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The anti-landscape
There have always been some uninhabitable places, but in the last century human beings have produced many more of them. These anti-landscapes have proliferated to include the sandy wastes of what was once the Aral Sea, severely polluted irrigated lands, open pit mines, blighted nuclear zones, coastal areas inundated by rising seas, and many others. The Anti-Landscape examines the emergence of such sites, how they have been understood, and how some of them have been recovered for habitation. The anti-landscape refers both to artistic and literary representations and to specific places that no longer sustain life. This history includes T.S. Eliot's Wasteland and Cormac McCarthy's The Road as well as air pollution, recycled railway lines, photography and landfills. It links theories of aesthetics, politics, tourism, history, geography, and literature into the new synthesis of the environmental humanities. The Anti-Landscape provides an interdisciplinary appraoch that moves beyond the false duality of nature vs. culture, and beyond diagnosis and complaint to the recuparation of damaged sites into our complex heritage. -- cover verso.
BOOK
Pesticide Pollution in Agricultural Soils and Sustainable Remediation Methods: a Review
An increasing number of pesticides have been used in agriculture for protecting the crops from pests, weeds, and diseases but as much as 80 to 90% of applied pesticides hit non-target vegetation and stay as pesticide residue in the environment which is potentially a grave risk to the agricultural ecosystem. This review gives an overview of the pollution in agricultural soils by pesticides, and the remediation techniques for pesticide-contaminated soils. Currently, the remediation techniques involve physical, chemical, and biological remediation as well as combined ways for the removal of contaminants. The microbial functions in rhizosphere including gene analysis tools are fields in remediation of pesticide-contaminated soil which has generated a lot of interest lately. However, most of those studies were done in greenhouses; more research work should be done in the field conditions for proper evaluation of the efficiency of the proposed techniques. Long-term monitoring and evaluation of in situ remediation techniques should also be done in order to assess their long-term sustainability and practical applications in the field.
Journal Article
Rare Earth Elements in the Soil Environment
Rare earth elements (REE) are a homogenous group of 17 chemical elements in the periodic table that are key to many modern industries including chemicals, consumer electronics, clean energy, transportation, health care, aviation, and defense. Moreover, in recent years, they have been used in agriculture. One of the consequences of their worldwide use is the possible increase of their levels in various environmental compartments. This review addresses major topics concerning the study of REE in the soil environment, with special attention to the latest research findings. The main sources of REE to soils, the contents of REE in soils worldwide, and relevant information on the effects of REE to plants were explored. Ecological and human health risk issues related to the presence of REE in soils were also discussed. Although several findings reported positive effects of REE on plant growth, many questions about their biological role remain unanswered. Therefore, studies concerning the actual mechanism of action of these elements on cellular and physiological processes should be further refined. Even more urgent is to unveil their chemical behavior in soils and the ecological and human health risks that might be associated with the widespread use of REE in our modern society.
Journal Article
Chemical Processes Affecting the Mobility of Heavy Metals and Metalloids in Soil Environments
The mobility, bioavailability, and toxicity of metal(loid)s are influenced by their interactions with phyllosilicates, organic matter, variable charge minerals, and microorganisms. Physicochemical processes influencing the chemistry of metal(loid)s in soil environments include sorption/desorption, solution complexation, oxidation-reduction, and precipitation-dissolution reactions. In particular, the sorption/desorption reactions of metal(loid)s on/from soil sorbents are influenced by pH, nature of soil components, and presence and concentrations of cations and inorganic anions. In recent years, many extraction tests have been used for assessing trace elements mobility and phytoavailability. Chemical speciation of toxic elements may be achieved by spectroscopic analyses (XAS), which provide information about oxidation state, symmetry, and identity of the coordinating ligand environment, and possible solid phases.
