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Heavy metal pollution in soil has received much attention in recent decades. Many studies have analyzed the interaction between specific soil quality and soil heavy metal pollution. However, there is little information about the pollution status, spatial distribution and pollution sources of heavy metals in the province of Tianjin. In this paper, t...
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Bioretention facilities reduce stormwater runoff and pollutants, but there is a concern that plants in bioretention facilities may absorb heavy metal pollutants from stormwater runoff, which might impair the growth of the plant species. To investigate this issue, stormwater runoff containing various amounts of Pb and Cd heavy metals was used as the...
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... El índice de carga de contaminación (ICC) se utilizó como medida de la contaminación general del suelo. Este método de evaluación integral depende del factor o índice de contaminación (FC) de cada metal(oide) [37], [38], cuya fórmula se muestra en (2); siendo C i la concentración de cada metal(oid)e pesado en la muestra de suelo y B i el valor de fondo geoquímico correspondiente. La ecuación del ICC se describe en (3). ...
Despite notable achievements in the development and application of the remediation of metal-contaminated soils, the search for and study of promising immobilizing agents continues. This article presents a new approach to using brown coal and activated carbon and their application for metal stabilization. An experiment was conducted to test Medicago falcata L. on soils from industrial areas contaminated with varying levels of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and nickel (Ni) with the addition of carbons. This plant is a stress-tolerant leguminous species. In this study, the total content of metals in soil and the available forms to plants (single extractions with 0.02 M ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, EDTA) were determined, along with metal contents in the plant. The use of carbons lowered the phytoavailable forms of metals for plants and thus, resulted in a reduction in the phytotoxicity of the soils. The contents of the tested metals in the roots and shoots were lower than in the combinations of soils with no carbon added. The activated carbon had a stronger effect on limiting the availability of metals than brown coal in relation to plants growing on soils without added carbon; the percentage of reduction for the shoots was Cr (18.2%) > Zn (11.5%) > Ni (10.7%) > Cu (10.3%) > Cd (8.9%) > Pb (2.4%) and Cu (13.3%) > Cr (12.5%) > Zn (10.5%) > Pb (9.0%) > Ni (5.7%) > Cd (4.6%) for roots. Metals reduced the growth of Medicago falcata L. roots from 44 to 21%, while the growth of shoots was reduced from 25 to 2%. Adding carbons to soils in all combinations resulted in a decrease in the following pollution indices: pollution index (PI), pollution load index (PLI), and non-carcinogenic (HQ) and carcinogenic risk factors (ILCR).
This chapter rigorously examines soil toxic metal/metalloid contamination and its profound implications on crop resilience, focusing on abiotic stress conditions. It begins by elucidating the natural and anthropogenic origins of soil contamination, illustrating how plants absorb these toxicants, and elaborating on their physio-molecular responses. The chapter accentuates the detrimental manifestations of impaired photosynthesis, nutrient uptake, and oxidative stress management, underscoring the urgent need for effective mitigation strategies. Phytoremediation and genetic engineering advancements are explored as promising strategies to optimize plant resilience in contaminated environments. Novel methodologies, including phytochelatins and the strategic application of genetic engineering, demonstrate potential in improving plant growth and resilience, showcasing significant advancements toward sustainable agricultural practices. Moreover, the interaction between plants and soil microbes is dissected, revealing a symbiotic relationship that influences the bioavailability of toxic metals/metalloids and optimizes plant health under stress conditions. This insight into microbial assistance opens new avenues for research and application in crop management and soil remediation. This chapter contributes essential knowledge toward bolstering crop resilience against toxic metal/metalloid contamination by presenting cutting-edge research findings and sophisticated mitigation techniques. It emphasizes the critical role of innovative research in overcoming the challenges posed by soil contamination, paving the way for achieving sustainable agricultural productivity and food security in the face of environmental stressors.
