Rapid urbanization and industrial growth in China have increased brownfield site reclamation, the sustainable remediation for urban transformation and enhancing ecosystem services. However, traditional brownfield safety assessment strategies impose unnecessary costs since excessive remediation. Herein, a comprehensive system integrated by soil self-purification, potential ecological risks and human health risks is developed to investigate the safety of brownfield sites. Indices, including soil environmental loading capacity (SELC), and Nemerow integrated pollution index (NIPI), were introduced to assess heavy metals (HMs) pollution. Results show that 72.05% of the sites are identified as moderate pollution, where Cd, As, and Cr(VI) are at heavy pollution, incorporating soil self-purification. The average values of potential ecological risk (PERI) reached 6615.00, posing a significant damage to the local ecosystem, and Cd was identified as main ecological hazards in the study sites. Furthermore, the health risk assessment shows that children's health risks are higher than that of adults, with non-carcinogenic risk to children (2.60) and adults (0.41), and carcinogenic risk to children (2.30 x 10-3) and adults (1.12 x 10-4). Utilizing a multi-index decision-making approach, it is determined that 19.30% of the site exhibit high-risk values, between concentration screening (11.40%) and risk screening (83.30%) base on single-indices. The study sheds light on the comprehensive assessment of brownfield site safety.

Intensifying human activities have triggered significant ecological degradation, necessitating innovative approaches to ecosystem restoration. This study introduces a novel integrated methodology combining Ecological Security Patterns (ESP) and Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) to identify priority ecological restoration areas in the Hefei Metropolitan Area. By synthesizing these complementary approaches, we overcome the limitations of individual methods and establish a comprehensive framework for prioritizing ecological restoration. We construct a complex ecological network comprising 36 source areas spanning 8313.96 km2 and 92 interconnected ecological corridors extending 24,489.17 km. We have identified 73 ecological restoration nodes and 19 key restoration areas covering 544.45 km2, predominantly located at critical ecological junctions. The study categorizes restoration zones into five distinct types: river and lake wetland restoration, mine environment remediation, urban ecological landscape reconstruction, ecological corridor connectivity restoration, and soil and water conservation improvement. Combining ESP with ERA allows for the identification of regions most vulnerable to ecological damage while preserving key ecological functions and networks. Through the identification of urban ecological conflict zones, this study provides a strategic framework for enhancing ecosystem resilience and promoting sustainable urban development. This research is significant because of its potential to address the urgent need for effective ecological restoration strategies in rapidly urbanizing regions, offering a systematic approach to balance ecological preservation with urban development.

This paper focuses on the stability issues of geological and engineering structures and conducts research from two perspectives: the mechanism of slope landslides under micro-seismic action and the cyclic failure behavior of concrete materials. In terms of slope stability, through the combination of model tests and theories, the cumulative effect of circulating micro-seismic waves on the internal damage of slopes was revealed. This research finds that the coupling of micro-vibration stress and static stress significantly intensifies the stress concentration on the slope, promotes the development of potential sliding surfaces and the extension of joints, and provides a scientific basis for the prediction of landslide disasters. This helps protect mountain ecosystems and reduce soil erosion and vegetation destruction. The number of cyclic loads has a power function attenuation relationship with the compressive strength of concrete. After 1200 cycles, the strength drops to 20.5 MPa (loss rate 48.8%), and the number of cracks increases from 2.7 per mm(3) to 34.7 per mm(3) (an increase of 11.8 times). Damage evolution is divided into three stages: linear growth, accelerated expansion, and critical failure. The influence of load amplitude on the number of cracks shows a threshold effect. A high amplitude (>0.5 g) significantly stimulates the propagation of intergranular cracks in the mortar matrix, and the proportion of intergranular cracks increases from 12% to 65%. Grey correlation analysis shows that the number of cycles dominates the strength attenuation (correlation degree 0.87), and the load amplitude regulates the crack initiation efficiency more significantly (correlation degree 0.91). These research results can optimize the design of concrete structures, enhance the durability of the project, and indirectly reduce the resource consumption and environmental burden caused by structural damage. Both studies are supported by numerical simulation and experimental verification, providing theoretical support for disaster prevention and control and sustainable engineering practices and contributing to ecological environment risk management and the development of green building materials.

