Paving the way toward soil safety and health: current status, challenges, and potential solutions

doi:10.1007/s11783-024-1834-1

Front. Environ. Sci. Eng.

2024, Vol. 18

Issue (6) : 74 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-024-1834-1

Paving the way toward soil safety and health: current status, challenges, and potential solutions

Chiheng Chu, Lizhong Zhu(

)

College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China

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Abstract

● The safety and health of soil face global threats from widespread contamination.

● Tackling soil pollutions require holistic soil remediation and management.

● Big data can revolutionize contaminated soil management and remediation.

Soil is a non-renewable resource, providing a majority of the world’s food and fiber while serving as a vital carbon reservoir. However, the health of soil faces global threats from human activities, particularly widespread contamination by industrial chemicals. Existing physical, chemical, and biological remediation approaches encounter challenges in preserving soil structure and function throughout the remediation process, as well as addressing the complexities of soil contamination on a regional scale. Viable solutions encompass monitoring and simulating soil processes, with a focus on utilizing big data to bridge micro-scale and macro-scale processes. Additionally, reducing pollutant emissions to soil is paramount due to the significant challenges associated with removing contaminants once they have entered the soil, coupled with the high economic costs of remediation. Further, it is imperative to implement advanced remediation technologies, such as monitored natural attenuation, and embrace holistic soil management approaches that involve regulatory frameworks, soil health indicators, and soil safety monitoring platforms. Safeguarding the enduring health and resilience of soils necessitates a blend of interdisciplinary research, technological innovation, and collaborative initiatives.

Keywords Soil safety and health Source emission reduction Process monitoring and simulation Green remediation technology Soil health management

Corresponding Author(s): Lizhong Zhu

Issue Date: 07 April 2024

Cite this article:

Chiheng Chu,Lizhong Zhu. Paving the way toward soil safety and health: current status, challenges, and potential solutions[J]. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng., 2024, 18(6): 74.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/fese/EN/10.1007/s11783-024-1834-1
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fese/EN/Y2024/V18/I6/74

Tab.1 Most frequently identified soil contaminants of concern in industrial land of USA and China

Fig.1 Most frequently selected soil remediation technologies in China and USA. We note that multiple treatment and non-treatment techonologies may be applied in one remedy site and therefore the sum of remedy technology percent is over 100%. The remedy technology data for USA were apted from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2023; the remedy technology data for China were adapted from Wang et al. (2017); Liang et al. (2021).

Fig.2 Cross-media migration of pollutants in soils, atmosphere, surface water, and groundwater.

Fig.3 Knowledge gap between micro-scale and macro-scale soil contamination processes.

Fig.4 Framework for the solutions toward soil safety and health.

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