Assessment of the effective state concentrations of Zn, Pb, Cu, Ni, Cr, Cd, and As in 210 soil samples across the Guangzhou region in South China. The study also explores the pollution status, potential risks, and identifies the main hazard factors associated with these elements. The analysis of effective concentrations indicates average values of 13.66 mg/kg for Pb, 3.64 mg/kg for Ni, 17.92 mg/kg for Cu, 1.74 mg/kg for Cr, 51.77 mg/kg for Zn, 0.22 mg/kg for Cd, and 0.38 mg/kg for As. Notably, all heavy metals exhibited considerable variability. The single pollution index method and Nemerow index method both suggest that, with the exception of Cd, all heavy metals exhibit relatively low levels of contamination, indicating a slight overall pollution in the studied samples. The potential ecological risk index identifies Cd as the primary ecological risk factor among the available heavy metals in the soil of Guangzhou. The analysis using the potential health risk model suggests that the available forms of each heavy metal do not pose substantial health risks to both children and adults. The principal non-carcinogenic factors identified are Cu and Pb, whereas Cd and Cr emerge as the primary carcinogenic factors. The collaborative risk assessment analysis revealed that 79% of the samples in Guangzhou exhibited low potential risks, 20% showed potential risks, and only one sample indicated serious risks.
Monitoring and restoring soil quality in areas neighboring roads affected by traffic activities require a thorough investigation of heavy metal concentrations. This study examines the spatial heterogeneity of copper (Cu) and chromium (Cr) concentrations in a 0.113 km² area adjacent to Jin-Long Avenue in Wuhan, China, using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-based hyperspectral remote sensing technology. Through this UAV-based remote sensing technology, we innovatively achieve a small-scale and fine-grained analysis of soil heavy metal pollution related with traffic activities, which represents a major contribution of this research study. In our approach, we generated 4375 spectral variates by transforming the original spectrum. To enhance result accuracy, we applied the Boruta algorithm and correlation analysis to select optimal spectral variates. We developed the retrieval model using the Gradient Boosting Decision Tree (GBDT) regression method, selected from a set of four regression methods using the LOOCV method. The resulting model yielded R-square values of 0.325 and 0.351 for Cu and Cr, respectively, providing valuable insights into the heavy metal concentrations. Based on the retrieved heavy metal concentrations from bare soil pixels (17,420 points), we analyzed the relationship between heavy metal concentrations and the perpendicular distance from the road. Additionally, we employed the universal kriging interpolation method to map heavy metal concentrations across the entire area. Our findings reveal that the concentration of heavy metals in this area exceeds background values and decreases as the distance from the road increases. This research significantly contributes to the understanding of spatial distribution characteristics and pollution caused by heavy metal concentrations resulting from traffic activities.
The traditional application for quantitative structure–property/activity relationships (QSPRs/QSARs) in the fields of thermodynamics, toxicology or drug design is predicting the impact of molecular features using data on the measurable characteristics of substances. However, it is often necessary to evaluate the influence of various exposure conditions and environmental factors, besides the molecular structure. Different enzyme-driven processes lead to the accumulation of metal ions by the worms. Heavy metals are sequestered in these organisms without being released back into the soil. In this study, we propose a novel approach for modeling the absorption of heavy metals, such as mercury and cobalt by worms. The models are based on optimal descriptors calculated for the so-called quasi-SMILES, which incorporate strings of codes reflecting experimental conditions. We modeled the impact on the levels of proteins, hydrocarbons, and lipids in an earthworm's body caused by different combinations of concentrations of heavy metals and exposure time observed over two months of exposure with a measurement interval of 15 days.
