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A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Ecology Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 August 2022) | Viewed by 12843

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Dr. Zhujian Huang

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College of Natural Resources and Environment, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Interests: water and wastewater treatment; resource utilization of agricultural waste
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Dear Colleagues,

We are inviting submissions to the Special Issue on the ecological impact of heavy metals.

Heavy metal pollution caused by human activities mainly refers to heavy metals with significant biological toxicity, such as mercury, cadmium, lead, chromium, and metal-like arsenic, which have serious impacts on human health and ecological security. Heavy metals easily form organometallic compounds or organic ligand complexes with organic compounds in the environment or take part in redox reactions to change their valence; thus, the diversity of chemical forms, chemical states, and bioaccumulation of heavy metals are related to their toxicity and ecological effects. The study of the source, distribution, circulation, enrichment, migration, and transformation of these heavy metals and their effects on ecology and toxicity mechanisms is helpful in order to formulate effective prevention and control strategies.

In this Special Issue, we invite submissions exploring cutting-edge research and recent advances in the field of the ecological impact of heavy metals. Both theoretical and experimental studies are welcome, as well as comprehensive review and survey papers.

Prof. Dr. Zhujian Huang
Guest Editor

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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
clay minerals
environmental toxicity
resource utilization
interfacial reaction

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 1934 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characteristics, Sources and Health Risk of Heavy Metals in Road Dust in the Typical County Town, Central China

by Wenmin Chen, Xihao Zhang, Jiaquan Zhang, Ning Duan, Xiangyi Gong, Shan Liu, Changlin Zhan, Wei Chen and Xinli Xing

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(24), 12958; https://doi.org/10.3390/app122412958 - 16 Dec 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1308

Abstract

In this study, to investigate the contamination characteristics and potential health implications of heavy metals in road dust of the typical county in central China, heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, V, Pb, Zn) in typical road dust with large traffic flow, in different functional areas of Yangxin County, were determined. The results of the geo-accumulation index (I_geo) showed that Co, Mn, Ni, and V were not polluted, while other heavy metals caused different degrees of pollution. According to principal component analysis (PCA), there were three main sources of heavy metals. The result of statistical analysis showed that heavy metal pollution in road dust mainly comes from traffic activities, industrial production activities, building pollution, and the natural environment. The carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks of children and adults were within the safe range, and hand–oral contact was the main exposure route of non-carcinogenic risks. The non-carcinogenic risk and carcinogenic effects of heavy metals in urban road dust were acceptable to children and adults. However, we should still pay attention to the impact of heavy metals on the ecological environment and human health. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology Impact of Heavy Metals)

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10 pages, 1298 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Accumulation Characteristics of Different Heavy Metals in Sea Rice

by Jiachun Li, Xu Yang, Yuze Zheng, Lele Tang, Zhenai Lai, Na Liu and Huashou Li

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(19), 9718; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12199718 - 27 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 920

Abstract

Here heavy metal (Cd, Zn, and Cu) accumulation features of sea rice (a salt-tolerant rice cultivar) were explored to provide a reference for preventing and controlling of heavy metals, screen new plant remediation resources, and offer the basis for safe sea rice production. The sea rice variety Hai Hong 12 (HH12) was used as the research object in the soil culture experiments conducted to investigate the effects of the addition of Cd (0, 1, 2, 4, 8 mg/kg), Zn (0, 100, 200, 300, 400 mg/kg), and Cu (0, 100, 200, 300, 400 mg/kg) on the growth and accumulation of heavy metals in different HH12 parts. At different Cd and Zn concentrations, the root biomass of HH12 decreased significantly and the shoot biomass showed no marked difference; however, Cu stress inhibited the rice biomass. The Cd content in different parts of sea rice increased with an increase in Cd levels. At 8 mg/kg, shoot and spike had the highest Cd content, which was 89.02 and 45.37 mg/kg, respectively. At 1 mg/kg Cd concentration, the Cd transport coefficient of sea rice was the highest (1.36). The Zn content was the highest in sea rice at 400 mg/kg Zn. Zn concentrations in the shoot and spike were 440.95 and 175.51 mg/kg. However, the Zn transport coefficients of all parts were <1 at different Zn concentrations. Sea rice growth was severely hampered by high Cu stress (400 mg/kg). After 200 mg/kg Cu treatment, the highest Cu content was 82.85 mg/kg in shoot and 46.97 mg/kg in spike. The Cu transport coefficients of all parts were also <1 under Cu stress and decreased with an increase in the Cu concentration. In summary, HH12 exhibited a high risk of Cd accumulation, and Cd was more likely to be transported to the grains. Zn accumulation in sea rice had no obvious toxicity to its shoot growth, but its shoot had a slight risk of Zn accumulation. Cu was mostly built up in the HH12 roots, but its ability to move around was low. However, high Cu concentrations slowed the growth of sea rice. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology Impact of Heavy Metals)

