Papers

The recovery of European freshwater biodiversity has come to a halt

Researchers analyzed 1,816 freshwater invertebrate community datasets from 22 European countries spanning 1968 to 2020, finding that biodiversity recovered steadily through the 1990s and 2000s thanks to water quality improvements, but has largely plateaued since the 2010s. Emerging threats including climate warming, emerging pollutants like microplastics, and invasive species are now offsetting earlier conservation gains, signaling that stronger protections are urgently needed.

Co-contaminant risks in water reuse and biosolids application for agriculture

This review highlights that treated wastewater and biosolids used in farming contain a complex mixture of pollutants including microplastics, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria that enter soil and can be taken up by crops. The combined effects of these pollutants may be greater than the sum of their individual risks, underscoring the need for better safety assessments of recycled water and waste used in food production.

Microplastics in Soil–Plant Systems: Current Knowledge, Research Gaps, and Future Directions for Agricultural Sustainability

This review summarizes current knowledge about how microplastics affect agricultural soils and the plants growing in them, including changes to soil structure, nutrient availability, and root zone biology. Understanding how microplastics move through the soil-plant system is critical because contaminated crops are a major pathway for these particles to reach the human diet.

Assessing metal contamination and speciation in sewage sludge: implications for soil application and environmental risk

This systematic review estimated that global sewage sludge production could triple to 160 million tons if all wastewater were treated to EU standards, and found that metals in sludge applied to farmland are predominantly in less bioavailable forms. The research is relevant to microplastics because sewage sludge is a major pathway for microplastic contamination of agricultural soils, carrying both metal and plastic pollutants to farmland.

Advanced polystyrene nanoplastic remediation through electro-Fenton process: Degradation mechanisms and pathways

Researchers developed a new method using an electro-Fenton process with a copper-cobalt catalyst to break down polystyrene nanoplastics in water, achieving nearly 95% removal efficiency. The system generates powerful molecules called hydroxyl radicals that chemically decompose the plastic particles. While this is a laboratory-scale study, it demonstrates a promising technology that could help remove nanoplastics from drinking water and wastewater.

Multifaceted effects of microplastics on soil-plant systems: Exploring the role of particle type and plant species

Researchers tested how three different types of microplastics — fibers, fragments, and spheres — affect soil properties and vegetable growth. The effects varied significantly depending on both the type of plastic and the plant species, with some microplastics actually promoting root growth in certain vegetables. These mixed results highlight that the impact of microplastic contamination on food crops is complex and depends on the specific conditions in each field.

Insights into mode of action mediated responses following pharmaceutical uptake and accumulation in plants

This review examines how pharmaceuticals from wastewater and animal manure are taken up by crop plants and can cause subtle biological effects based on their original medical function. The authors identified several drug classes, including steroids, opioids, and beta-blockers, that share biochemical pathways between mammals and plants, meaning these drugs can disrupt important plant processes. While focused on pharmaceuticals, this is relevant to microplastics because microplastics can absorb and transport pharmaceutical residues into agricultural soil, increasing crop exposure.

A rapid review and meta-regression analyses of the toxicological impacts of microplastic exposure in human cells

Researchers conducted a systematic review and statistical analysis of studies examining the effects of microplastic exposure on human cells in the laboratory. They found evidence that microplastics can cause cell damage, inflammation, and oxidative stress, with smaller particles and higher doses generally producing stronger effects. The study provides the first pooled estimate of dose-response thresholds for microplastic toxicity in human cells, helping to frame the potential health risks of daily exposure.

Effect of an antidepressant on aquatic ecosystems in the presence of microplastics: A mesocosm study

In a three-month experiment using near-natural pond ecosystems, researchers found that microplastics changed how aquatic food webs responded to the antidepressant fluoxetine, altering plankton growth and microbial decomposition rates. The interaction between microplastics and the drug produced different effects than either pollutant alone. This study shows that microplastics can change how other common water pollutants affect ecosystems, making real-world impacts harder to predict.

Impact of vehicle type, tyre feature and driving behaviour on tyre wear under real-world driving conditions

Researchers measured real-world tire wear from 76 taxi cars over 22 months, finding that hybrid vehicles produced more tire wear than conventional cars, likely due to their heavier battery weight. Winter tires generated about three times more wear than summer tires, and front tires wore 1.7 times faster than rear tires. The study provides practical data on tire-derived microplastic emissions under actual driving conditions, which is important for understanding this significant but understudied source of environmental microplastics.

Radical changes are needed for transformations to a good Anthropocene

This paper argues that achieving a sustainable future requires radical changes to financial, legal, political, and governance systems, not just incremental improvements. The researchers present five key principles involving fundamental shifts in how societies think about growth, efficiency, government, shared resources, and justice. The study emphasizes that these transformations must happen together across neighborhoods, cities, and regions to stay within planetary boundaries.

Evaluating scenarios toward zero plastic pollution

Researchers modeled five different intervention scenarios for reducing global plastic pollution between 2016 and 2040 and found that even implementing all feasible solutions would only cut pollution rates by 40% compared to 2016 levels. Under a business-as-usual scenario, 710 million metric tons of plastic waste would still accumulate in ecosystems even with immediate action. The study makes clear that coordinated global efforts across consumption reduction, recycling, waste collection, and innovation are urgently needed.

