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Papers
99 resultsShowing papers from Universidad de Granada
ClearAssessing the Impact of Nanoplastics in Biological Systems: Systematic Review of In Vitro Animal Studies
This systematic review of lab studies found that nanoplastics can damage cells in the gut, lungs, liver, brain, and reproductive organs of animals. These ultra-small plastic particles appear capable of crossing biological barriers and causing inflammation and oxidative stress, raising concerns about similar effects in humans.
A comprehensive review of impacts of soil management practices and climate adaptation strategies on soil thermal conductivity in agricultural soils
This review examines how farming practices like tillage, crop rotation, and mulching affect how well soil conducts heat, which influences crop growth and water availability. While not directly about microplastics, the paper highlights that disrupted soil structure from various agricultural inputs can alter important soil properties, which is relevant as microplastic contamination of farmland soils continues to grow.
Pharmaceutical Pollution in Aquatic Environments: A Concise Review of Environmental Impacts and Bioremediation Systems
This review examines how pharmaceutical drugs are polluting waterways worldwide because conventional wastewater treatment cannot effectively remove them. The authors focus on bioremediation approaches, especially using fungi, as a more sustainable and eco-friendly way to break down these drug residues. While not directly about microplastics, the research is relevant because microplastics can carry pharmaceutical compounds in water, and better water treatment would address both contaminants.
The Impact of COVID-19 on the Sustainable Development Goals: Achievements and Expectations
This bibliometric analysis found that COVID-19 research intersected most heavily with SDGs related to health, economic growth, and inequality, while goals related to clean water, life below water, and circular economy received less attention. The pandemic exposed vulnerabilities in sustainable development progress across all three dimensions of sustainability.
Carrion ecology in inland aquatic ecosystems: a systematic review
This systematic review of 206 studies on carrion ecology in aquatic ecosystems found that research is heavily biased toward North American river systems and short time periods. The review identified 55 orders of invertebrate scavengers across 179 families, highlighting the underappreciated role of dead animal decomposition in nutrient recycling within freshwater and other inland water ecosystems.
Optimizing Bioaugmentation for Pharmaceutical Stabilization of Sewage Sludge: A Study on Short-Term Composting Under Real Conditions
Researchers developed a faster method for using beneficial microbes to break down pharmaceutical residues in composted sewage sludge before it is applied to farmland. The treatment removed about 70% of pharmaceuticals and reduced toxicity in the finished compost. This work is relevant to microplastics because sewage sludge spread on farmland is a major source of both microplastic and pharmaceutical contamination in agricultural soil.
Impact of Ex Vivo Bisphenol A Exposure on Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis and Its Association with Childhood Obesity
This pilot study exposed gut bacteria from obese and normal-weight children to bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical commonly found in plastics, and found it disrupted the balance of intestinal microbes. Some of the bacterial changes caused by BPA exposure looked similar to patterns already seen in obese children, suggesting a possible link between plastic chemical exposure and childhood obesity through gut bacteria. Since BPA is a common additive in plastics that generate microplastics, this research highlights another pathway through which plastic pollution may affect children's health.
Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Micro- and Nanoplastics Driving Adverse Human Health Effects
This review examines the biological mechanisms by which micro- and nanoplastics may cause harm in humans, including oxidative stress, inflammation, disruption of protective barriers, and immune system problems. Evidence from lab and animal studies suggests these particles can affect the gut, heart, brain, and reproductive systems, though human data is still limited to detecting plastics in tissues rather than proving they cause specific diseases. The authors highlight that most studies use higher doses than people actually encounter, making it important to develop research models that better reflect real-world chronic exposure.
Thresholds and interactive effects of BPA-gradient and temperature on life history traits of Daphnia magna
Researchers studied how bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used in plastic production, affects water fleas at different temperatures. BPA was more toxic when transferred through the food chain rather than just present in water, and its effects changed depending on temperature conditions. This study shows that climate change could make plastic-related chemical pollution more dangerous for aquatic organisms, with potential ripple effects up the food chain toward human food sources.
Why do some bird species incorporate more anthropogenic materials into their nests than others?
This review examines why certain bird species incorporate plastic and other human-made materials into their nests more than others, considering factors like habitat, diet, and nesting style. While the materials can sometimes provide benefits like pest deterrence, they also carry risks including entanglement and reduced insulation. The study illustrates how pervasive plastic pollution has become in natural ecosystems, with wildlife interactions serving as indicators of environmental microplastic contamination.
Variation in the use of anthropogenic materials in tit nests: influence of human activities and pandemic restrictions
Researchers studied the nesting materials of great tits and blue tits in a suburban area of Portugal and found that nearly 10% of materials in great tit nests were human-made, including synthetic fibers and plastic fragments. More anthropogenic materials were found in nests closer to roads and developed areas. This research illustrates how plastic pollution infiltrates even the nesting behavior of wild birds, demonstrating the pervasiveness of microplastic contamination in the environment.
A panoramic view and swot analysis of artificial intelligence for achieving the sustainable development goals by 2030: progress and prospects
Researchers conducted a comprehensive SWOT analysis of artificial intelligence applications across all 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, identifying AI's strongest contributions in health, climate, and resource management while flagging persistent threats including bias, unequal access, and the risk that AI-driven growth accelerates the environmental harms it is meant to mitigate.
