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Evolution and Future Path of Global Farmland Soil Pollution Remediation Over the Past Five Decades
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This research review analyzed 50 years of studies on cleaning up polluted farmland and found that scientists are increasingly focused on three major threats: heavy metals, toxic chemicals, and newer contaminants like microplastics in soil where our food grows. The study shows that while we're getting better at removing heavy metals from farmland, microplastics and other emerging pollutants are becoming bigger research priorities because we're still learning how they might affect the safety of our food supply. This matters because contaminated farmland can lead to pollutants ending up in the fruits and vegetables we eat.
The control and remediation of farmland soil pollution represent a significant global concern. Isolated studies alone, however, are insufficient to comprehensively identify research hotspots and emerging trends. This study addresses these gaps by collecting and screening relevant literature from the past 50 years and then comprehensively evaluating publication trends, keyword distributions, and other metrics. The results reveal an S-shaped growth in annual publications, indicating maturation of the field. A robust international collaborative network has formed, with major agricultural nations including China, the United States, and India as core participants. Thematic analysis identifies three persistent core research themes over the past decade: remediation technologies for heavy metals, sources and risks of heavy metals and organic pollutants, and the environmental behavior and ecological effects of emerging contaminants. Further analysis of keyword evolution from 2015 to 2024 delineates three typical trends: high-intensity and high-growth topics (e.g., microplastics (MPs), ecological risk) approaching mainstream prominence; high-intensity but declining topics (e.g., soil leaching, phthalic acid esters (PAEs)) facing bottlenecks; and low-intensity but high-growth topics (e.g., random forest, microbial remediation) showing significant breakthrough potential. Future research should pursue full-chain innovation, encompassing everything from mechanistic exploration and intelligent modeling to engineering implementation. By integrating data science, soil chemistry, and environmental engineering, it will deepen our understanding of the toxicity mechanisms underlying complex soil contamination, and develop a technical framework for intelligent decision-making and context-specific customization. These research directions promise to further advance the translation of laboratory findings into field applications, thereby providing guidance for soil remediation and risk management strategies in farmland.
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Integrated Monitoring, Remediation and Management of Soil Pollution: A Comprehensive Review
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This research review summarizes the latest methods for finding, cleaning up, and managing polluted soil that can harm human health through contaminated food and water. The study highlights that newer pollutants like microplastics and "forever chemicals" (PFAS) are especially hard to remove from soil using traditional cleanup methods. The authors argue that we need better, combined approaches to monitor and clean up soil pollution to protect our food supply and health.
Soil Contamination, Risk Assessment, and Remediation
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This review covers soil contamination from various sources including agrochemicals, waste materials, and emerging pollutants like microplastics, along with methods for risk assessment and remediation. Researchers examined how human activities such as farming, waste disposal, and industrial practices contribute to soil pollution and disrupt soil fertility. The study emphasizes the need for comprehensive risk assessment frameworks that account for the complex interactions between traditional and emerging soil contaminants.
Interactions among Heavy Metals, Microplastics and Pesticides in Soil and Advances in Microbial Remediation
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Tiny plastic bits in farm soil don't just pollute on their own—they can grab onto heavy metals and pesticides, making these toxins travel farther, last longer, or become more harmful together than any one pollutant alone, which matters since this soil grows the food we eat. This review pulls together existing research on how these three pollutants interact, and highlights promising work using soil bacteria and plants to break down or neutralize this combined contamination. The main takeaway: scientists still don't fully understand how these pollutants team up in real-world conditions, so more research is needed before we can reliably clean up farmland facing this triple threat.
Microplastics in Agricultural Soils: An Emerging Threat to Soil Health, Microbial Ecology, Crop Productivity, and Food Safety
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This review examines how microplastics accumulate in agricultural soils from sources like plastic mulch, sewage sludge, and atmospheric deposition. Researchers found that these particles can disrupt soil microbial communities, harm plant health, and potentially enter the human food chain. The study highlights the urgent need for mitigation strategies to address this growing but often overlooked form of pollution in farmland.
The Effect of Microplastic Pollution on Soil, Plants and Soil Microbes and Its Remediation
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This review summarized evidence for microplastic effects on soil properties, plant growth, soil microbes, and food safety, identifying microplastic pollution as a significant emerging threat to terrestrial ecosystems. The authors also reviewed bioremediation and physical removal strategies as potential remediation approaches.
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