In soil-groundwater systems, heavy metals and other inorganic pollutants can reach high concentrations, becoming extremely dangerous for environment and human health when ingested as drinking water or used as irrigation water. In addition, during the last decades an exponential increase in emerging anthropogenic contaminants (e.g., PFASs, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, nanoparticles, etc.) that may demonstrate low acute toxicity, but can still produce long-term adverse health effects even at very low levels of exposure have been observed. These elements and chemicals have produced many additional challenges for soil-groundwater management, risk assessment and remediation. Understanding the geochemical characterization of groundwater bodies is the first step to investigate and assess the water quality status, and the questions related to the mobility, persistence and potential transformation or degradation of the contaminants in the soil-groundwater systems have to be addressed.
This special issue solicits novel contributions concerning process understanding through laboratory and field research, modeling, and site characterization to address new challenges and solutions associated with groundwater contamination from emerging contaminants as well as unsolved challenges related to traditional contaminants. Multidisciplinary case-studies of geochemical survey combined with different types of water remediation methods aiming to purify the polluted waters are also welcomed. In detail, the following topics are encouraged but are not limited to:
- Water-rock interaction processes through geochemical characterization and/or geochemical modelling
- Treatment systems (conventional and novel technologies) for the recovery of purified water meeting the legislation limits
- Solutions for the recovery, recycling and sustainable management of the produced residual waste
- Soil-groundwater contamination management
- Soil pollution and remediation
- Groundwater contamination and remediation
