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Microplastic, a possible trigger of landfill sulfate reduction process
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Researchers investigated microplastic occurrence in landfill environments through field sampling and found abundances reaching over 11,000 particles per gram in deeper soil layers. The study revealed a significant correlation between microplastic abundance and sulfate reduction metabolites, suggesting that microplastics may trigger the sulfate reduction process that contributes to landfill odor emissions.
The environmental impact of microplastics (MPs) formed from landfill has not been gained enough attention. This research investigated the characteristics of the MPs occurrence in landfills through field sampling. It shows that the MPs abundance in the landfill surface soil and non-landfill areas can reach 3573 items·g and 3041 items·g, respectively. The vertical abundance of MPs increases significantly with depth, ranging from 387 to 11,599 items·g with small size (≤10 μm, 65.61 %) and flake or wedge shape (38.48 %). The leachate movement in a longitudinal direction enables MPs to accumulate more easily in the landfill bottom layer with high moisture abundance. The abundance of MPs are significantly correlated with SO and S content, the two typical metabolic substrate and product of sulfate reduction process. In such heterogeneous environment, this significant correlation is not a random phenomenon in terms of the MPs have known substantial impact on biogeochemical processes. Microplastic is a possible trigger of landfill odor emission related with sulfate reduction. This research could serve as a reference for MPs and odor pollution management in landfills.
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Microplastic release and sulfate reduction response in the early stage of a simulated landfill
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An experiment simulating a landfill found that microplastics rapidly leach into landfill liquid (leachate) during the early stages of waste decomposition, with circulating leachate carrying 1.45 times more microplastics than non-circulating systems. Larger plastic fragments broke down into smaller particles during the process, and a positive correlation was found between microplastic release and sulfate-reducing activity. Landfills represent an underappreciated but significant pathway for microplastics to enter groundwater and surrounding environments.
Effect of microplastics on sulfate reduction in landfill leachate-saturated zone
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Researchers investigated how different types of microplastics affect sulfate reduction in landfill leachate-saturated zones at varying temperatures. They found that polylactic acid microplastics dramatically increased hydrogen sulfide release compared to polystyrene, polyethylene, and PVC, with cumulative release at 55 degrees Celsius being 33 times higher than at 25 degrees. The study suggests that biodegradable plastics in landfills may paradoxically worsen certain pollution processes by enriching sulfate-reducing microbial communities.
Synchronous regulation of MPs release and H2S accumulation by SRB in landfill environments
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Landfills naturally release both microplastics and smelly hydrogen sulfide gas, and this study found these two processes are connected: certain sulfur-processing bacteria in landfills actually help break down plastic waste into smaller microplastic fragments as a side effect of their normal activity. This matters because it shows landfills may be releasing more microplastics into the environment (and eventually water, soil, and food chains) than previously understood, especially in wet conditions—information that could help engineers design better landfills to reduce this pollution.
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Researchers identified microplastic concentrations of 180–1,120 particles per kilogram of soil in an urban informal landfill in India, with fragments and fibers as the dominant shapes, and found that microplastic presence altered key soil properties including conductivity and moisture content.
Profile of microplastic types and soil biological response in the subsurface layer: A case study of the Surabaya landfill
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A case study of a Surabaya landfill characterized microplastic types and soil biological responses in subsurface layers, documenting contamination profiles and ecological impacts at a major urban waste disposal site. The findings underscore that landfills are significant terrestrial hotspots for microplastic pollution, with subsurface contamination posing risks to soil health and groundwater that extend well beyond the immediate disposal area.
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