Emerging remediation approaches for mining contaminated soils by heavy metals: recent updates and future perspective

Abstract

The mining sector is mostly responsible for the extensive environmental problem of soil contamination caused by lead, zinc, iron, manganese, and copper. Some examples of primary sources are processes involving in mining activities, manufacturing, processing, waste management, and atmospheric sediments. The main environmental and health impacts of contamination include soil degradation and pollution that affect the ecosystem and impose health risks. Therefore, the present work comprehensively evaluated the mining-related heavy metals contamination levels, and soils affected by mining activities. The recent methodological approaches such as nanotechnology were critically discussed to cope with mining contamination. Currently, nanotechnology has grown into a major driver of a paradigm shift, transitioning from conventional to advanced, especially in the field of sustainable remediation of toxic elements. In the present study, data from 2000-2025 (25 January 2025) were retrieved from the Scopus database, and the analyses of obtained dataset were performed through the R-Studio-Biblioshiny software tool. Therefore, the current review offers an important contribution, which includes a bibliometric analysis that makes it easy to understand the current state of mining pollution, worldwide research trends, knowledge gaps existing, and challenges for future research. Furthermore, this review also discussed the number of recent studies that delve into cutting-edge approaches to manage and remediate mineral waste, implement sustainable practices in the mining industry, and regulate pollution caused by heavy metals and metalloids. Insight into the current trends of heavy metals toxicity and its adverse effects on soil, plants, and humans were comprehensively explored. Additionally, review elucidates the mechanisms underlying bio-migration, uptake, and translocation of heavy metals in soil, crops, the mode of action of nanoparticle-based strategies for stabilization and remediation of mining sites.

Keywords: Metalloid; Nano-enhanced remediation; Plants; Pollution; Soil; Toxicity.