Organic–Inorganic Multilayer Microcarriers with Superior Mechanical Properties for Potential Active Delivery in Fast-Moving Consumer Goods

Researchers developed an eco-friendly microcapsule made with a calcium carbonate shell as a sustainable replacement for conventional microplastic-based capsules used in consumer products. These new capsules demonstrated record-breaking mechanical strength and controlled release of fragrance compounds over several days. The innovation offers a path toward eliminating microplastic ingredients in everyday products like laundry detergents and personal care items.

Direct Evidence That Microplastics Are Transported to the Deep Sea by Turbidity Currents

Researchers provided the first direct field evidence that underwater sediment avalanches, called turbidity currents, transport microplastics from shallow waters into the deep sea through submarine canyons. By monitoring water flow and sampling the seafloor, they confirmed that these natural events carry significant quantities of microfibers and plastic fragments to deep ocean environments. The discovery helps explain how microplastic pollution reaches even the most remote parts of the ocean floor.

Environmental levels of microplastics disrupt growth and stress pathways in edible crops via species-specific mechanisms

Researchers studied how environmentally realistic levels of microplastics affect the growth and stress responses of edible crops. The study found that microplastics disrupt plant growth and stress pathways through mechanisms that vary by crop species. These findings highlight the importance of understanding how different plants interact with microplastic particles when assessing risks to agricultural food production.

FRAGMENT-MNP: A model of micro- and nanoplastic fragmentation in the environment

Researchers developed an open-source computer model called FRAGMENT-MNP that simulates how plastic debris breaks down into smaller micro- and nanoplastic particles over time in the environment. The model predicts fragmentation patterns based on the physical properties of different plastics and environmental conditions. This tool gives scientists a new way to understand and forecast how plastic pollution evolves, which is important because particle size affects how plastics move through ecosystems and interact with living organisms.

Surface hardening analysis in shot peening of AISI 9310 gear steel driven by grain and dislocation coupling effects

The Potential for Regenerated Protein Fibres within a Circular Economy: Lessons from the Past Can Inform Sustainable Innovation in the Textiles Industry

This review explores the history and future potential of regenerated protein fibers as a sustainable alternative in the textiles industry. Researchers examine how fibers derived from plant and animal protein waste could reduce dependence on synthetic plastics and ease pressure on natural fiber production. The study argues that revisiting mid-twentieth-century fiber technologies with modern processing methods could help address the textile industry's environmental footprint, including its contribution to microplastic pollution.

Toxicological impacts of plastic microfibers from face masks on Artemia salina: An environmental assessment using Box-Behnken design

Researchers tested how microfibers released from discarded face masks affect brine shrimp, a species commonly used to assess environmental toxicity. Higher concentrations of mask-derived microfibers significantly reduced hatching success and impaired swimming ability, with temperature and salinity influencing the severity of effects. The study highlights that the massive increase in mask waste since the pandemic may pose real risks to marine zooplankton at the base of ocean food chains.

Scenarios for reducing the environmental impacts of the UK clothing economy

Researchers modeled scenarios for reducing the environmental footprint of the UK clothing economy over the next two decades, where per-capita consumption is double the global average. They found that both production changes and shifts in consumer behavior are needed to bring clothing impacts within planetary boundaries. The study suggests that fast fashion's growth has driven dramatic increases in carbon emissions and material consumption that current circular economy efforts have been too slow to address.

Widespread occurrence of microplastics in marine bays with diverse drivers and environmental risk

Researchers compiled data from 649 sediment samples across 24 marine bays worldwide to assess microplastic contamination patterns and environmental risk. The study found that East Asian bays had higher concentrations, driven by river plastic emissions and aquaculture production, and identified Asian bays as potential high-risk areas based on microplastic bioavailability and toxicity assessments.

Emerging challenges of the impacts of pharmaceuticals on aquatic ecosystems: A diatom perspective

Researchers review how pharmaceuticals — drugs that enter waterways through human and veterinary use and pass through wastewater treatment largely intact — affect diatoms, the microscopic algae that produce about 40% of the world's oxygen and form the base of aquatic food webs. Because diatoms are rarely studied in pollution research, the authors argue they could serve as early-warning indicators of drug contamination in aquatic ecosystems.

Female zebrafish are more affected than males under polystyrene microplastics exposure

Researchers exposed zebrafish to polystyrene microplastics and discovered that female fish were significantly more affected than males, showing greater gut microbiota disruption and metabolic changes in the liver. The microplastics accumulated more in the gills than the gut, and female fish experienced disrupted sex hormones and reduced egg production. The study highlights that microplastic toxicity can vary substantially between sexes, with potential consequences for fish population health.

Lab-on-a-chip technologies for food safety, processing, and packaging applications: a review

Researchers reviewed lab-on-a-chip microfluidic devices for food safety applications, comparing electrochemical, optical, and biological detection methods for pathogens and contaminants, and highlighting their potential for food processing, nutraceutical development, and smart packaging — though noting most systems are not yet commercially scaled.