Topical Collection on "Potentially Toxic Elements and Soil Ecosystem Conservation"

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 July 2024

Collection Editor: 

Dr. A. Parimala Gnana Soundari
RVS College of Arts & Science, Coimbatore, India
Interests: microbial Biotechnology; applied microbiology; environmental microbiology

Topical Collection Information:

Dear Colleagues,

Contaminated soil is a global concern that demands innovative and sustainable remediation strategies. Potentially toxic elements (PTEs) pose a significant threat to both the environment and human health due to their fluidity and bioavailability. A detailed understanding of the bioavailability and bioaccessibility of PTEs, as well as the soil processes that affect the dynamics of pollutants, is crucial for accurately assessing the danger and risk posed by pollution.

To perform an accurate risk assessment, it is essential to comprehend the spatial distribution and chemical forms of PTEs in the soil. The bioavailability of toxic elements in soil depends on their solubility and geochemical forms, not their source and total concentration. Therefore, analytical techniques with spatial resolutions as low as micron or even nanoscale are necessary.

Furthermore, the evaluation of remedial measures requires a comprehensive understanding of the geochemical forms of PTEs after soil treatment. This information is essential to predict possible transitions that PTEs may undergo naturally over time or physical and chemical perturbations that may affect soil ecosystems. This special issue aims to address all aspects of PTE pollution in soil ecosystems, including innovative methods to assess PTE pollution, soil processes that influence pollutant dynamics, and new sustainable remediation technologies to reduce the long-term threat of PTEs to environmental health.

Dr. A. Parimala Gnana Soundari
Collection Editor

Keywords:

  • Soil ecosystem
  • Soil pollution
  • Potential toxic element
  • PTE Distribution Models
  • Environmental risk assessment
  • Bioaccessibility
  • Soil Processes
  • Bioremediation