Papers

Research and Application of Water Treatment Technologies for Emerging Contaminants (ECs): A Pathway to Solving Water Environment Challenges

This review summarizes methods for removing emerging contaminants from water, including microplastics, drug residues, and hormone-disrupting chemicals. It covers physical, chemical, and biological treatment approaches, noting their strengths and limitations -- important because even at low concentrations, these pollutants build up over time and pose long-term threats to human health.

Advances and prospects of biochar in improving soil fertility, biochemical quality, and environmental applications

This review examines how biochar, a charcoal-like material made from organic waste, can improve soil health and clean up pollutants including microplastics. Biochar's ability to absorb and trap contaminants makes it a promising tool for reducing microplastic pollution in agricultural soil. The findings suggest biochar could help limit the amount of microplastics that enter the food chain through crops grown in contaminated soil.

Toxic effects and mechanisms of nanoplastics and sulfonamide antibiotics on Scenedesmus obliquus

This study tested the combined toxic effects of nanoplastics and sulfonamide antibiotics on freshwater algae, finding that the pollutants together were more harmful than either one alone. The mixture reduced algae growth, damaged cell membranes, and increased oxidative stress. Since algae form the base of aquatic food chains, this damage could cascade through ecosystems and eventually affect the quality of water and food that humans depend on.

Effects of Polystyrene Microplastic Exposure on Liver Cell Damage, Oxidative Stress, and Gene Expression in Juvenile Crucian Carp (Carassius auratus)

Researchers exposed young crucian carp to polystyrene microplastics at different concentrations and found dose-dependent liver damage, with higher concentrations causing more severe tissue injury and weaker antioxidant defenses. The microplastics disrupted genes involved in detoxification and stress response in liver cells. Since crucian carp is a commonly consumed freshwater fish, these findings raise questions about whether microplastic-contaminated fish could affect the health of people who eat them.

Assessing the Mass Concentration of Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Wastewater Treatment Plants by Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry

Researchers used pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to measure the mass concentration of both microplastics and nanoplastics at different stages of wastewater treatment. They found that treatment plants removed over 93% of microplastics and nanoplastics by mass, but measurable amounts still remained in treated effluent. The study provides important data on nanoplastic levels in wastewater, which have been largely unmeasured due to limitations of previous detection methods.

Detection of Microplastics Based on a Liquid–Solid Triboelectric Nanogenerator and a Deep Learning Method

Scientists developed a new microplastic detection device based on a liquid-solid friction generator combined with deep learning AI to identify different types of plastic particles. The system can classify microplastics by material type with high accuracy using electrical signals generated when plastic particles contact a liquid surface. This technology could make it easier and cheaper to monitor microplastic contamination in water supplies.

Trade-off of abiotic stress response in floating macrophytes as affected by nanoplastic enrichment

Researchers exposed water hyacinth plants to polystyrene nanoplastics at varying concentrations for 28 days. They found that while the plants removed 61-91% of nanoplastics from the water, the particles reduced plant biomass, impaired photosynthesis, and caused oxidative stress in roots and leaves. The study suggests that floating plants in constructed wetlands can help filter nanoplastics but experience significant physiological trade-offs in the process.

Mechanism of the Synergistic Toxicity of Ampicillin and Cefazoline on Selenastrum capricornutum

Researchers studied how two common antibiotics, ampicillin and cefazolin, work together to harm freshwater algae, finding that their combined effect is worse than either antibiotic alone. The antibiotics disrupted the algae's growth, metabolism, and photosynthesis at the genetic level. While focused on antibiotic pollution rather than microplastics, the study is relevant because microplastics can carry antibiotics through waterways, potentially amplifying these toxic effects on aquatic ecosystems.

Microplastics in terrestrial ecosystem: Exploring the menace to the soil-plant-microbe interactions

This review summarizes existing research on how microplastics affect the complex relationships between soil, plants, and soil microbes. Microplastics alter soil structure, change the makeup of microbial communities, and disrupt beneficial partnerships between plants and helpful fungi and bacteria. These disruptions can reduce plant growth and nutrient cycling, which could ultimately affect crop yields and the quality of food produced on microplastic-contaminated farmland.

Influence of landfill leachate microenvironment on the occurrence of microplastics: TOC changes are the main driving factor

Researchers surveyed microplastic contamination in leachate from 15 landfills across the North China Plain and found an average abundance of 712 particles per liter, predominantly small fibers. Using statistical modeling, they identified total organic carbon content as the most important factor driving microplastic accumulation patterns in leachate. The study highlights landfill leachate as a significant but often overlooked pathway for microplastic release into surrounding water systems.

Bipartite trophic levels cannot resist the interference of microplastics: A case study of submerged macrophytes and snail

Researchers studied how microplastics affect a two-level food chain consisting of a submerged aquatic plant and freshwater snails living together. They found that increasing microplastic concentrations harmed both organisms, reducing plant growth and disrupting snail feeding behavior and reproduction. The study demonstrates that microplastic pollution can destabilize interconnected species relationships in freshwater ecosystems.

Effect of Polystyrene Microplastic Exposure on Individual, Tissue, and Gene Expression in Juvenile Crucian Carp (Carassius auratus)

Juvenile crucian carp were exposed to polystyrene microplastics at different concentrations, and researchers found that the particles accumulated mainly in the intestines and gills. The study suggests that microplastic exposure caused tissue damage to multiple organs and altered gene expression, with higher concentrations generally leading to more severe effects.

