Monitoring of Soil and Plant Pollution Near Iron and Steel Smelters: A Bibliometric Review

The iron and steel industry, one of the world’s oldest and most essential sectors, has significant environmental impacts that warrant close examination. This study analyzes 55 research articles published between 2018 and 2024 on the effects of iron and steel production on soil and plants, selected using PRISMA guidelines and evaluated with VOSviewer. The articles included English abstracts and DOIs. A heat map showed the overall geographic distribution of studies. China accounted for 29% of studies, followed by Nigeria and Russia (13% each), Poland (7%), and the Czech Republic (5%), with the remainder across 18 other countries. Keyword analysis revealed six research directions. Most articles focused on the analysis of potentially toxic elements in soils. The remaining studies are devoted to quite diverse directions: assessment of radionuclides content, the impact of steel slag on soil–plant systems, analyzing pollution by organic pollutants, phytomonitoring and phytoremediation, and analysis of magnetic particles. It has been found that relatively little attention has been paid to studying the effects of pollution on soil microbiology. Monitoring of the content of potentially toxic elements in soils and plants was carried out using various methods and approaches, which varied depending on the research directions. Citation analysis revealed weak bibliographic links and limited collaboration among researchers. This fragmentation suggests a lack of awareness of recent advancements. To address this, a citation-based review was conducted to highlight influential publications and journals. The findings confirm the need for more integrated and collaborative research. This review is useful for facilitating access to current studies and identifying key gaps in environmental monitoring near iron and steel facilities, as well as for facilitating connections among researchers in this field.

Cite this article as: Zolotova, E., Ivanova, N., & Ayan, S. (2026). Monitoring of soil and plant pollution near iron and steel smelters: A bibliometric review. Forestist, 76, 0070, 10.5152/ forestis.2026.25070.