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Microplastics and Their Distribution in Soil at Municipal Solid Waste Landfills: A Review
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This review investigated microplastic contamination across soil layers at urban municipal solid waste landfill sites, finding that landfill age and waste composition influence MP type and distribution. It identified landfill soils as understudied long-term MP reservoirs with potential for leaching into surrounding environments.
Microplastics (MPs) are persistent pollutants that pose significant long-term environmental risks, particularly in urban landfill soils, which have received less attention than aquatic environments. This review sought to address this gap by investigating microplastic contamination across various soil layers at landfill sites. The results indicated that factors such as landfill age and waste composition significantly influence the types and concentrations of MPs. Concentrations varied with soil depth, with higher levels observed in older landfills containing substantial quantities of plastic waste. Regions characterized by extensively weathered plastic waste exhibited a greater prevalence of smaller microplastic particles. The extensive production of plastic waste, coupled with its associated health and environmental risks, highlights the urgent need for policies to reduce plastic consumption and enhance recycling efforts. Given the critical role of soil in the food chain and its connections to air and water pollution, ongoing monitoring of soil contamination by MPs is essential. Additionally, identifying sources of microplastic pollution and implementing strategies to mitigate their entry into the environment are crucial to addressing this growing environmental concern.
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Abundance and characteristics of microplastics in soil and leachate at different zones of unsanitary landfill
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Researchers investigated microplastic contamination in soil and leachate across young, middle-aged, and old zones of an unsanitary landfill. They found that fiber-shaped microplastics were most common, with PET, polypropylene, and polystyrene as the dominant polymers, and that leachate from middle-aged zones had significantly lower microplastic abundance than young or old zones. The study shows that landfill age and environmental degradation influence how microplastics are distributed between soil and leachate.
Leachate from municipal solid waste landfills: A neglected source of microplastics in the environment
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This review identified municipal solid waste landfills as a significant but neglected source of microplastics in the environment, explaining how physical compression, chemical oxidation, and biological decomposition of buried plastics generate microplastics that migrate via leachate into surrounding soils and water.
Microplastics in Landfill Bodies: Abundance, Spatial Distribution and Effect of Landfill Age
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Researchers examined microplastic distribution in landfill refuse across different age sections, finding that older landfill areas contain higher microplastic abundances, demonstrating that plastic waste progressively fragments into microplastics during long-term burial.
Distribution and characteristics of Microplastics in leachate and underneath soil of two informal landfills
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Researchers investigated microplastic distribution in leachate and underlying soils at two informal landfill sites. They found high concentrations of microplastics in both leachate and soil samples, with abundance varying by depth and landfill characteristics. The study indicates that informal landfills are significant sources of microplastic contamination that can leach into surrounding soil and potentially reach groundwater.
Characterization of Microplastics and Associated Heavy Metals in Urban Soils Affected by Anthropogenic Littering: Distribution, Spatial Variation, and Influence of Soil Properties
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Researchers sampled soils across residential, commercial, and industrial land-use types in urban areas and found microplastics in every location, with polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyamide as the dominant polymer types, at concentrations up to 850,000 particles per kilogram. Heavy metals were also associated with the plastic particles, meaning microplastics in urban soil may serve as combined carriers of chemical toxicants. The findings highlight urban soil as a major but underappreciated reservoir of microplastic pollution.
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