This page has only limited features, please log in for full access.
Dr. Ifigeneia Megremi National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Ifigeneia Megremi is a Geologist, with Masters, Ph.D. thesis, and scientific interests on the geochemistry of the soil-water-crops ore system and other environmental problems. Lecturer, Section of Mineralogy and Petrology and member of the Museum of Mineralogy and Petrology, National University of Athens since 2000-present. Ifigeneia has Post-Doctoral research experience on the modern analytical methodologies in the frame of more than ten research projects on environmental problems, and her participation in the Postgraduate program “Applied Environmental Geology” (2000-2014). Author in 25 scientific papers, has 500 citations and an h-index of 11.
The increasing development of industries, resulting in a large volume of mining, smelting, and combustion wastes, and intense agricultural activities, due to demand for food and energy, have caused environmental hazards for food quality and ecosystems. This is a review on the contamination of the soil–groundwater–crop system and a potential reduction of the contamination by a gradual shift towards green economy within the European Union and on a worldwide scale. Available mineralogical and geochemical features from contaminated Neogene basins have shown a diversity in the contamination sources for soil and groundwater, and highlighted the need to define the contamination sources, hot spots, degree/extent of contamination, and provide ways to restrict the transfer of heavy metals/metalloids into the food chain, without the reduction of the agricultural and industrial production. Among harmful elements for human health and ecosystems, the contamination of groundwater (thousands of μg/L Cr(VI)) by industrial activities in many European countries is of particular attention. Although Cr(VI) can be reduced to Cr(III) and be completely attenuated in nature under appropriate pH and Eh conditions, the contamination by Cr(VI) of coastal groundwater affected by the intrusion of seawater often remains at the hundreds μg/L level. A positive trend between B and Cr(VI) may provide insights on the role of the borate [B(OH)4]− ions, a potential buffer, on the stability of Cr(VI) in coastal groundwater. Efforts are needed towards reducing toxic metal(loids) from the industrial wastewaters prior to their discharge into receptors, as well as the transformation of hazardous mining/industrial wastes to new products and applications to the optimization of agricultural management strategies.
Maria Economou-Eliopoulos; Ifigeneia Megremi. Contamination of the Soil–Groundwater–Crop System: Environmental Risk and Opportunities. Minerals 2021, 11, 775 .
AMA StyleMaria Economou-Eliopoulos, Ifigeneia Megremi. Contamination of the Soil–Groundwater–Crop System: Environmental Risk and Opportunities. Minerals. 2021; 11 (7):775.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMaria Economou-Eliopoulos; Ifigeneia Megremi. 2021. "Contamination of the Soil–Groundwater–Crop System: Environmental Risk and Opportunities." Minerals 11, no. 7: 775.
The investigation of the contamination in soil, plants and groundwater revealed a spatial evolution, with an increasing trend in the Cr, Fe, Ni, Mn and Co contents in soils from the Assopos to Thiva basin, followed by C. Evia and Ni-laterite deposits, suggesting that the latter and their parent ophiolites are a potential source for these metals. In contrast, the contamination in groundwater by Cr(VI), ranging from 2 to 360 μg/L Cr, and a varying degree of salinization is probably due to both human activities and natural processes. A diverse source for the contamination of soil and groundwater in the Assopos-Thiva basins is consistent with the increasing trend of the Mg/Si ratio and Cr(VI) concentration in water. The use of deep karst-type aquifer instead of the shallow-Neogene one may provide a solution to the crucial environmental problem. The selective extraction by EDTA and alkaline solution showed that Cr and Fe are less available than Mn. The Cr contents in plants range from <1 to tens of mg/kg, due probably to the high resistance of chromite. However, the average Crtotal contents in plants/crops are higher than normal or sufficient values, whilst Crtotal accumulation [(% metals in plants × 100)/metal in soil] and Cr(VI) accumulation are relatively low. There is a very good positive correlation between accumulation factors for Cr and Fe (R2 = 0.92), suggesting a similarity concerning their uptake.
Maria Economou-Eliopoulos; Ifigeneia Megremi; Cathy Atsarou; Christina Theodoratou; Charalambos Vasilatos. Spatial Evolution of the Chromium Contamination in Soils from the Assopos to Thiva Basin and C. Evia (Greece) and Potential Source(s): Anthropogenic versus Natural Processes. Geosciences 2013, 3, 140 -158.
AMA StyleMaria Economou-Eliopoulos, Ifigeneia Megremi, Cathy Atsarou, Christina Theodoratou, Charalambos Vasilatos. Spatial Evolution of the Chromium Contamination in Soils from the Assopos to Thiva Basin and C. Evia (Greece) and Potential Source(s): Anthropogenic versus Natural Processes. Geosciences. 2013; 3 (2):140-158.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMaria Economou-Eliopoulos; Ifigeneia Megremi; Cathy Atsarou; Christina Theodoratou; Charalambos Vasilatos. 2013. "Spatial Evolution of the Chromium Contamination in Soils from the Assopos to Thiva Basin and C. Evia (Greece) and Potential Source(s): Anthropogenic versus Natural Processes." Geosciences 3, no. 2: 140-158.