To elucidate the long-term spatiotemporal patterns and key drivers factors, this study employed a meta-analysis of data from soil containing Potentially Toxic Elements (Cd, As, Cr, Hg, and Pb) in Chinese farmland soils from 2003 to 2025. The geoaccumulation index, the potential ecological risk index, and standard deviation ellipses were used to assess the spatiotemporal evolution of heavy metal accumulation and ecological risk, while the Random forest–SHapley Additive exPlanations (RF-SHAP) method was employed to identify driving mechanisms. At the national scale, Cd and Hg are significantly enriched relative to the background values, whereas As, Cr, and Pb remained at relatively low levels, with enrichment ranked as Cd > Hg > Pb > Cr > As. Cd and Hg indicated mild pollution, but the Sichuan Basin emerged as a hotspot, where Cd reached moderate pollution and showed strong ecological risk, and Hg also exhibited high ecological risk. Over the past two decades, the contamination center shifted from coastal to southwestern inland regions, with an expanded and more dispersed distribution. Since 2017, Cd and Hg pollution levels have stabilized, suggesting that the aggravating trend has been preliminarily curbed. Industrial waste and wastewater discharge, irrigation and fertilization were identified as the primary anthropogenic factors of soil heavy metal accumulation, while climatic factors (temperature, precipitation, and solar radiation) and soil physicochemical properties (pH, clay content, and organic matter) played fundamental roles in spatial distribution and accumulation. Our findings call for targeted predictive research and policies to manage heavy metal risks and preserve farmland sustainability in a changing climate.

Heavy metals in livestock and poultry manure cause significant contamination; however, there is currently a lack of scenario analysis research on soil pollution risks under the influence of manure application. This study integrated multiple methods, including multi-source data fusion, heavy metal emission accounting, and ecological risk assessment, to investigate regional soil heavy metal pollution risks under baseline and improved scenarios of manure application, using Hunan Province, China, as a case study. The results indicate that pig manure (49.5%) and cattle manure (47.6%) are the primary sources of heavy metal emissions from livestock and poultry manure. The heavy metal loads on cropland (g/ha) were as follows: Cd (0.51), Hg (0.027), As (0.87), Pb (4.69), Cr (5.38), Cu (93.10), Zn (131.05), and Ni (5.07). Among the eight heavy metals, Cd poses the most prominent soil pollution risk. Under the baseline scenario (100% manure application), the study area exhibited an overall moderate ecological hazard level after 37 years of continuous application, with 71.93% of the cropland classified as Risk Level II and 7.04% as Risk Level III. After 184 years, a strong ecological hazard level was reached, with 54.93% of the cropland classified as Risk Level III and 19.64% as Risk Level IV. Under improved scenarios (75%, 50%, and 25% manure application), the overall moderate ecological hazard level was reached after 49, 74, and 147 years of continuous application, respectively. This study provides a theoretical and methodological basis for regional soil heavy metal pollution control and source analysis.

At present, there is a lack of in-depth knowledge of the effects of heavy metal-related industries (HMIs) in China on the environment. Hunan Province, as a representative gathering place of HMIs, is among the regions in China that are the most severely polluted with heavy metals. This paper selected Hunan Province as the study area to analyze the development trend, characteristics of pollution emissions, and environmental impacts of seven HMIs based on emission permit information data from Hunan Province. The results of this study show that (1) from 2000 to 2022, the number of heavy metal-related enterprises in Hunan Province increased overall. Among the seven industries, the chemical product manufacturing industry (CPMI) had the largest number of enterprises, whereas the nonferrous metal smelting and rolling industry (NSRI) had the highest gross industrial product (27.6%). (2) HMIs in Hunan Province had significant emissions of cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), and hydargyrum (Hg) from exhaust gas and wastewater. Heavy metal-related exhaust gas and wastewater outlets from the NSRI constituted 43.9% and 35.3%, respectively, of all outlets of the corresponding type. The proportions of exhaust gas outlets involving Cd, Hg, and As from the NSRI to total exhaust gas outlets were 44.27%, 60.54%, and 34.23%, respectively. The proportions of wastewater outlets involving Cd, Hg, and As from the NSRI to total wastewater outlets were 61.13%, 57.89%, and 75.30%, respectively. (3) The average distances of heavy metal-related enterprises from arable land, rivers, and flooded areas in Hunan Province were 256 m, 1763 m, and 3352 m, respectively. Counties with high environmental risk (H-L type) were situated mainly in eastern Hunan. Among them, Chenzhou had the most heavy metal-related wastewater outlets (22.7%), and Hengyang had the most heavy metal-related exhaust gas outlets (23.1%). The results provide a scientific basis for the prevention and control of heavy metal pollution and an enhancement in environmental sustainability in typical Chinese areas where HMIs are concentrated.

Tetracycline (TC)–copper (Cu) co-contamination can impair soil functioning and intensify selection for antibiotic resistance. In a 49-day microcosm experiment, we evaluated the effects of Chlorella pyrenoidosa supplementation on soils treated with TC (0, 30, or 100 mg·kg⁻¹) and Cu (0, 100, or 500 mg·kg⁻¹). TC removal, extractable Cu, soil physicochemical properties, enzyme activities, tetracycline resistance genes (TRGs), and microbial community composition were assessed. In unamended contaminated microcosms, TC dissipation ranged from 22.7% to 43.5%, whereas C. pyrenoidosa amendment increased TC dissipation to 49.9–73.5%. The addition also reduced extractable Cu by 35.6–50.6%, partially restored dehydrogenase and catalase activities, and altered bacterial community structure. Metagenomic analysis showed that tetX was the predominant TRG detected and that algal supplementation was associated with lower total TRG signals and reduced relative abundances of several pollution-associated taxa, including Rhodanobacter. Correlation analyses revealed associations among TRGs, microbial taxa, and treatment conditions but did not establish direct host–gene relationships or horizontal gene transfer. Overall, C. pyrenoidosa application enhanced TC removal and Cu immobilization and was associated with reduced enrichment of the tetracycline resistome.