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11 pages, 2007 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Tolerance, Absorption, and Transport Characteristics of Macleaya cordata in Relation to Lead, Zinc, Cadmium, and Copper under Hydroponic Conditions

by Hongxiao Zhang, Wenli Zhou, Yahua Chen, Huawei Xu, Dianyun Hou, Shufang Lv, Xijing Sun, Fayuan Wang and Liming Yang

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(19), 9598; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12199598 - 24 Sep 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1489

Abstract

Heavy metal pollution has potential hazards to plant, animal, and human health, and phytoremediation is recognized as a safe and efficient technique for the revegetation of heavy-metal-polluted soil. Macleaya cordata was found in heavily tailing areas with fast growth rates, large biomass, and huge taproots. In our study, the seedlings of M. cordata were exposed to cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) in a Hoagland solution. After 20 days, the tolerance index as well as the content and distribution of Cd, Pb, Cu, and Zn in roots, stems, and leaves were determined. The results showed M. cordata had higher tolerance to Pb and Zn than to Cd and Cu under hydroponic culture conditions. Pb and Cu mainly accumulated in the roots, and the translocation efficiency to the shoots was very low, while about three-quarters of Zn concentrations in the plants were accumulated in the shoots; even the Cd content per shoot of M. cordata exceeded some Cd hyperaccumulators. In the present study, the metal ions in the roots or leaves of M. cordata were firstly determined in situ using dithizone staining, and the degree of root-tip staining was consistent with the amountof the total metal content in the roots. The addition of Zn or Cu in the Pb treatment solution increased the Pb content in the stems and leaves of M. cordata, while the addition of Zn or Cu in the Cd treatment solution had the opposite effect. Pb or Cd in the compound treatment decreased the Zn content in all parts of M. cordata. Our results suggest that Pb can be transported above ground via some special pathways in M. cordata. The different absorption and transport mechanisms of M. cordata in relation to Cd, Zn, Cu, and Pb can be important for the plant to be applied for the remediation of compound-polluted soil or water. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology Impact of Heavy Metals)

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15 pages, 1569 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of Soil Heavy Metal Pollution and Its Ecological Risk for City Parks, Vicinity of a Landfill, and an Industrial Area within Guangzhou, South China

by Huimin Zhou, Tingping Ouyang, Yu Guo, Shasha Peng, Chenjian He and Zhaoyu Zhu

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(18), 9345; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12189345 - 18 Sep 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2131

Abstract

As a primary sink of pollutants, urban soil heavy metal pollution and its influence on urban residents and ecosystems has been becoming one of the most important environmental problems. In the present study, four indices, the Geoaccumulation index (I_geo), improved Nemerow index (I_MN), degree of contamination (mC_d), and contamination security index (CSI), as well as potential ecological risk (RI), were used to evaluate individual or integrated heavy metal pollution and its ecological risk for soil samples collected from city parks, the vicinity of a landfill, and an industrial area within the city of Guangzhou. The results indicated that the improved Nemerow index (I_MN) calculated from the Geoaccumulation index was suitable for heavy metal pollution assessment of soils within landfills and industrial areas. As for soils collected from city parks, degree of contamination (mC_d) was more suitable than I_MN. Heavy metals Cd, Hg, Zn, and As were the main pollution elements in urban soils of Guangzhou. Potential ecological risks were mainly caused by Cd and Hg in urban soil of Guangzhou. Soil samples collected from city parks and the vicinity of the industrial area were moderately to highly and even extremely seriously polluted by heavy metals. Differing from the traditional cognition of the public, the ecological impact of heavy metal in soil in the vicinity of the landfill was similar to or even better than that within city parks. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology Impact of Heavy Metals)

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10 pages, 1504 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Remediation of Heavy Metal Contaminated Farmland Soil by Biodegradable Chelating Agent GLDA

by Zebin Wei, Yihui Chen, Xiaoqing Li, Haiyu Rong and Zhujian Huang

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(18), 9277; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12189277 - 15 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1613

Abstract

Chemical leaching is one of the effective methods to remove heavy metals from soil. The effects of biodegradable chelating GLDA (N, N-bis(carboxymethyl)-l-glutamic acid tetrasodium salt) on contaminated farmland soil in four different places (collected from Shangba Village, Shaoguan city (SB); Huaqiao Village, Zhuzhou (HQ); Shaoguan Tielong (TL); and Liantang Village, Lechang (LT), respectively) were studied by the method of leaching. To explore the synergistic effect between GLDA and citric acid, the leaching conditions were also explored. The results showed that the leaching efficiency of heavy metal Pb in soil was improved by adjusting the GLDA solution to reach acidity by adding citric acid. The leaching efficiency of Pb after mixing GLDA and citric acid was higher than the sum of their respective leaching abilities. After leaching with 10 mmol/L of the GLDA solution with a pH of 10.86 for 120 min, the total Pb and the Pb available in the soil decreased significantly. It is known that citric acid has a significant effect on improving the leaching rate of GLDA on soil, and this method can also be applied to other heavy metals, such as Cd. This study provides a low-ecological-risk method for the remediation of heavy metal-contaminated soils. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology Impact of Heavy Metals)