The problem of chemical soil pollution after military actions on the territory of Ukraine is becoming quite urgent in terms of ecological risks. The aim of the article was to establish the level of ecological safety of soils after the application of biosorption technology and to substantiate its ecological and economic feasibility. Within the scope of the study, three scenarios were set to evaluate the level of ecological risk under the condition of actual complex contamination of soils with five heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Cd) - Scenario 1 and in the case of biosorption technology application for soil protection - Scenarios 2 and 3. Scenarios 2 and 3 differed in the type of substrate for anaerobic digestion (chicken manure and sewage sludge, respectively) compatible with phosphogypsum to obtain a biocomposite. Innovative approach for ecological risk assessment was improved based on the Bayes' theorem and developed set of qualitative and quantitative parameters. Based on the theoretical substantiation of the complex formation indicator and the fluorescent properties of digestate organic matter, the efficiency of heavy metal immobilisation in the soil was evaluated, which contributed to the reduction of ecological risk from moderate to low level for both scenarios. The results of the risk assessment based on Bayes' theorem showed a decrease in the level of risk from high to medium. Ecological and economic efficiency was assessed according to methodology of ecological damage after hostilities. The economically effective technology developed can be recommended for the comprehensive soil restoration scheme due to the obtained results.

Environmental pollution is a serious problem in many parts of the world, especially in developing countries such as Iran. This study was conducted to investigate chemical pollution by selected heavy metals in the southern cities of Hamadan province, west of Iran including Malayer, Toyserkan, and Nahavand. A total of 90 soil samples were collected from a depth of 0 to 30 cm of agricultural lands. The state of soil pollution was analyzed using geochemical indicators, pollution coefficient, pollution level, and potential ecological risk indices. The highest concentration of arsenic and cadmium in the soil of city of Toyserkan with an average of 19.46 and 0.25 mg kg-1 respectively, and the highest concentration of iron, cobalt, chromium, and antimony in the soil of city of Malayer with an average of 4.36, 20.8, 114.67 and 4.62 mg kg-1 respectively, and the highest concentrations of manganese, copper, and nickel in the soil of city of Nahavand were 268.95, 38.58, and 81.83 mg kg-1, respectively. The results showed that there was a significant difference between the average concentrations of the measured metals in the three cities. In all the studied cities, Mueller's geochemical index was in the non-polluted category, the pollution coefficient was in the low to medium pollution category, the pollution index was in the very low to high pollution category, and the environmental risk index for metals was in the low to very high environmental risk category. Investigation of pollution indicators showed that the soils of the studied areas are about to be polluted with heavy metals. Therefore, it is necessary to consider environmental aspects to reduce and prevent irreparable damage to the soil and the environmental cycle in the long run.

Cationic and anionic castor oil-based waterborne polyurethanes (C-WPU/A and C-WPU/C) have great potential for development in agriculture. However, it is still unclear whether these polyurethanes are harmful or toxic to soil fauna. Based on multilevel toxicity endpoints and transcriptomics, we investigated the effects of C-WPU/A and C-WPU/C on earthworms ( Eisenia fetida). ). The acute toxicity results showed that C-WPU/A was highly toxic to the earthworms, whereas C-WPU/C was nearly nontoxic. C-WPU/A significantly affected the body weight, burrowing ability and cocoon production rate of earthworms compared to C-WPU/C. After exposure to C-WPU/ A, the results showed accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), abnormal peroxidase activity, and increased malondialdehyde levels. Additionally, more serious histopathological damage was observed in earthworms, such as epidermal damage, vacuolization, longitudinal muscle disorganization, and shedding of intestinal epidermal cells. At the cellular level, C-WPU/A induced more severe lysosomal damage, DNA damage and apoptosis than C-WPU/A. C-WPU/A made more differentially expressed genes and considerably more enriched pathways at the transcriptional level than C-WPU/C. These pathways are largely involved in cell membrane signaling, detoxification, and apoptosis. These results provide an important reference for elucidating the selective toxicity mechanisms of C-WPU/A and C-WPU/C in earthworms.

With continued sea level rise and over-exploitation, saline water extends farther inland, causing changes in soil salinity and water quality and leading to permanent land salinization and ecosystem damage. Saltwater intrusion (SWI), causing numerous ecosystem problems and disasters, brings risk to urban ecosystems in coastal cities. Ecological risk, in the Greater Bay Area in China, should be assessed based on the effect of SWI status on ecosystem health. In this study, we built a new ecological risk-assessment model based on the geographic information system (GIS) technique and spatial data. At the conceptual level, four main stressors were identified based on literature reading and fieldwork. Four stress factors (SFs) were thoroughly investigated, namely, SF1: the intensity gradient immersed in saltwater; SF2: the mountain phreatic water supply; SF3: the salinity tolerance of urban greenbelt vegetation; and SF4: the supply capacity of irrigation water to suppress saline water. After a comprehensive evaluation using GIS and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), we mapped and assessed the ecological risk level of the urban greenbelt for the SWI. Our results showed that the area of urban green space affected by the SWI was approximately 49.31 km2, almost 12.05%. Ecological risk was sorted into five ranks: (1) very low risk 47.53%, (2) low risk 26.29%, (3) medium risk 22.92%, (4) high risk 2.45%, and (5) very high risk (0.8%). The ecological infrastructure of sponges should include freshwater conservation in coastal cities, and more attention should be paid to fresh groundwater discharge from coastal ecosystems in Shenzhen.

