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Minerals
Special Issues
Potentially Toxic Elements: Source, Distribution, Risk Assessment and Remediation
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Potentially Toxic Elements: Source, Distribution, Risk Assessment and Remediation

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 26 July 2024 | Viewed by 2630

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Antonio Fernandes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Federal Rural University of the Amazon, Belém 66077-830, Brazil
Interests: fertility management aimed at soil recovery; evaluation of potentially toxic elements in the environment; reference values for metals and remediation of soils contaminated by metals from the use of plants, organic residues and biochar
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Wendel Valter Da Silveira Pereira

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Vale Institute of Technology – Sustainable Development, Belém, Brazil
Interests: contamination and bioavailability of potentially toxic elements in the environment; recovery of soil contaminated by mining; soil fertility and fertilization; plant production
Dr. Paula Godinho Ribeiro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Vale Institute of Technology-Sustainable Development, Belém, Brazil
Interests: ecotoxicological and phytoremediation tests in mining areas; effects of rare earth elements on the development of crops of agricultural interest; fertilizers as amendments of heavy metal toxicity; monitoring the recovery and restoration of mined areas
Dr. Yan Nunes Dias

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Vale Institute of Technology – Sustainable Development, Belém, Brazil
Interests: characterization of environmental matrices; statistical methods in R and Python language; evaluation and interpretation of geographic space data with the aid of QGIS software

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will present research and review articles on potentially toxic elements (PTEs), with an emphasis on their sources and distribution in the environment, as well as the assessment of the risk they pose to ecosystems and human health. These elements include metals and metalloids that threaten the environment at high concentrations, especially in areas subject to anthropic activities such as agriculture, livestock, mining, industrialization and urbanization. Considering the proven risks of PTEs, knowledge of guiding values and the quantification of concentrations, contamination levels and risk indices are essential to mitigate the impacts of these contaminants and protect the environment. Potential topics for this Special Issue include, but are not limited to: PTE guiding values and background values; contamination by PTEs; environmental and human health risk assessment; the use of phytoremediation, organic residues and biochar in mitigating the impacts of PTEs; treatment of residues contaminated by PTEs; bioaccumulation and biomagnification of PTEs; bioavailability and bioaccessibility of PTEs.

Prof. Dr. Antonio Fernandes
Dr. Wendel Valter Da Silveira Pereira
Dr. Paula Godinho Ribeiro
Dr. Yan Nunes Dias
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

  • background values
  • quality reference values
  • heavy metals
  • metal distribution
  • environmental contamination
  • environmental pollution
  • environmental risks
  • human health risks