Effects of different sizes of microplastic particles on soil respiration, enzyme activities, microbial communities, and seed germination

Researchers tested how six different sizes of polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride microplastics affect soil health, including respiration, enzyme activity, microbial communities, and seed germination. They found that smaller particles generally had stronger effects, boosting soil respiration while altering microbial diversity, and that the smallest polyethylene particles significantly reduced seed germination rates. The findings suggest that as microplastics break down into smaller pieces in soil, their ecological impact may intensify.

Spatial distribution characteristics and migration of microplastics in surface water, groundwater and sediment in karst areas: The case of Yulong River in Guilin, Southwest China

Researchers investigated microplastic distribution in surface water, sediment, and groundwater in the karst landscape of the Yulong River in Guilin, China. They found microplastic pollution across all water compartments, with living areas showing the highest contamination and tourism-related disposable plastics identified as a primary source. The study suggests that microplastics reach groundwater through hydraulic exchange with surface water in karst areas rather than through soil infiltration.

Adsorption characteristics and mechanisms of water-soluble polymers (PVP and PEG) on kaolin and montmorillonite minerals

Researchers studied how water-soluble polymers like PEG and PVP — sometimes called "liquid plastics" used in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and industry — bind to soil mineral particles, finding that hydrogen bonding and molecular weight both control how much polymer sticks to the mineral surface. Understanding how these soluble plastics move through soil is important for assessing their risk to groundwater and ecosystems.

Fate, source, and ecological risk of microplastic in the surface sediment of the Beibu Gulf, the Northern South China sea

Researchers surveyed microplastic contamination in surface sediments across the Beibu Gulf in the northern South China Sea. They found microplastic levels ranging from about 13 to 252 particles per kilogram of sediment, with the highest concentrations near estuaries influenced by coastal currents, and fibers from household and textile products being the dominant form. The study's risk assessment indicated that some areas face extremely high ecological risk from microplastic pollution, underscoring the need for measures to reduce human-caused contamination.

Spatial distribution, morphology, and risk assessment of microplastics in sediment from the Pearl River Estuary, China

Researchers assessed microplastic contamination in sediment from the Pearl River Estuary in China, one of the world's most densely populated coastal regions. They found microplastics widely distributed across the estuary, with varying shapes and polymer types linked to both urban and industrial sources. The study provides a risk assessment suggesting that sediment microplastic pollution in this ecosystem warrants ongoing monitoring and management.

Mass Concentration and Removal Characteristics of Microplastics and Nanoplastics in a Drinking Water Treatment Plant

Researchers measured both microplastics and nanoplastics by mass throughout an entire drinking water treatment plant, finding that raw water contained about 9.6 micrograms per liter of plastic polymers. Treatment reduced this by roughly 92%, but nanoplastics and very small microplastics were harder to remove than larger particles. The study highlights the importance of measuring plastic contamination by mass, not just by particle count, for a more accurate picture of exposure through drinking water.

Multi-diversity dominates the response of ecosystem multifunctionality and stability to biogeochemical materials that exceed planetary boundaries

Researchers examined how microplastic contamination combined with nitrogen deposition affects ecosystem multifunctionality and stability in coastal saline-alkali wetlands. They found that the interaction between microplastics and nitrogen actually enhanced ecosystem multifunctionality, driven by increased biodiversity and complementary interactions within plant communities. The study reveals that the cascading effects of these pollutants on soil nutrients and enzyme activities play a pivotal role in shaping wetland ecosystem responses.

Decreased particle size enhances the aging behavior of microplastics during sewage sludge composting: Physicochemical properties and cadmium loading

Researchers investigated how particle size affects the aging behavior of PET microplastics during sewage sludge composting and their subsequent ability to accumulate cadmium. They found that smaller microplastics aged faster, with the smallest particles showing the greatest increases in surface area, oxidation, and cadmium loading. The study demonstrates that particle size plays a critical role in both the degradation rate of microplastics during composting and their capacity to adsorb heavy metal pollutants.

A highly efficient and recyclable zirconium-based metal organic framework for the effective removal of nanoplastics from multiple aqueous environments

The presence of microplastics (MPs) reduces the toxicity of cadmium (Cd) to Cirrhinus mrigala larva

Effects of microplastics on the phytoremediation of Cd, Pb, and Zn contaminated soils by Solanum photeinocarpum and Lantana camara

Researchers found that polyethylene microplastics at different concentrations affected the phytoremediation efficiency of cadmium, lead, and zinc from contaminated soils by Solanum photeinocarpum and Lantana camara, with effects varying by microplastic dose and plant species.

Synergistic Uptake of Nanoplastics and Sodium Chloride in Tall Fescue Roots Mediated by Cell Wall Architecture

Researchers found that combining nanoplastic exposure with salt stress in tall fescue grass produced synergistic harmful effects far exceeding those of either stressor alone, reducing shoot length by 93% and root length by 79%. Charge-mediated interactions between nanoplastics and sodium ions enhanced the uptake of both contaminants into plant tissues. Nanoplastics altered genes related to cell wall structure and membrane permeability, compromising the plant's ability to tolerate salt stress in saline-alkali soils.