Article
Engineering, Environmental
Tianhong Nie, Xing Yang, Hanbo Chen, Karin Muller, Sabry M. Shaheen, Joerg Rinklebe, Hocheol Song, Song Xu, Fengchang Wu, Hailong Wang
Summary: This study investigated the influence of aging on pig- and P. orientalis-derived biochars on the sorption capacity for Cd and Zn in biochar-treated soils. The sorption capacity increased with biochar application rates, and aging led to enhanced sorption capacity due to increased oxygen-containing functional groups. The presence of DEP enhanced sorption capacity in fresh biochar treatments, but not in aged treatments.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Georgios Charvalas, Alexandra D. Solomou, Kyriakos D. Giannoulis, Elpiniki Skoufogianni, Dimitrios Bartzialis, Christina Emmanouil, Nicholaos G. Danalatos
Summary: This article provides an overview of alternative methods for restoring contaminated soils (phytoremediation), focusing on areas of excessive metallurgical activities in Greece. Two case studies in Northern Greece were selected, one characterized by metal mining and a hot summer Mediterranean climate, and the other involving lignite mining and pollution under subtropical climate.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Yajie Wang, Jiefeng Li, Wenjiao Li, Yongfen Wei, Zhiyi Deng, Fusheng Li
Summary: Coal consumption increases consistently, and heavy metal contamination in soils surrounding coal mines has become a severe environmental issue. Investigating the relationship between bacterial communities and potential ecological risks from heavy metals is crucial for understanding the impact of coal production on ecosystem health.
ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Alexandra D. Solomou, Rafaelia Germani, Nikolaos Proutsos, Michaela Petropoulou, Petros Koutroumpilas, Christos Galanis, Georgios Maroulis, Antonios Kolimenakis
Summary: This study investigates the use of phytoremediation, specifically focusing on Mediterranean plants, to reduce heavy metal concentrations in contaminated soils. Based on a review of 166 research studies, the findings suggest that phytoremediation is a sustainable and affordable option, particularly for developing countries. While non-native plant species may be preferred for their metal tolerance mechanisms, they can also pose risks to local ecosystems and should be carefully considered.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiaowen Liu, Yi Huang, Hang Guan, Matthias Wiggenhauser, Veronica Caggia, Klaus Schlaeppi, Adrien Mestrot, Moritz Bigalke
Summary: We conducted an experiment to test the effect of plant growth and soil microbial disturbance on zinc in soil and plants. The results showed that the concentration and isotope fractionation of zinc in the soil and soil pore water increased over time, which was likely due to physical disturbance and fertilization. The presence of maize increased zinc concentration and isotope fractionation in the pore water, possibly due to the uptake of light isotopes by plants and root exudates that solubilized heavy zinc from the soil. Sterilization disturbance increased the concentration of zinc in the pore water, possibly due to abiotic and biotic changes. However, the zinc content and isotope fractionation in the plant did not change.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Review
Food Science & Technology
Temoor Ahmed, Muhammad Noman, Muhammad Rizwan, Shafaqat Ali, Muhammad Shafiq Shahid, Bin Li
Summary: This article focuses on the toxicity of heavy metals in paddy soils and their potential health risks to humans, as well as providing a critical outlook on the recent advances and future perspectives of nanoremediation strategies.
CRITICAL REVIEWS IN FOOD SCIENCE AND NUTRITION
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zihan Wei, Haiping Gu, Quyet Van Le, Wanxi Peng, Su Shiung Lam, Yafeng Yang, Cheng Li, Christian Sonne
Summary: Phytoremediation is a green low-cost technology that uses plants to remove heavy metals from soil, focusing on considering plant tolerance and adaptation to specific metals. Factors such as pH, organic matter, root exudates, and microbial biomass affect the efficiency of phytoremediation during ecosystem contamination restoration. Additional technologies like genetic engineering and nanotechnology are being explored to enhance the efficiency of plant phytoremediation.
SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY AND PHARMACY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Marta Canu, Paolo Mule, Erminio Spanu, Stefania Fanni, Alessandro Marrone, Gianluca Carboni
Summary: Polluting activities have a significant impact on agricultural lands, and the use of hemp in phytoremediation shows promise in managing metal polluted soils. This study conducted in Sardinia, Italy, aimed to evaluate the phytoremediation capability of industrial hemp in metal polluted soils under semiarid environments. The results showed that concentrations of Zn and Cd in the plants were positively correlated with soil content and varied in different parts of the plants. The study also found high levels of Pb in plants grown in non-contaminated soils, possibly due to atmospheric deposition from distant sources.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Petru Cardei, Florin Nenciu, Nicoleta Ungureanu, Mirabela Augustina Pruteanu, Valentin Vladut, Dan Cujbescu, Iuliana Gageanu, Oana Diana Cristea
Summary: The study proposes a statistical model for assessing zinc accumulation in lettuce, revealing the time dependence of heavy metal accumulation in plants. Experimental data can be used to predict plant growth parameters in contaminated environments and assess the potential harm of pollutants to human health.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Giorgos Thalassinos, Efi Levizou, Vasileios Antoniadis, Wanting Ling
Summary: In a pot experiment, the phytostabilization capacity of purslane was tested in soil heavily contaminated with Cd, Pb, and Zn. Various soil improvers were used, both organic and inorganic. The results showed that the organic amendments had some effect in increasing the extractability of Cd, Pb, and Zn but were not able to reduce the levels to a satisfactory extent for phytostabilization.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Shi-Hang Wang, Jian-Wei Wang, Li-Ting Zhao, Syed Zaghum Abbas, Zhugen Yang, Yang-Chun Yong
Summary: Soil microbial fuel cells (SMFCs) are used as soil-powered biosensors, but traditional SMFC sensors have limitations for long-term and continuous monitoring of toxic pollutants. A new carbon-felt-based cathodic SMFC biosensor was developed for long-term sensing of heavy metal ions in soil. The biosensor generated stable output voltage within 2 to 5 minutes upon injection of metal ions and maintained efficiency for four months without significant decrease in output voltage. This cathodic SMFC biosensor shows potential as a low-cost self-powered biosensor.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yizhang Liu, Tangfu Xiao, Zhengjie Zhu, Liang Ma, Hang Li, Zengping Ning
Summary: This study investigated the pollution, fractionation and potential risks of heavy metals in soils from a mountainous area with black shale outcropping, with emphasis on Cd and Zn. Elevated concentrations of heavy metals in black shales reflected high geochemical baseline in the study area. Metals released from oxidative weathering were redistributed and retained during pedogenic processes, leading to enrichment of certain metals in soils.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yuan Wang, Xuejiang Wang, Yuan Li, Yiyang Liu, Ying Sun, Siqing Xia, Jianfu Zhao
Summary: The presence of microplastics in soil with combined pollution of antibiotics and heavy metals can increase antibiotic resistance stimulation and affect the propagation of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) by altering soil properties, soil microbial diversity, and abundance of related genes.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Xiyue Jia, David O'Connor, Zhou Shi, Deyi Hou
Summary: Soil contamination poses a threat to living standards and global sustainability efforts. Utilizing visible and infrared reflectance spectroscopy in conjunction with machine learning can effectively detect soil pollution, guiding countermeasures and remediation operations.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Erminia Conti, Christian Mulder
Summary: Enchytraeids, especially those belonging to Clade C, show significant correlations between their biomass and heavy metals in different types of soils. These findings highlight the importance of considering soil types when assessing the effects of heavy metals on enchytraeids and the entire edaphic community.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2022)