Journal Article
Eco Trauma: Unveiling the Anthropocentric Destruction, the Pathway to Apocalypse
Humans have evolved to the point where we are the most sophisticated animals in the world. The point of evolution is for creatures to become more suited to their natural habitat. A new degree of evolutionary adaption has been attained through humans. Massive technological advancements, new governments, and metropolises have all taken place. Every one of these societal advancements has one overarching goal: to ensure that our species continues to exist. As a species, we’ve figured out how to divide ourselves up into nations defined by shared values, religion, geography, and history. Divergences in geography, culture, and history have always been a source of contention among human beings. These disparities have, in the worst-case scenarios, led to war. Many various things, including religion and wealth, have sparked wars throughout history. War, though, never ends well; destruction is an inevitable byproduct. After a conflict, everyone is talking about how many lives were lost, how much property was destroyed, and how much money was spent. But the ecosystem is a quiet casualty of war. Seldom given a second thought are the deaths and devastation that befall Earth’s ecosystems, natural resources, and population. One can not help but question the impact of modern warfare on the environment and the consequences for humanity as a whole. The moral and social consequences of modern warfare’s assault on the environment can be seen by looking at the historical record of environmental degradation caused by this conflict. It is possible to learn about past and future efforts to safeguard the environment from human aggression by considering the problem from philosophical, scientific, and religious vantage points. If the Earth is to be further devastated by contemporary weaponry and combat, the loss endured by the environment will make the death toll of any contemporary battle appear negligible. The preservation of the natural world is crucial to the continuation of the human race.
Journal Article
Biological Degradation of Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds (PAHs) in Soil: a Current Perspective
Purpose of Review
Here we examine recent research on the degradation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by fungi and bacteria. In addition, we provide information regarding the role that omics tools (next-generation sequencing) can play in the future development of bioremediation of PAHs.
Recent Findings
The toxicity of petrogenic wastes containing PAHs to biotic communities, including humans, is well established. Bioremediation strategies based on the use of microorganisms represent an economic and environmentally friendly approach (compared with other remediation methods) which is increasingly being applied for the treatment of PAH-contaminated soils.
Summary
Biological treatments or bioremediation exploits the hydrocarbon-degrading abilities of microorganisms, resulting in destruction of the contaminants and significant detoxification of the contaminated material. To further develop this approach as a consistent commercial technology, it is important to understand the microbial ecology of the remediation process, determining the key microorganisms which drive the underlying PAH degradation processes.
Journal Article
Trace Elements in Soils around Coal Mines: Current Scenario, Impact and Available Techniques for Management
The present paper reviewed the average concentrations of trace elements in soils near coal mine areas from various cities/countries to provide a current global summary of this issue. The contamination of soils was assessed by using global reference materials and various contamination indices. The results show that the average concentrations of trace elements varied widely: As (0.5–38.3 mg/kg), Mn (86–3,700 mg/kg), Zn (1.5–296 mg/kg), Cu (0.5–110 mg/kg), Cr (17.5–954 mg/kg), Ni (4.3–390 mg/kg), Pb (0.5–433 mg/kg), Cd (0.02–4.48 mg/kg), and Hg (0.02–0.69 mg/kg). Most of these values are higher than the average world background soils and upper continental crust (UCC). The geo-accumulation (
I
geo
) and contamination factor (
CF
) indices show that the contamination levels of Ni and Pb are higher than other elements. The potential ecological risk index (
E
i
) suggests a high risk from Cd, especially in the Tabagi River watershed in Brazil and Ledo coal mines in India, and Hg, especially in Oltu (Turkey). The degree of contamination index (
C
d
) reveals that the soils from Barapukuria (Bangladesh), Ledo (India), Ptolemais-Amynteon (Greece), and the Tibagi River (Brazil) have a higher degree of contamination than other sites. To control soil contamination, effective monitoring and legislative measures must be taken immediately. For the long term, various physical, chemical, and biological methods should be implemented. Although the selection of suitable methods is site-specific based on the extent and nature of contamination, in general, phytoremediation seems to be more beneficial and cost-effective than physical/chemical techniques.