In typical semi-arid areas, the timely and effective monitoring and evaluation of soil heavy metal pollution are of critical importance to prevent soil deterioration and achieve the sustainable use of soil resources. To further understand the degree of soil heavy metal pollution in different functional areas, we studied the soil heavy metal pollution on the northern slope of the eastern Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang. We collected 104 surface soil samples from typical commercial (A), industrial (B), and agricultural (C) areas with different land-use patterns. The contents of Zn, Cu, Cr, Pb, As, and Hg in the soil of different functional areas were evaluated using the geo-accumulation index, the single-factor pollution index, and potential ecological risk. The results showed that the contents of Pb, As, and Hg in soils of different functional areas exceeded 4.47, 8.03, and 1.5 times the background values of Xinjiang soil, respectively. The average contents of Zn, Cu, and Cr were lower than the background values of Xinjiang soil. Except for As in different functional areas, the contents of the other elements in the different functional areas reached the level of soil environmental quality standards in China (GB15618-2018). The geo-accumulation index of heavy metals in different functional areas was in the order of Area C > Area A > Area B, indicating that Area C was the most polluted. The results of the single-factor pollution index showed that the pollution levels of Pb, As, and Hg were higher, and the pollution levels of Cr, Cu, and Zn were lower. The results of the potential ecological risk index showed that the northwest of Area A was higher, the southeast of Area B was more polluted, and the central and eastern parts of Area C were more polluted. From the perspective of spatial distribution, the spatial distribution characteristics of Zn and Cr elements in different functional areas are consistent, but the spatial distribution characteristics of Cu, Pb, As, and Hg in different functional areas are quite different. The high values of these four elements are mainly distributed in residential areas, factories, and metal smelters. It is necessary to divide the functional areas based on different land-use patterns, and the prevention of soil single-element and heavy metal pollution in different functional areas is reasonable for land resources and provides a scientific basis for the effective planning of quality assurance.
Soil is the incubator of human activities. Mapping of soil contaminants needs to be constantly updated. It is fragile in arid regions, especially if it accompanies dramatic and successive industrial and urban activities in addition to the climate change. Contaminants affecting soil are changing due to natural and anthropogenic influences. Sources, transport and impacts of trace elements including toxic heavy metals need continuous investigations. We sampled soil in accessible sites in the State of Qatar. An inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and an inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) were used to determine the concentrations of Ag, Al, As, Ba, C, Ca, Ce, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Dy, Er, Eu, Fe, Gd, Ho, K, La, Lu, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Nd, Ni, Pb, Pr, S, Se, Sm, Sr, Tb, Tm, U, V, Yb and Zn. The study also presents new maps for the spatial distribution of these elements using the World Geodetic System 1984 (projected on UTM Zone 39N) which is based on socio-economic development and land use planning. The study assessed the ecological risks and human health risks of these elements in soil. The calculations showed no ecological risks associated with the tested elements in soil. However, the contamination factor (CF) for Sr (CF > 6) in two sampling locations calls for further investigations. More important, human health risks were not detected for population living in Qatar and the results were within the acceptable range of the international standards (hazard quotient HQ < 1 and Cancer risk between 10-5 and 10-6). Soil remains a critical component with water and food nexus. In Qatar and arid regions, fresh water is absent and soil is very poor. Our findings enhance the establishment of scientific strategies for investigating soil pollution and potential risks to achieve food security.
Determination of heavy metal (HM) contamination, ecological risks, and sources in river sediments are important to preventing and controlling environmental pollution. This study investigated the spatial distribution, potential ecological risks, and biological toxicity of five heavy metals in river sediments of Huanghua City in the water diversion area from the Yellow River, China. GIS, redundancy analysis (RDA), and the positive matrix factorization (PMF) model were used to accurately quantify the pollution sources and the spatial distribution of pollution sources. The results revealed that Cu had the highest degree of natural pollution, and the source mainly comes from traffic. Residential land (RL), population density (PD), GDP, and industrial construction (IC) make high contributions to traffic pollution; the highest level of potential ecological risk was Hg, and the source mainly comes from industrial wastewater discharges. IC makes a high contribution to industrial wastewater discharges pollution; the highest effect of bio-toxic risk was As, and the source mainly comes from farmland drainage water. Agricultural production potential (APP) and water area (WA) make high contributions to farmland drainage water pollution; Zn might be of natural origin, and woodlands (WLs) make high contribution to natural origin. This result provided a new idea for the system control of sediment heavy metal pollution in Huanghua City.
