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Hammond EB, Coulon F, Hallett SH, Thomas R, Dick A, Hardy D, Dickens M, Washbourn E, Beriro DJ. From data to decisions: Empowering brownfield redevelopment with a novel decision support system. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 347:119145. [PMID: 37806270 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
This research evaluates a novel decision support system (DSS) for planning brownfield redevelopment. The DSS is implemented within a web-based geographical information system that contains the spatial data informing three modules comprising land use suitability, economic viability, and ground risk. Using multi-criteria decision analysis, an evaluation was conducted on 31,942 ha of post-industrial land and around Liverpool, UK. The representativeness and credibility of the DSS outputs were evaluated through user trials with fifteen land-use planning and development stakeholders from the Liverpool City Region Comined Authority. The DSS was used to explore land use planning scenarios and it could be used to support decision making. Our research reveals that the DSS has the potential to positively inform the identification of brownfield redevelopment opportunities by offering a reliable, carefully curated, and user-driven digital evidence base. This expedites the traditionally manual process of conducting assessments of land suitability and viability. This research has important implications for assessing the impact of current and future planning policy and the potential for the use of digital tools for land use planning and sustainability in the UK and globally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellis B Hammond
- British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham, NG12 5GG, UK; School of Water, Energy and Environment, Cranfield University, Cranfield, MK43 0AL, UK
| | - Frederic Coulon
- School of Water, Energy and Environment, Cranfield University, Cranfield, MK43 0AL, UK
| | - Stephen H Hallett
- School of Water, Energy and Environment, Cranfield University, Cranfield, MK43 0AL, UK
| | | | - Alistair Dick
- Groundsure, Nile House, Nile St, Brighton, BN1 1HW, UK
| | - Drew Hardy
- LandTech, 9 Appold St, London, EC2A 2AP, UK
| | - Mark Dickens
- Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, 1 Mann Island, Liverpool, L3 1BP, UK
| | - Emma Washbourn
- Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, 1 Mann Island, Liverpool, L3 1BP, UK
| | - Darren J Beriro
- British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham, NG12 5GG, UK.
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Mejia MP, Rojas CA, Curd E, Renshaw MA, Edalati K, Shih B, Vincent N, Lin M, Nguyen PH, Wayne R, Jessup K, Parker SS. Soil Microbial Community Composition and Tolerance to Contaminants in an Urban Brownfield Site. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2023; 85:998-1012. [PMID: 35802172 PMCID: PMC10156844 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-022-02061-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Brownfields are unused sites that contain hazardous substances due to previous commercial or industrial use. The sites are inhospitable for many organisms, but some fungi and microbes can tolerate and thrive in the nutrient-depleted and contaminated soils. However, few studies have characterized the impacts of long-term contamination on soil microbiome composition and diversity at brownfields. This study focuses on an urban brownfield-a former rail yard in Los Angeles that is contaminated with heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, and petroleum-derived pollutants. We anticipate that heavy metals and organic pollutants will shape soil microbiome diversity and that several candidate fungi and bacteria will be tolerant to the contaminants. We sequence three gene markers (16S ribosomal RNA, 18S ribosomal RNA, and the fungal internal transcribed spacer (FITS)) in 55 soil samples collected at five depths to (1) profile the composition of the soil microbiome across depths; (2) determine the extent to which hazardous chemicals predict microbiome variation; and (3) identify microbial taxonomic groups that may metabolize these contaminants. Detected contaminants in the samples included heavy metals, petroleum hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and volatile organic compounds. Bacterial, eukaryotic, and fungal communities all varied with depth and with concentrations of arsenic, chromium, cobalt, and lead. 18S rRNA microbiome richness and fungal richness were positively correlated with lead and cobalt levels, respectively. Furthermore, bacterial Paenibacillus and Iamia, eukaryotic Actinochloris, and fungal Alternaria were enriched in contaminated soils compared to uncontaminated soils and represent taxa of interest for future bioremediation research. Based on our results, we recommend incorporating DNA-based multi-marker microbial community profiling at multiple sites and depths in brownfield site assessment standard methods and restoration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maura Palacios Mejia
- Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Connie A Rojas
- Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Program, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Emily Curd
- Natural Science, Landmark College, Putney, VT, USA
| | - Mark A Renshaw
- Cherokee Federal, USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Kiumars Edalati
- Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Beverly Shih
- Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Nitin Vincent
- Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Meixi Lin
- Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Peggy H Nguyen
- Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Robert Wayne
- Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Guidi Nissim W, Castiglione S, Guarino F, Pastore MC, Labra M. Beyond Cleansing: Ecosystem Services Related to Phytoremediation. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:1031. [PMID: 36903892 PMCID: PMC10005053 DOI: 10.3390/plants12051031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Phytotechnologies used for cleaning up urban and suburban polluted soils (i.e., brownfields) have shown some weakness in the excessive extent of the timeframe required for them to be effectively operating. This bottleneck is due to technical constraints, mainly related to both the nature of the pollutant itself (e.g., low bio-availability, high recalcitrance, etc.) and the plant (e.g., low pollution tolerance, low pollutant uptake rates, etc.). Despite the great efforts made in the last few decades to overcome these limitations, the technology is in many cases barely competitive compared with conventional remediation techniques. Here, we propose a new outlook on phytoremediation, where the main goal of decontaminating should be re-evaluated, considering additional ecosystem services (ESs) related to the establishment of a new vegetation cover on the site. The aim of this review is to raise awareness and stress the knowledge gap on the importance of ES associated with this technique, which can make phytoremediation a valuable tool to boost an actual green transition process in planning urban green spaces, thereby offering improved resilience to global climate change and a higher quality of life in cities. This review highlights that the reclamation of urban brownfields through phytoremediation may provide several regulating (i.e., urban hydrology, heat mitigation, noise reduction, biodiversity, and CO2 sequestration), provisional (i.e., bioenergy and added-value chemicals), and cultural (i.e., aesthetic, social cohesion, and health) ESs. Although future research should specifically be addressed to better support these findings, acknowledging ES is crucial for an exhaustive evaluation of phytoremediation as a sustainable and resilient technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Werther Guidi Nissim
- Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 2, 20126 Milan, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), 90133 Palermo, Italy
| | - Stefano Castiglione
- Department of Chemistry and Biology “A. Zambelli”, University of Salerno, Via G. Paolo II n◦ 132, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), 90133 Palermo, Italy
| | - Francesco Guarino
- Department of Chemistry and Biology “A. Zambelli”, University of Salerno, Via G. Paolo II n◦ 132, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), 90133 Palermo, Italy
| | - Maria Chiara Pastore
- Politecnico di Milano, Department of Architecture and Urban Studies, Via Bonardi 3, 20133 Milano, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), 90133 Palermo, Italy
| | - Massimo Labra
- Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 2, 20126 Milan, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), 90133 Palermo, Italy
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