Papers

Global Responses of Soil Carbon Dynamics to Microplastic Exposure: A Data Synthesis of Laboratory Studies

This meta-analysis combined data from 110 studies to understand how microplastics change the way carbon moves through soil. The findings suggest that plastic pollution can disrupt natural soil processes, which may affect soil health and the planet's ability to store carbon.

Effects of microplastics exposure on soil inorganic nitrogen: A comprehensive synthesis

Meta-analysis of 216 observations from 47 studies showed microplastics exposure significantly reduced soil nitrate concentration by 7.89% overall, but had no significant effect on ammonium. Microplastic polymer type was the strongest predictor of nitrate effects, and exposure above 27C actually enhanced soil nitrate, highlighting a concerning interaction with global warming.

Microplastic effects on soil nitrogen cycling enzymes: A global meta-analysis of environmental and edaphic factors

This large-scale meta-analysis of 147 studies found that microplastics in soil significantly increased urease and leucine aminopeptidase enzyme activities by about 8%, potentially disrupting nitrogen cycling. Biodegradable microplastics had more pronounced effects than conventional plastics, and responses depended on soil pH, polymer type, particle size, and concentration.

Global Meta-Analysis Integrated with Machine Learning Assesses Context-Dependent Microplastic Effects on Soil Microbial Biomass Carbon and Nitrogen

This global meta-analysis pooled data from 90 studies to examine how microplastics affect soil microbes. In lab settings, microplastics increased microbial biomass by about 10%, with biodegradable plastics having the strongest effects. Temperature was the most important factor influencing these changes. The results suggest microplastics are altering soil ecosystems in ways that could affect agriculture and carbon cycling.

Responses of Physiological, Morphological and Anatomical Traits to Abiotic Stress in Woody Plants

This review examines how trees and woody plants respond to environmental stresses including drought, flooding, extreme temperatures, heavy metals, and microplastics. Microplastics in soil can disrupt water transport and nutrient uptake in trees, potentially affecting forest health and the broader ecosystem. The effects of combined stresses, such as microplastics plus drought, are not simply additive and need further study.

Softwood-inspired chitosan-based sponge with a radial and centrosymmetric structure, superhydrophilicity and adsorption efficiency for microplastics removal in water

Spatial distributions of macronutrients, heavy metals and microplastics in surface sediments of the mainstem and lakes in the middle part of the Yellow River Basin

Researchers mapped the distribution of macronutrients, heavy metals, and microplastics in sediments along the middle section of the Yellow River and adjacent lakes in China. They found that microplastic concentrations ranged from 233 to 3,333 items per kilogram in river sediments, with nylon as the dominant polymer type. Contamination levels increased significantly after the river flowed through intensive agricultural areas, with urban lakes showing the highest heavy metal concentrations.

Aerogels Fabricated from Wood-Derived Functional Cellulose Nanofibrils for Highly Efficient Separation of Microplastics

Researchers developed aerogel filters from chemically modified wood-derived cellulose nanofibrils that achieved up to 100% efficiency in removing polystyrene microplastics from water. The aerogels captured microplastics through a combination of physical entrapment, electrostatic interaction, and hydrogen bonding, and maintained their effectiveness over eight filtration cycles. The study demonstrates a promising green technology using sustainable materials for addressing microplastic pollution in aquatic environments.

Microplastics Alter Growth and Reproduction Strategy of Scirpus mariqueter by Modifying Soil Nutrient Availability

Researchers exposed the coastal wetland plant Scirpus mariqueter to four microplastic types (PP, PE, PS, PET) at three concentrations and found microplastics altered plant biomass, vegetative traits, and reproductive allocation, with PET and PS causing the strongest effects by disrupting soil nutrient availability.

Increasing soil microplastic diversity decreases community biomass via its impact on the most dominant species

Researchers experimentally mixed different numbers and types of microplastics into soil hosting six plant species, finding that greater variety of microplastic types in the soil reduced total plant biomass — mainly by suppressing the growth of the dominant grass species. The results suggest that real-world environments contaminated with multiple types of microplastics may suffer greater ecological harm than studies using a single plastic type would predict.

