Papers

Ecotoxicological effects of polyethylene microplastics and lead (Pb) on the biomass, activity, and community diversity of soil microbes

A soil experiment found that polyethylene microplastics made lead (a toxic heavy metal) more available in soil and worsened its harmful effects on soil microorganisms. The combination reduced beneficial enzyme activity, lowered microbial efficiency, and shifted the soil microbial community, suggesting that microplastic pollution in contaminated soils could amplify heavy metal toxicity in ways that ultimately affect food crops and human health.

The phytotoxicity of microplastics to the photosynthetic performance and transcriptome profiling of Nicotiana tabacum seedlings

Researchers grew tobacco seedlings in soil contaminated with polyethylene microplastics and found significant damage to their photosynthetic systems, including reduced chlorophyll content and impaired light-use efficiency. Gene analysis revealed that thousands of genes were affected, with 79 key genes related to photosynthesis being suppressed. The study provides new molecular-level evidence that soil microplastic pollution can directly harm how plants convert sunlight into energy.

Impact of progressively cumulative exposure of AgNPs on earthworms (Eisenia fetida) and implication for eco-toxicological risk assessment

Researchers compared earthworm responses to silver nanoparticles delivered either all at once or progressively increasing doses over 28 days, finding that gradual exposure caused less tissue damage, lower bioaccumulation, and activated more detoxification pathways — suggesting that standard one-step laboratory toxicity tests may overestimate real-world ecological risk.

Phytotoxic effects of polyethylene microplastics combined with cadmium on the photosynthetic performance of maize (Zea mays L.)

Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics combined with cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, affect photosynthesis in two varieties of maize. They found that microplastics generally worsened cadmium's negative effects on the plants' ability to capture light energy and convert it to growth, though responses differed between maize varieties. The study suggests that microplastic pollution in agricultural soils could amplify the harm caused by heavy metal contamination to crop productivity.

Removal of polystyrene microplastic from aqueous solutions with London Plane bark biochar: Pyrolysis temperature, performance and mechanism

Nanowire-in-bowl-shaped piezoelectric cavity structure for SERS directional detection of nanoplastics less than 50 nm

Researchers developed a novel detection substrate using a nanowire-in-bowl-shaped piezoelectric cavity structure that can identify nanoplastics smaller than 50 nanometers using surface-enhanced Raman scattering. The unique design combines the tip effect of copper oxide nanowires with a bowl-shaped light-focusing cavity to achieve highly sensitive detection. The study presents a promising new method for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of extremely small nanoplastics that current techniques struggle to detect.

Microplastics aggravate the joint toxicity to earthworm Eisenia fetida with cadmium by altering its availability

Researchers exposed earthworms to polyethylene microplastics combined with cadmium and found that co-exposure caused significantly worse effects than either pollutant alone, including increased avoidance behavior, weight loss, and DNA damage. The microplastics increased the bioavailability of cadmium in soil by up to 1.43-fold and boosted cadmium accumulation in earthworm tissue by up to 2.65-fold. The study demonstrates that microplastics can worsen heavy metal toxicity to soil organisms by making the metals more accessible for uptake.

Exogenous Melatonin Application Alleviates Microplastics and Cadmium‐Induced Phytotoxicity in Maize ( Zea mays L.) Plants: Insights From Physiological and Metabolomic Analyses

Researchers investigated whether exogenous melatonin could alleviate the combined phytotoxicity of microplastics and cadmium in maize plants. The study found that melatonin application reduced oxidative damage and improved plant growth under co-contamination stress, suggesting that melatonin may serve as a biostimulant to help crops cope with the increasingly common co-occurrence of microplastics and heavy metals in agricultural soils.

Engineering a chitosan-encapsulated PDA/Fe3O4@cenosphere composite for dual adsorption of microplastics and organic dyes

Researchers engineered a composite adsorbent from industrial fly ash waste by coating cenospheres with polydopamine and iron oxide, then encapsulating them in chitosan beads. The resulting material demonstrated high adsorption capacity for both polystyrene microplastics and organic dyes, and could be magnetically recovered for reuse. The study presents a sustainable approach to water remediation that simultaneously addresses microplastic and dye pollution using repurposed industrial waste.

Polydopamine-functionalized magnetic algae composite for efficient removal of polystyrene microplastics: Mechanistic insights and performance

From waste to Resource: Engineering biochar through optimized HCl activation for microplastic mitigation

Sycamore bark-derived biochar for diverse microplastic removal: Unraveling mechanisms behind superior efficiency

Post-exposure recovery of Microcystis aeruginosa from nanoplastics stress: metabolic adaptation and damage resilience

Researchers exposed Microcystis aeruginosa cyanobacteria to polystyrene nanoplastics for 15 days, then transferred them to NP-free medium to study post-exposure recovery. Toxicity was concentration-dependent during exposure, and cells showed metabolic changes and only partial recovery after removal, suggesting persistent effects on cyanobacterial physiology.

Reproductive damage and compensation of wild earthworm Metaphire californica from contaminated fields with long-term heavy metal exposure

Researchers collected wild earthworms from fields with a gradient of heavy metal contamination and found dose-dependent reproductive damage — including sperm deformities and DNA strand breaks — alongside a compensatory increase in sperm velocity, suggesting adaptive reproductive strategies under chronic metal stress.

Visual mapping of global nanoplastics research progresses and hotspots: a scientometric assessment analysis

A scientometric analysis mapped global nanoplastics research from 2000 to the present, identifying China, the US, and European countries as leading contributors, and tracking the evolution of research hotspots from source characterization toward toxicological effects.

Preparation of fluorescent polyurethane microspheres and their applications as reusable sensor for 4-nitrophenol detection and as microplastics model for visualizing polyurethane in cells and zebrafish

Researchers synthesized fluorescent carboxyl-functionalized polyurethane microspheres without requiring dye modification and demonstrated their dual use as reusable sensors for 4-nitrophenol detection and as microplastic models for visualizing polyurethane uptake in cells and zebrafish. The microspheres were prepared via one-step precipitation polymerization in 40 minutes.

Polydopamine-Functionalized Magnetic Algae Composite for Efficient Removal of Polystyrene Microplastics: Mechanistic Insights and Performance

Overcoming Debye length limitations: Three-dimensional wrinkled graphene field-effect transistor for ultra-sensitive adenosine triphosphate detection

This is an engineering paper on a graphene field-effect transistor for detecting adenosine triphosphate; it is not a microplastics research paper.

Removal of Polystyrene Microplastic from Aqueous Solutions with London Plane Bark Biochar (Lbc): Pyrolysis Temperature, Performance and Mechanism

Sycamore Bark-Derived Biochar for Diverse Microplastic Removal: Unraveling Mechanisms Behind Superior Efficiency

Production Potential of Greenhouse Gases Affected by Microplastics at Freshwater and Saltwater Ecosystems

Researchers experimentally analyzed how four types of microplastics (PET, HDPE, PVC, and polyamide) affect greenhouse gas production in freshwater and saltwater soils, finding that microplastics promoted CO2 production across all ecosystems while HDPE had the greatest impact on methane emissions at 1,276 umol/g/L.