Endobolome, a New Concept for Determining the Influence of Microbiota Disrupting Chemicals (MDC) in Relation to Specific Endocrine Pathogenesis
This paper introduces the concept of the 'endobolome' to describe gut microbiota genes involved in metabolizing steroid hormones and endocrine disrupting chemicals. The authors propose that dysbiosis can alter hormone metabolism and that certain xenobiotics should be classified as 'microbiota disrupting chemicals' (MDC) based on their ability to promote gut microbial changes linked to chronic disease.
Bioaccumulation/bioconcentration of pharmaceutical active compounds in aquatic organisms: Assessment and factors database
This review compiles data on how pharmaceutical compounds accumulate in aquatic organisms including fish, mussels, and crustaceans. Researchers created a comprehensive database of bioaccumulation factors and identified key variables that influence how much of a drug builds up in different species and tissues. The findings help improve risk assessments for pharmaceutical pollution in waterways and its potential impact on ecosystems.
Vegetation establishment in soils polluted by heavy metal(loid)s after assisted natural remediation
This field study evaluated soil remediation techniques at a mining spill site in Spain, finding that amendments made from recycled materials successfully reduced toxic metal availability and encouraged natural vegetation regrowth. While not about microplastics, the research demonstrates approaches for cleaning up contaminated soil that could also address microplastic pollution in agricultural land. The success of using waste-derived materials for soil restoration offers a model for sustainable approaches to multiple types of soil contamination.
A metabolomics perspective on the effect of environmental micro and nanoplastics on living organisms: A review
This review examines how scientists use metabolomics, the study of small molecules produced by cellular processes, to understand the toxic effects of microplastics and nanoplastics on living organisms. The research shows that these plastic particles disrupt metabolism in consistent ways across species, affecting energy production, fat processing, and amino acid pathways. These shared metabolic disruptions across different organisms suggest that microplastics could cause similar metabolic problems in humans.
Insights into Toxic Prymnesium parvum Blooms as a Cause of the Ecological Disaster on the Odra River
Researchers investigated the 2022 mass fish kill in the Odra River spanning Poland and Germany, which affected dozens of species across hundreds of kilometers. The study identified toxic blooms of the golden alga Prymnesium parvum, fueled by high salinity and nutrient levels from industrial and municipal discharges, as the primary cause. While not directly about microplastics, this ecological disaster illustrates how multiple pollutants interacting in waterways can trigger catastrophic outcomes for aquatic life.
Low-cost activated carbon from the pyrolysis of post-consumer plastic waste and the application in CO2 capture
Researchers prepared low-cost activated carbon from char residue generated during the pyrolysis of post-consumer plastic waste and tested its application for CO2 capture. The study demonstrates that plastic waste pyrolysis byproducts can be repurposed into useful porous materials, offering a dual benefit of chemical recycling and carbon capture.
Insights into using plastic waste to produce activated carbons for wastewater treatment applications: A review
This review explores the potential of converting plastic waste into activated carbon, a material widely used to filter pollutants from water. Researchers found that various plastics including polyethylene, polystyrene, and PET can be transformed into effective adsorbents through controlled heating processes. The approach offers a promising way to simultaneously address plastic waste accumulation and water pollution challenges.
Unravelling spatio-temporal patterns of suspended microplastic concentration in the Natura 2000 Guadalquivir estuary (SW Spain): Observations and model simulations
Researchers combined field observations and computational modeling to map the spatial and temporal distribution of suspended microplastics in the Guadalquivir estuary, a protected Natura 2000 site in Spain. The study found that microplastic concentrations were influenced by river flow, tidal dynamics, and proximity to urban areas, with the estuary acting as a conduit for transporting land-based plastic pollution to the ocean.
Microplastics from the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. Functional and Clinical Endocrine Exposure to Human Health. Systematic Review.
This systematic review summarizes research on microplastics found in fish and seafood from the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, focusing on potential hormonal and health effects in humans. The findings suggest that microplastic contamination in popular seafood species may expose consumers to endocrine-disrupting chemicals, which could interfere with hormones and overall health.
Enzyme_Metal‐Organic Framework Composites as Novel Approach for Microplastic Degradation
Researchers developed a new approach to breaking down microplastics by embedding a plastic-degrading enzyme inside a metal-organic framework, a porous crystalline material. The combined system eliminated 37% of a common plastic degradation product from contaminated water within 24 hours through both enzymatic breakdown and adsorption. The method could potentially be reused across multiple treatment cycles, offering a more practical and cost-effective strategy for cleaning microplastic pollution from water.
Human footprint on the water quality from the northern Antarctic Peninsula region
Researchers assessed chemical pollution in Antarctic waters near research stations and found a range of human-made contaminants, including pharmaceuticals, nicotine, and other emerging chemicals of concern. The study found that areas near populated research stations had higher contamination levels than more remote locations. The findings demonstrate that even the most remote regions on Earth are not immune to the environmental footprint of human activity.
Evidence from in vitro and in vivo studies on the potential health repercussions of micro- and nanoplastics
This review synthesizes evidence from in vitro and in vivo studies on the potential health effects of micro- and nanoplastics. Researchers found that studies have documented plastic particle absorption by cells, immune responses, and effects on multiple organ systems, though the study notes that more research is needed to fully characterize the health implications for humans.