The long-term effects of microplastics on soil organomineral complexes and bacterial communities from controlled-release fertilizer residual coating

After a 10-year field experiment with controlled-release fertilizer application in China, residual plastic coating microplastics were found in soil at levels that altered soil organomineral complexes and bacterial community structure, raising sustainability concerns about this widely used agricultural technology.

Belowground bud banks and land use change: roles of vegetation and soil properties in mediating the composition of bud banks in different ecosystems

This study demonstrated that land use change alters belowground bud bank size and composition, but the responses differ among bud types across wetland, farmland, and alpine meadow ecosystems. Vegetation type and soil properties were identified as key mediators of bud bank composition under changing land use conditions.

Effects of Different Landscape Greening Pest Control Modes on Carbon Storage and Soil Physicochemical Properties

This paper is not relevant to microplastics research; it examines how different pest control methods used in urban landscape greening affect soil carbon storage and physicochemical properties in Beijing, with no connection to plastic pollution.

Spatio‐Temporal Variation of Soil Microplastics as Emerging Contamination After Application of Organic Mulching in Phyllostachys violascens Forests

Researchers investigated microplastic contamination in Phyllostachys violascens bamboo forest soils under different urban proximity conditions and mulching durations, analysing MP abundance, morphology, and polymer composition across three soil depths and assessing ecological risk. They found MP abundance varied significantly with urban proximity and mulching duration, with vertical distribution showing an initial increase followed by decline with depth, and ecological risk indices indicating moderate-to-high concern in mulched stands.

Soil Decomposer Can Regulate the Legacy Effect of Photodegradation on Forest Marcescent Litter Decomposition, but Emerging Microplastics Disrupt This

Researchers used an ultraviolet-accelerated aging chamber to simulate photodegradation of marcescent litter from Lindera glauca and then conducted mesocosm bio-incubation experiments, finding that photodegradation exerts a legacy effect on subsequent litter biodegradation in soil but that microplastics disrupt this soil decomposer-mediated regulation.

A review on microplastics pollution in coastal wetlands

Researchers reviewed existing studies on microplastic pollution in coastal wetlands — ecosystems like mangroves, salt marshes, and tidal flats — summarizing where microplastics accumulate, how they get there, and how they affect wildlife and ecosystem function. These habitats are especially vulnerable because they sit at the boundary between land and sea, trapping plastics carried by both rivers and ocean tides.

Wood−Derived Polymers from Olefin−Functionalized Lignin and Ethyl Cellulose via Thiol–Ene Click Chemistry

Researchers synthesized cross-linked polymers from olefin-functionalized ethyl cellulose and lignin via thiol-ene click chemistry, achieving olefin group concentrations of 2.81 mmol/g and 3.70 mmol/g respectively. The resulting cellulose cross-linked polymers reached a tensile stress at break of 23.59 MPa, with mechanical properties positively correlated with olefin group concentration and enhanced thermal stability attributed to ester group incorporation.

An Investigation into the Mechanisms Underlying the Combined Magnetic-Vibration Stress Relief for Silicon Steel Material

Synergistic Modification of PVC with Nitrogen-Containing Heterocycle and Tung-Oil Based Derivative for Enhanced Heat Stabilization and Plasticization Behavior

Researchers developed nitrogen-containing and tung-oil-based additives to improve the thermal stability and flexibility of PVC while reducing migration of chemicals out of the material, addressing a key concern about PVC as a source of environmental contaminants.

Soil Microplastic Diversity Influences Productivity of Plant Communities

Fabrication of Lignin-based Magnetic Adsorbent via Thiol-ene Click Reaction for the Effective Removal of Pb(II)

Researchers synthesized a novel magnetic lignin-based adsorbent using a UV-triggered thiol-ene click reaction and tested its ability to remove lead (Pb(II)) ions from contaminated water. The material showed effective and selective heavy metal removal, offering a renewable biomass-based option for water treatment.