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Occurrence Characteristics, Effects and Fate of Typical Emerging Contaminants in Compost
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This review of emerging contaminants in municipal solid waste compost found substantial levels of microplastics (up to 32,070 items/kg in sewage sludge compost), PFAS, antibiotic resistance genes, and pharmaceuticals, with all categories capable of entering and disrupting soil ecosystems when compost is applied to land. The finding that compost—widely promoted as a soil amendment—can be a vector for microplastic and chemical contamination highlights a critical but underappreciated pathway for pollutant dispersal into agricultural soils.
With the acceleration of urbanization and intensified human activities, emerging contaminants characterized by persistence and adverse health effects are increasingly detected in municipal solid waste compost, posing significant challenges to environmental and public health. This review focuses on four typical contaminants in compost: microplastics (MPs), per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs). Key findings reveal substantial contamination levels: sewage sludge compost shows the highest MPs abundance (8730–32,070 items/kg), food packaging waste compost contains elevated PFASs concentrations (31–75 μg/kg), livestock manure compost exhibits prominent ARGs levels (1.01 × 1010 copies/kg), and sludge compost retains notable PPCPs residues (e.g., ibuprofen at 6224 ng/g). These contaminants enter soil ecosystems through compost application, disrupting soil ecological structures and microbial diversity. Growing awareness of their environmental prevalence underscores the urgent need for systematic understanding. Compared to previous studies, this review uniquely quantifies contaminant levels across diverse compost types and analyzes their cumulative impacts on soil systems. While progress has been made in identifying these pollutants, critical knowledge gaps persist regarding their environmental behavior and fate, necessitating targeted research to develop effective mitigation strategies.
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Microplastics in MSW-derived compost: release rate, characteristics, ecological risks, and mitigation strategies for sustainable agriculture
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Compost made from household trash often contains tiny plastic bits called microplastics, and surprisingly, the compost from industrial facilities had even more plastic contamination than the raw waste it started from. Since this compost gets spread on farm fields, these plastic fragments can build up in the soil where our food grows. The good news: simply sorting out plastic from food/organic waste before composting (rather than mixing everything together) dramatically cuts down on this contamination, suggesting better recycling habits at home and in waste facilities could help keep microplastics out of our agricultural system.
Integrated Impacts of Microplastics Contaminated Compost on Soil–Plant Systems and Bioaccumulation in Lettuce, Tomato, and Radish
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Researchers grew lettuce, tomatoes, and radish in soils amended with four composts of varying microplastic loads, finding that the most contaminated compost reduced early plant growth and resulted in bioaccumulation averaging 118, 81, and 140 microplastic particles per gram dry weight in the respective edible tissues. The study demonstrates that microplastics in compost-amended agricultural soil transfer directly into food crops, posing a direct pathway for human dietary exposure.
Impact of Emerging Contaminants to the Environment and Human Health
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Researchers reviewed the growing presence of emerging contaminants — including microplastics, pharmaceuticals, and endocrine disruptors — across environmental matrices, documenting their increasingly recognized risks to ecosystem integrity and human health.
Microplastic Pollution in Compost Derived from Mixed Municipal Waste in Kermanshah City: Abundance, Characteristics, and Ecological Risk Evaluation
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Researchers found that compost made from mixed municipal solid waste in Kermanshah, Iran, was universally contaminated with microplastics at an average of 2,160 particles per kilogram — translating to an estimated 118 million microplastics added to each hectare of farmland annually — posing medium to high ecological risk and highlighting compost as a significant pathway for microplastic entry into agricultural soils.
Microplastics in Composts, Digestates and Food Wastes: A Review
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Researchers reviewed microplastic contamination in composts, digestates, and food wastes, finding that plastic packaging mixed into food waste streams may inadvertently introduce microplastics into agricultural soils during composting or anaerobic digestion. The authors highlight critical research gaps and call for harmonized methods to better assess this potential pathway of soil microplastic contamination.
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