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17 pages, 1819 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Phytoaccumulation of Heavy Metals by Sodom Apple (Calotropis procera (Aiton) W. T. Aiton) along an Urban–Rural Gradient

by Siraj, Nasrullah Khan, Kishwar Ali, Muhammad Ezaz Hasan Khan and David Aaron Jones

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 1003; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031003 - 19 Jan 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2519

Abstract

Heavy metals (HMs) are widely recognized for their toxicity and have serious environmental implications as technology advances and public pressure mounts to guarantee the safest and healthiest environment. This study evaluates the phytoremediation potential of HMs i.e., Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), Lead (Pb), and Cadmium (Cd) by Calotropis procera (Aiton) W.T. Aiton, also known as Sodom apple, along an urban–rural gradient and its effect on communities’ diversity, forage and medicinal quality in semi-arid region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan. The HM concentration was investigated along with the urban–rural gradients by sampling C. procera and soil samples. Acid-digested samples were tested for metal concentration using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). We used principal component analysis and cluster analysis to identify the pattern of metal distribution in plants and soil. To comprehend the species’ diversity of plant communities in polluted sites, the species’ composition of C. procera communities was explored. Our results showed that the concentration of HMs in the soil and plant decreased from Zn to Cd (Zn > Cu > Pb > Cd). Likewise, more than half of the soil metal accumulated in the roots and aerial part of the plant, indicating the bioaccumulation potential of the plant species for these metals. Zn, Cu, Pb, and Cd translocation ratio varied from root > stem > leaf > flower. Root to stem transfer of metal was poor, but strongly mobilized to the leaves when available in the stems. Carthamus lanatus, Sonchus asper, Cynodon dactylon, Xanthium strumarium, and Silybum marianum were the leading species in three groups of 36 plant species. Pearson’s correlation revealed a significant relationship between HM concentrations and diversity indices. Zn and Cu content in the soil influenced plant species richness, Shannon–Wiener index (H′), and evenness index (Eh). Given the environmental toxicity of HMs, Cd concentrations in soil exceeded the permissible level, suggesting residents should be warned about potential health risks. As a result, the species chosen for this study can be employed as a biomonitor and phytoremediator of soil contaminated by these HMs, as it can accumulate HMs to a toxic level. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology Impact of Heavy Metals)

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12 pages, 7882 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Screening of Xanthium strumarium (IAPS) Growing on Abandoned Habitats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan: Perspectives for Phytoremediation

by Rafi Ullah, Nasrullah Khan, Kishwar Ali, Muhammad Ezaz Hasan Khan and David Aaron Jones

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(24), 11704; https://doi.org/10.3390/app112411704 - 09 Dec 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1899

Abstract

The ecological impacts of invasive alien plant species (IAPS) are well-documented, but a dearth of studies exist concerning its economic, livelihood, biotechnological, and health risk assessment perspectives. IAPS management is currently expanding to ecological indicator and biotechnological aspects. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the phytoremediation potential, biomedical, and bio-safety applications of X. strumarium growing in different abandoned habitats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. In this study, 45 plants and soil samples were gathered from 15 abandoned sites and analyzed for Pb, Cd, Cu, and Zn concentrations; bioaccumulation (BA); and translocation factor (TF). The assayed Pb and Cd concentration was higher and above threshold in both soil–plant samples. BAF was found higher in roots than intact plants despite having a significant accumulation of Cd, Pb, and Zn, which shows high metals tolerance of this IAPS. PCA-ordination explained a high cumulative variance (98.9%) and separated roads and densely populated sites with comparatively high metals concentration, indicating the pseudometallophyte nature of X. strumarium. Soil, sand, and plant biomass were shown to be the major determinants affecting the heavy metals concentration and its phytoremediation significantly, which may be due to the soil’s metalliferous nature in the study area. This IAPS exhibited strong translocation and hyperaccumulation capacity in different functional traits with comparatively high Pb, Cd, and Zn (≥1 TF) mobility and, hence, can effectively be used for Pb phytoextraction and phytostabilization of Cd, Cu, and Zn, respectively. Likewise, several other non-spontaneous IAPS growing on such abandoned habitats might be promising for developing a reasonable strategic framework for heavy metals mitigation and health risk implications in this region. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology Impact of Heavy Metals)

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