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 4891 KiB  
Article
Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs) Dispersion in Alluvial Deposits from Abandoned Mining Sites
by Julián Martínez, Rosendo Mendoza, María José de la Torre and M. Carmen Hidalgo
Minerals 2024, 14(4), 340; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14040340 - 26 Mar 2024
Viewed by 484
Abstract
In the watersheds of abandoned mining districts, it is common to find remains of former facilities and waste dams on stream banks and slopes—a situation that results in the transport and accumulation of metal(loid)s in alluvial deposits. To analyze this problem, an area [...] Read more.
In the watersheds of abandoned mining districts, it is common to find remains of former facilities and waste dams on stream banks and slopes—a situation that results in the transport and accumulation of metal(loid)s in alluvial deposits. To analyze this problem, an area of the former mining district of Linares–La Carolina (southern Spain) was selected to evaluate the contents and distributions of Ag, As, Ba, Cu, and Pb as potentially toxic elements (PTEs) found in the mineral paragenesis. Specifically, this study focused on the Siles Stream, which runs through a sector where underground mining for the exploitation of galena veins generated abundant mining wastes, mainly waste rock and tailings. Thirty-four sediment samples from the stream bed of the Siles Stream and two sediment samples from the Guadiel River, of which it is a tributary, were analyzed. Floodplain sediments were sampled in the stream banks at the middle and lower reaches (11 samples), as well as the riverine soils developed at the mouth of the Siles Stream (22 samples). The analyzed samples presented high levels of PTEs, in most cases with values much higher than the generic reference levels established by European and regional legislation for PTEs in soils. In the case of Pb, the main metal mined in this district, contents of up to 27,074 mg·kg−1 were observed in the stream bed sediments. Very high concentrations of Pb also appeared in the floodplain sediments, with maximum values in the middle course of the stream, where the concentration reached 43,692 mg·kg−1. With respect to the sediments of the Guadiel river bed, the Pb content was 699 mg·kg−1 before the confluence with the stream and 2537 mg·kg−1 downstream, which clearly reflects the influence of the contributions from the Siles Stream. The enrichment factors (EFs) show that the sediments present a severe to very severe anthropogenic influence for Ag, As, Ba, Cu, and Pb. The geoaccumulation index (Igeo) indicates that the entire basin is extremely polluted by Pb, to which As and Ag are added in the middle course of the stream. The potential ecological risk index (RI) and pollution load index (PLI) based on the contamination factor (CF) suggested that metal loads far exceeded the reference values. Selective chemical extraction methods were used to assess the potential bioavailability of these elements in sediment and soil samples. The results showed high concentrations of Pb in the exchangeable fraction, which poses a significant ecological risk and potential human health risks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Potentially Toxic Elements: Source, Distribution, Risk Assessment and Remediation)
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18 pages, 615 KiB  
Article
Comprehensive Environmental and Health Risk Assessment of Soil Heavy Metal(loid)s Considering Uncertainties: The Case of a Typical Metal Mining Area in Daye City, China
by Hao Zhou, Xuemei Yue, Yong Chen, Yanzhong Liu and Gaoxu Gong
Minerals 2023, 13(11), 1389; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13111389 - 30 Oct 2023
Viewed by 765
Abstract
Heavy metal(loid)s (HMs) in soils near mining sites often cause serious environmental and health issues. Accurately assessing soil HM risks and identifying priority pollutants are crucial for improving risk control efficiency with limited management costs and resources. Traditional deterministic assessments may yield biased [...] Read more.
Heavy metal(loid)s (HMs) in soils near mining sites often cause serious environmental and health issues. Accurately assessing soil HM risks and identifying priority pollutants are crucial for improving risk control efficiency with limited management costs and resources. Traditional deterministic assessments may yield biased results due to the imprecision and ambiguity of environmental data and assessment processes. To compensate for the deficiencies of deterministic assessment, a comprehensive probabilistic-fuzzy model was developed based on fuzzy theory, probability methods, the soil contamination risk (SCR) index, and a human health risk (HR) assessment framework. According to this model, the soil HM risk status in a typical mining area in China was evaluated. The results indicated that Cd and Cu significantly violated the relevant environmental guidelines and were considered priority metals for environmental risk (ER). Notably, Cd’s hazard predominantly manifested in a solid potential ecological risk (PER), whereas Cu’s environmental impact primarily manifested as a soil contamination risk (SCR). From the perspective of HR, soil HMs already pose a considerable threat to human health, with children facing greater HRs than adults. As was identified as a priority element for HRs, with carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks reaching unacceptable levels. Regarding general risk (GR), Cd and Cu ranked in the first gradient and As in the second gradient. Overall, the accumulation of soil HMs—especially Cd, Cu, and As—in the study area has posed a significant threat to the ecosystem and human health. The risks of other HMs (Pb, Zn, Cr, and Ni) are relatively low, but the superimposed risks of multiple HMs should not be ignored. The probabilistic–fuzzy model reduces the uncertainty of risk assessment, and the model integrates the environmental and health risks of HMs, providing more comprehensive risk information. The assessment results can serve as a reference for managers to develop targeted control strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Potentially Toxic Elements: Source, Distribution, Risk Assessment and Remediation)
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13 pages, 6649 KiB  
Article
Enhanced Electricity Generation and Heavy Metal Removal by a Rutile–Biochar Cathode MFC
by Jiqiang Zhou, Lei Wang, Zhe Wang, Yonglin Feng, Guangfeng Luo, Zhiyang Wang, Jing Wu and Peiqing Hu
Minerals 2023, 13(10), 1250; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13101250 - 25 Sep 2023
Viewed by 845
Abstract
The issue of heavy metal pollution has gradually emerged as a significant global concern. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) hold immense potential for clean energy production and pollutant treatment. However, their limited power generation efficiency hampers the large-scale implementation of MFCs. The porous microstructure [...] Read more.
The issue of heavy metal pollution has gradually emerged as a significant global concern. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) hold immense potential for clean energy production and pollutant treatment. However, their limited power generation efficiency hampers the large-scale implementation of MFCs. The porous microstructure of biochar and the excellent physical and chemical properties of rutile render both materials promising catalysts with positive potential. In this study, we employed biochar as a carrier for rutile to fabricate a novel rutile–biochar (Rut-B) composite material, investigating its efficacy in enhancing MFC power generation efficiency as a cathode catalyst, as well as its application in heavy metal pollutant degradation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results confirmed the successful preparation of biochar-loaded rutile composites. The MFC achieved maximum current density and power density values of 152.26 mA/m2 and 9.88 mW/m2, respectively—an increase of 102.7% and 224% compared to the control group without the addition of Rut-B. Furthermore, the biochar-loaded rutile MFC exhibited excellent performance in degrading heavy metal pollutants; within 7 h, the Pb2+ degradation rate reached 92.4%, while the Zn2+ degradation rate reached 84%. These rates were significantly higher than those observed in the control group, by factors of 437.2% and 345%, respectively. The cyclic degradation experiments also demonstrated the outstanding stability of the system over multiple cycles. In summary, this study successfully combined natural rutile with biochar to create an efficient electrode catalyst that not only enhances electricity generation performance but also provides an environmentally friendly and cost-effective approach for remediating heavy metal pollution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Potentially Toxic Elements: Source, Distribution, Risk Assessment and Remediation)
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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Amazonian Leguminous Tree with Phytoremediation Potential of Cadmium and Zinc
Authors: Prof. Dr. Antonio Fernandes
Affiliation: Federal Rural University of the Amazon

Title: Land Use and Geology-Driven Hydrogeochemical Baseline Concentrations in the Northeast Quadrilátero Ferrífero, Brazil
Authors: Pro. Dr. Roberto Dall'Agnol
Affiliation: Instituto Tecnológico Vale, Ouro Preto, Brazil

Title: Potentially Toxic Elements and Soil Quality in Gold Mining Areas under Recovery in the Eastern Amazon
Authors: Prof. Dr. Antonio Fernandes
Affiliation: Federal Rural University of the Amazon

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