Journal Article
Arsenic Contamination in Soil and Sediment in India: Sources, Effects, and Remediation
Arsenic contamination is turning out to be a major problem these days with its area coverage and the number of people affected directly or indirectly. Now, the level of the contaminant has spread over the soil and sediments from groundwater and other natural sources. Arsenic poisoning in groundwater events is familiar to the world, but the consequences of soil contamination are still unrevealed to the community, specially the people of contaminated counties. Arsenic is a serious instantaneous concern for the people and other life forms regarding the poisoning through crops and vegetables. Many remediation technologies that mainly include physical, chemical, and a few biological methods have been evolved with time to check its effects. The physical and chemical methods for this purpose are often inefficient and/or very expensive, mainly limited to application in aqueous systems, and produce toxic sludge, which again becomes a matter of concern. But bioremediation relies on the fact that biological organisms have the ability to degrade, detoxify, and even accumulate harmful chemicals and offers attractive perspectives for biomonitoring (via biosensors), treatment of wastewater, and the recycling of polluted soils.
Journal Article
Biogeochemical Control on the Mobilization of Cd in Soil
Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic element that can easily enter the human body through the food chain. Rice grain is the main contributor to dietary Cd intake, especially for those populations who consume rice as the staple. Therefore, reducing Cd accumulation in rice is of significance for food safety and human health. In this review, we summarized the major factors underlying the biogeochemical processes controlling Cd availability in soils. Soil pH is one of the most important factors affecting soil Cd availability. An increase in soil pH can dramatically decrease soil Cd solubility; thus, liming is often found to be an effective and economical method in acidic contaminated soils to reduce grain Cd accumulation. The voltaic effect between Cd-sulfide and other metal sulfides formed during soil flooding regulates the remobilization of Cd during soil drainage. Therefore, addition of small amounts of ZnSO
4
or MnSO
4
to soils can form a protective voltaic cell partner against the oxidative dissolution of Cd sulfides, thereby decreasing Cd remobilization during soil drainage and Cd accumulation in rice grain. The voltaic effect is expected to be more important than their direct competition between Zn
2+
and Cd
2+
. Besides, water management practices markedly affect soil Cd availability by altering the redox status of soils; continuous flooding and delaying drainage of paddy soils during the grain filling period can effectively reduce grain Cd accumulation. These effective biogeochemical strategies can be used singly or combinedly to reduce soil Cd availability and subsequent Cd uptake/accumulation in rice to ensure food safety.
Journal Article
Functionalized Mesoporous Silicon Nanomaterials in Inorganic Soil Pollution Research: Opportunities for Soil Protection and Advanced Chemical Imaging
“Innovative actions towards a pollution free-planet” is a goal of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA). Aided by both the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and its Global Soil Partnership under the 3rd UNEA resolution, a consensus from > 170 countries have agreed a need for accelerated action and collaboration to combat soil pollution. This initiative has been tasked to find new and improved solutions to prevent and reduce soil pollution, and it is in this context that this review provides an updated perspective on an emerging technology platform that has already provided demonstrable utility for measurement, mapping, and monitoring of toxic trace elements (TTEs) in soils, in addition to the entrapment, removal, and remediation of pollutant sources. In this article, the development and characteristics of functionalized mesoporous silica nanomaterials (FMSN) will be discussed and compared with other common metal scavenging materials. The chemistries of the common functionalizations will be reviewed, in addition to providing an outlook on some of the future directions/applications of FMSN. The use of FMSN in soil will be considered with some specific case studies focusing on Hg and As. Finally, the advantages and developments of FMSN in the widely used diffusive gradients-in-thin films (DGT) technique will be discussed, in particular, its advantages as a DGT substrate for integration with oxygen planar optodes in multilayer systems that provide 2D mapping of metal pollutant fluxes at submillimeter resolution, which can be used to measure detailed sediment-water fluxes as well as soil-root interactions, to predict plant uptake and bioavailability.
Journal Article