Purpose of ReviewThis review examines recent publications on rare earth elements (REE) in soils, critically evaluating their role as emerging soil contaminants. We emphasized new findings and main gaps using a previous review paper published in 2016 by our research group as a reference point. Three major subjects were prioritized: (1) sources, background levels, and behavior of REE in soils; (2) plant development and metabolism as affected by REE exposure; and (3) environmental and human health risk assessments of REE in the soil environment.Recent FindingsPublications addressing the occurrence and fate of REE in the soil environment have more than tripled in the last decade. Coincidentally, global REE exploration has more than doubled in the past 7 years. Because of their unique features, the global demand for REE is expected to increase by at least 50% in the next 10 years. As soils are the main sink of contaminants, we must continue to investigate the consequences of the unceasing addition of these elements in soil ecosystems.SummaryWe highlighted the main sources of REE, their background levels in selected global soils, and their physicochemical behavior. The relationship between REE and plants revealed potential benefits such as environmental stress tolerance. Finally, ecological and human health risk assessment data for REE in soils were carefully discussed in terms of their potential adverse effects on biota. We conclude with a survey in which prominent authors working with REE answered questions about challenges and opportunities for innovative research on REE in soil-plant-animal/human systems.

Continued application of new chiral fungicide mefentrifluconazole (MFZ) increases its risk to soil ecosystem. However, the toxicity of MFZ enantiomers to soil fauna and whether stereoselectivity exists remains poorly elucidated. Based on multilevel toxicity endpoints and transcriptomics, we investigated the negative effects of racemic, R-(-)-, and S-(+)-MFZ on Eisenia fetida. After exposure to S-(+) configuration at 4 mg/kg for 28 day, its reactive oxygen species levels were elevated by 15.4% compared to R-(-) configuration, inducing enantiospecific oxidative stress and transcriptional aberrations. The S-(+) isomer induced more severe cell membrane damage and apoptosis than the R-(-) isomer, and notably, the selectivity of apoptosis is probably dominated by the mitochondrial pathway. Mechanistically, differential mitochondrial stress lies in: S-(+) isomer specifically upregulated mitochondrial cellular component compared to R-(-) isomer and identified more serious mitochondrial fission. Furthermore, S-(+) conformation down -regulated biological processes associated with ATP synthesis and metabolism, with specific inhibition of mitochondrial respiratory electron transport chain complex I and IV activity resulting in more severe electron flow disturbances. These ultimately mediated enantioselective ontogenetic process disorders, which were supported at phenotypic (weight loss), genetic, and protein (reverse modulate TCTP and Sox2 expression) levels. Our findings offer an important reference for elucidating the enantioselective toxicological mechanism of MFZ in soil fauna.

The ecological risks of biochar-derived dissolved organic matter (DOM) to soil invertebrates at different organismal levels remains limited. This study comprehensively explored the ecological risks of biochar-derived DOM on earthworm gut through assessments of enzyme activity response, histopathology, gut microbiomes, and metabolomics. Results demonstrated that DOM disturbed the digestive enzymes in earthworm, especially for 10% DOM300 groups. The integrated biomarker response v2 (IBRv2) indicated that the perturbation of earthworm digestive enzymes induced by DOM was both time-dependent and dose-dependent. Pathological observations revealed that 10% DOM300 damaged intestinal epithelium and digestive lumen of earthworms. The significant damage and injury to earthworms caused by DOM300 due to its higher concentrations of heavy metal ions and organic substrates (e.g., toluene, hexane, butanamide, and hexanamide) compared to DOM500 and DOM700. Analysis of 16S rRNA from the gut microbiota showed a significant decrease in genera (Verminephrobacter, Bacillus, and Microbacteriaceae) associated with inflammation, disease, and detoxification processes. Furthermore, 10% DOM300 caused the abnormality of metabolites, such as glutamate, fumaric acid, pyruvate, and citric acid, which were involved in energy metabolism, These findings contributed to improve our understanding of the toxic mechanism of biochar DOM from multiple perspectives.