeolite (39.0 mg/g). However, in case of Sr and Ni, NaP zeolite (27.9 and 27.8 mg/g, respectively) showed a much higher removal efficiency than natural zeolite (4.9 and 5.5 mg/g for Sr and Ni, respectively). This suggests that NaP zeolite, synthesized by a top-down desilication method, is more practical to remove mixed radionuclides from a waste solution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Heavy Metal Removal from Contaminated Soil and Groundwater)
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19 pages, 3481 KiB  
Article
Low Molecular Weight Organic Acids Increase Cd Accumulation in Sunflowers through Increasing Cd Bioavailability and Reducing Cd Toxicity to Plants
by Hongfei Lu, Dongmei Qiao, Yang Han, Yulong Zhao, Fangfang Bai and Yadan Wang
Minerals 2021, 11(3), 243; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11030243 - 26 Feb 2021
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 2630
Abstract
The use of low molecular weight organic acids (LMWOAs) for the phytoremediation of heavy metals has become a promising technique. We chose five kinds of organic acids (oxalic acid (OA), acetic acid (AA), tartaric acid (TA), malic acid (MA), and citric acid (CA)) [...] Read more.
The use of low molecular weight organic acids (LMWOAs) for the phytoremediation of heavy metals has become a promising technique. We chose five kinds of organic acids (oxalic acid (OA), acetic acid (AA), tartaric acid (TA), malic acid (MA), and citric acid (CA)) with six application rates (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 mmol/kg) and planted sunflowers (Helianthus annuus L.) in Cd-polluted soil to study the efficiency of the phytoremediation of Cd and the degree of Cd toxicity to plants. Treatment with no acid application served as the control (CK). We analyzed the plant height dry matter and the Cd and nonprotein sulfhydryl (NPT) contents in the soil and plant tissues. OA, AA, TA, MA, and CA increased plant heights by 17.6–47.40%, 21.25–39.17%, 12.5–35.52, 5.10–30.50%, and 16.15–49.17%, respectively; shoot biomass of the sunflowers was increased except with MA. NPT decreased under LMWOA application, which, in the roots, increased with the increase in root Cd under LMWOA treatment; however, there was no obvious relationship in the stems and leaves. The composition of Cd in the soil changed significantly under the LMWOA treatments compared to the CK, and the changes in carbonate Cd and Fe-Mn oxide Cd were the most prominent. The plant Cd accumulation of OA, AA, TA, MA, and CA increased by 43.31%, 55.25%, 48.69%, 0.52%, and 32.94%, respectively, and the increase in root Cd content and shoot dry matter quality promoted the increase in Cd accumulation. The LMWOAs were more likely to affect the phytoremediation of Cd by changing total P (TP) rather than total N (TN). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Heavy Metal Removal from Contaminated Soil and Groundwater)
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13 pages, 3099 KiB  
Article
Uranium Rhizofiltration by Lactuca sativa, Brassica campestris L., Raphanus sativus L., Oenanthe javanica under Different Hydroponic Conditions
by Yikyeong Han, Juyeon Lee, Changmin Kim, Jinyoung Park, Minhee Lee and Minjune Yang
Minerals 2021, 11(1), 41; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11010041 - 31 Dec 2020
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3064
Abstract
Rhizofiltration experiments were conducted using uranium-contaminated groundwater and lettuce (Lactuca sativa), Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris L.), radish (Raphanus sativus L.), and buttercup (Oenanthe javanica), which are commonly grown and consumed in South Korea. The results of the [...] Read more.
Rhizofiltration experiments were conducted using uranium-contaminated groundwater and lettuce (Lactuca sativa), Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris L.), radish (Raphanus sativus L.), and buttercup (Oenanthe javanica), which are commonly grown and consumed in South Korea. The results of the rhizofiltration experiments with artificial solutions with different initial uranium concentrations (18, 32, 84, 116, 173, and 263 μg/L) show that the uranium accumulation and bioconcentration factor (BCF) of plant roots increase with increasing uranium concentration in the groundwater. Among the four plants, the uranium concentration in the roots of Raphanus sativus L. is 1215.8 μg/g dry weight, with a maximum BCF value of 2692.7. The BCF value of the artificial solutions with various pH values (pH 3, 5, 7, and 9) is the highest under acidic conditions (pH 3) for all four plants. The uranium BCF values based on different hydroponic conditions range from 170.5 to 11580.3 and the results are comparable with those of other studies using similar methods; the highest BCF value was determined for Brassica campestris L. at pH 3. The BCF values of Raphanus sativus L. after the rhizofiltration experiments with genuine groundwater contaminated with uranium are the highest among the four species; that is, 1684.7 and 1700.1 in Oesam-dong and Bugokdong groundwater samples with uranium concentrations of 83 and 173 μg/L, respectively. The results of the scanning electron microscope/electron dispersive X-ray spectroscope analyses show that uranium in contaminated groundwater is adsorbed as a solid phase on the root surface. These results demonstrate that Raphanus sativus L. has a high tolerance to high concentrations of uranium and low pH conditions and a remarkable potential for uranium accumulation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Heavy Metal Removal from Contaminated Soil and Groundwater)
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15 pages, 31427 KiB  
Article
Mechanisms at Different pH for Stabilization of Arsenic in Mine Tailings Using Steelmaking Slag
by Taehyoung Kim, Seonhee Kim, Hyunji Tak, Kyeongtae Kim, Chul-Woo Chung and Minhee Lee
Minerals 2020, 10(10), 900; https://doi.org/10.3390/min10100900 - 11 Oct 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2784
Abstract
The mechanisms at different pH for the stabilization of arsenic (As) in mine tailings (MTs) using steelmaking slag were investigated using laboratory experiments. Two types of steelmaking slag were used in the experiments. Ca-slag has high pH and high calcium oxide content due [...] Read more.
The mechanisms at different pH for the stabilization of arsenic (As) in mine tailings (MTs) using steelmaking slag were investigated using laboratory experiments. Two types of steelmaking slag were used in the experiments. Ca-slag has high pH and high calcium oxide content due to its short period of aging. In contrast, Fe-slag is oxidized for a long time and is richer in Fe than in Ca. The As-contaminated MTs were taken from a tailing-storage dam around an abandoned gold mine in Korea. The tailings had an average As concentration of 2225.3 mg/kg. The As-removal batch experiment was performed to investigate the As-removal characteristics of the steelmaking slag. From SEM/EDS analyses after each batch experiment, Ca-As bearing precipitates were broadly found on the surface of Ca-slag particles and the final pH of the solution increased to 12.3. However, for Fe-slag, the As was locally found as forms adsorbed to the surface of Fe and Mn oxides contained in the Fe-slag particles. The final pH of this solution was 8.4. The efficiency of removal of As from water using the Ca-slag was >97% and that with Fe-slag was 79%. This suggests that As ions in solution were removed by Ca-(co-)precipitation (which occurs comprehensively on the Ca-slag surface), or by restrictive adsorption of Fe- and Mn-oxides (on limited parts of the Fe-slag). To determine the efficiency of As-extraction reduction from MTs using steel slags, arsenic-extraction batch experiments with two slags were performed under acidic conditions, simulating the leaching environment formed around a mine tailing storage dam. The As concentration in the extracted solution was decreased by 69.9% (even at pH 2) after the addition of 5% Fe-slag. However, when 5% Ca-slag was added, the As concentration decreased by 42.3% at pH 2. These results suggest that Fe-rich steel slag can be more effective than Ca-rich steel slag as a stabilizer for As in contaminated mine tailings at low pH. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Heavy Metal Removal from Contaminated Soil and Groundwater)
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