Adsorption of PCBs on microplastics mitigated greenhouse gas emission by changing C/N metabolism in freshwater sediment

Unveiling the effects of two distinct microplastics on the sediment microbial community and greenhouse gas emissions: a case study of the Nu River

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A study of the Nu River found that both conventional PVC and biodegradable PLA microplastics altered sediment microbial communities and disrupted greenhouse gas cycling, with PVC more severely reducing bacterial diversity and both types suppressing methane production. The finding that so-called biodegradable plastics still meaningfully disrupt river ecosystems challenges assumptions about their environmental safety.

Effects of plastispheres and pristine microplastics on sediment microbial communities and nitrogen cycling under global warming

Microplastics modify the microbial-mediated carbon metabolism in mangroves

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Researchers exposed mangrove rhizosphere microbial communities to four types of microplastics in microcosm experiments and found that polyamide and PVC microplastics reduced microbial utilization of preferred carbon sources by up to 67%, while polyethylene exposure altered nitrogen-containing carbon metabolism. These disruptions to carbon and nitrogen cycling raise concerns about microplastics impairing the critical carbon sequestration function of mangrove ecosystems.

The Effect of N Mineralization, Nitrification and Ammonification Rates in Soils Contaminated with Microplastics

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Researchers found that polypropylene, polyethylene, and PET microplastics all disrupt soil nitrogen cycling, with polypropylene having the most harmful effect — reducing the availability of nitrogen that plants need to grow, raising concerns about long-term agricultural soil health in contaminated areas.

Impacts of microplastics on terrestrial soil carbon dynamics

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This synthesis shows that microplastics disrupt soil organic carbon sequestration through multiple mechanisms, including leaching dissolved organic matter, altering microbial carbon pump efficiency, and creating hotspots that modify mineral-organic matter interactions within soil aggregates. As microplastics accumulate in agricultural soils globally, their interference with carbon storage could undermine both climate mitigation efforts and the soil ecosystem services that support food production.