Sustainable Management of Heavy Metals Ⅱ
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Materials".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2022) | Viewed by 6756
Special Issue Editors
Interests: soil-water-plant system; waste management and recycling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: strategic planning development; circular economy; zero-waste approach; waste prevention; circular and bio-economy and industrial symbiosis; management and treatment of solid waste; end of waste criteria; hazardous waste; environmental impact and environmental risk assessment analysis; life cycle assessment; sustainable development goals
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Heavy metals, in general trace elements, are one of the major environmental problems. At present, the increasing environmental and global public health concern related to environmental contamination by heavy metals is well known. Moreover, human exposure has risen dramatically because of an exponential increase in their use in several activities, such as in agricultural, industrial, technological, and urban applications. They are present in soils, water, and atmosphere, and they are a serious risk for the food chain.
The United Nations through the FAO and the European Union are concerned about the problem of heavy metal contamination and its impact on the food chain. Heavy metals soil and water pollution are important challenges in food security.
The main sources from which heavy metals are produced include industrial, geogenic, agricultural, mining, wastewaters, domestic effluents, pharmaceutical, and atmospheric causes. Heavy metal bioavailability is influenced by physical, chemical, and biological factors. Temperature, adsorption, and sequestration are considered as physical, while complexation kinetics, leachability and mobility, lipid solubility, and octanol/water partition coefficients are related with chemical factors. Biological factors such as species characteristics, trophic interactions, and biochemical/physiological adaptation also play important roles.
Heavy metals are also related with health, as they enter our bodies through the food chain. In addition, the illegal disposal of waste such as sewage sludge or household waste affected with heavy metals may affect soils and ground waters, which may enter the human body through the food chain, the breath, or through the skin.
The studies of this Special Issue are expected to address:
- The source and distribution of heavy metals in the environment (soil, water, air, living organisms, waste).
- The mapping of areas at a global and regional scale where pollution is a high risk.
- The consequences of heavy metals on the environment and food security.
- The relation of trace elements with zero waste strategy and circular economy.
- Sustainable strategies for the remediation of heavy metal pollution.
- The impact of metals in environmental policy.
- Methods to remove and or uptake heavy metals.
Prof. Dr. Jose Navarro Pedreño
Prof. Antonis A. Zorpas
Prof. I. Gómez Lucas
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- distribution
- environmental health
- food security
- metal extractions
- metals leachability
- pollution
- remediation
- strategies in metal science
