Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastics in soils with contrasting texture, organic carbon and mineralogy: changes in cadmium adsorption forms and their mobility in soil columns

This study investigated how high-density polyethylene microplastics alter the behavior of cadmium — a toxic heavy metal — in soils with different textures, organic carbon contents, and mineral compositions. Using soil column experiments, researchers found that microplastics changed how cadmium binds to soil particles and how easily it leaches downward, with effects varying depending on the soil type and microplastic particle size. Since cadmium is a known carcinogen and agricultural soils commonly contain both microplastics and heavy metals, understanding their interactions is critical for food safety.

2025 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of Microplastics on the Adsorption and Desorption Properties of Cadmium in Soil

Polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics were found to reduce soil's capacity to adsorb cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, raising concerns that microplastic contamination in farmland soils could increase the mobility and risk of heavy metal pollutants.

2022 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Changes in the spectroscopic response of soil organic matters by PBAT microplastics regulated the Cd adsorption behaviors in different soils

Researchers conducted a 60-day incubation experiment using PBAT microplastics at different sizes and doses in farmland and woodland soils to examine how MPs alter dissolved organic matter (DOM) and cadmium adsorption behavior. PBAT modified DOM composition and fluorescence properties in soil-type-dependent ways, and these DOM changes in turn regulated how much cadmium the soils could adsorb.

2025 Environmental Geochemistry and Health 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhanced Cadmium Adsorption Dynamics in Water and Soil by Polystyrene Microplastics and Biochar

Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics and biochar interact with cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, in water and soil systems. They found that particle size significantly influenced how much cadmium was adsorbed, with the combination of microplastics and biochar creating complex dynamics that affected metal mobility. The findings matter because microplastics in agricultural soils may alter how toxic metals move through the environment and into food crops.

2024 Nanomaterials 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Influences of coexisting aged polystyrene microplastics on the ecological and health risks of cadmium in soils: A leachability and oral bioaccessibility based study

This study tested whether the presence of aged microplastics in soil changes how easily the toxic heavy metal cadmium can enter the human body through accidental soil ingestion. The results showed that aged polystyrene microplastics actually reduced cadmium absorption in the stomach phase, though the effect varied by soil type. This suggests that the interaction between microplastics and other pollutants in soil creates a complicated picture for assessing human health risks.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyvinyl chloride microplastics reduce Cd(II) adsorption and enhance desorption with soil-dependent mechanisms

The study investigated how polyvinyl chloride (PVC) microplastics affect cadmium adsorption and desorption in two different soil types. Researchers found that PVC reduced cadmium adsorption and promoted its release back into the soil, potentially increasing its bioavailability and environmental risk.

2024 Environmental Technology & Innovation 15 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Behaviour, ecological impacts of microplastics and cadmium on soil systems: A systematic review

This systematic review examines how microplastics and cadmium interact in soil, finding that they can make each other more harmful. Microplastics can carry toxic cadmium further through soil and increase its uptake by plants, which could mean more heavy metal contamination in the food we eat.

2024 Environmental Technology & Innovation 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodegradable microplastics adsorb more Cd than conventional microplastic and biofilms enhance their adsorption

Researchers compared how biodegradable polylactic acid and conventional polyethylene microplastics adsorb the heavy metal cadmium, with and without biofilm development from outdoor weathering. They found that pristine PLA adsorbed significantly more cadmium than pristine PE, and that biofilms forming on weathered plastics were responsible for most of the increased cadmium uptake. The study suggests that biodegradable microplastics in agricultural soils may pose a greater risk for heavy metal transport than conventional plastics.

2025 Chemosphere 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of polyethylene-microplastic on environmental behaviors of metals in soil

Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics affect the adsorption, desorption, and bioavailability of heavy metals in soil. They found that adding microplastics altered how metals bind to soil particles and increased the mobility of certain metals like cadmium and lead. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in soils may change the environmental behavior of heavy metals, potentially increasing their availability to plants and soil organisms.

2021 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 93 citations
Article Tier 2

Co-transport of degradable microplastics with Cd(Ⅱ) in saturated porous media: Synergistic effects of strong adsorption affinity and high mobility

Researchers investigated the co-transport of degradable microplastics with cadmium in saturated porous media, finding that these plastics' strong adsorption affinity and high mobility create synergistic effects that enhance heavy metal migration in soil.

2023 Environmental Pollution 47 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Unveiling the impacts of microplastics on cadmium transfer in the soil-plant-human system: A review

A meta-analysis found that microplastics significantly increase soil cadmium bioavailability by 6.9% and cadmium accumulation in plant shoots by 9.3%, through both direct surface adsorption and indirect modification of soil pH and dissolved organic carbon. This enhanced cadmium mobility through the soil-plant-human food chain amplifies health risks, as co-ingestion of microplastics and cadmium increases cadmium bioaccessibility and tissue damage.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 46 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics and cadmium co-contamination on soil properties, maize (Zea mays L.) growth characteristics, and cadmium accumulation in maize in loessial soil-maize systems

Researchers studied the combined effects of polyethylene microplastics and cadmium on soil properties and maize growth through pot experiments. They found that microplastics altered soil nutrient availability and, depending on size and concentration, either increased or decreased cadmium uptake by the plants. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in agricultural soils can change how crops absorb toxic heavy metals, with potential implications for food safety.

2024 Environmental Pollution 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics alter cadmium accumulation in different soil-plant systems: Revealing the crucial roles of soil bacteria and metabolism

A study found that microplastics in soil can change how much cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, is absorbed by food crops, with the effects varying depending on soil type and the amount of plastic present. By altering soil chemistry and bacterial communities, microplastics reshape how pollutants move through farmland and into the food we eat.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics influence the adsorption and desorption characteristics of Cd in an agricultural soil

Batch experiments showed that polyethylene microplastics reduced cadmium adsorption but increased desorption in farmland soil, with effects varying by MP dose, particle size, and pH. The findings indicate microplastics could increase cadmium mobility in agricultural soils, potentially raising risks of crop uptake.

2019 Journal of Hazardous Materials 374 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of polypropylene microplastics on the distribution of cadmium, enzyme activities, and bacterial community in black soil at the aggregate level

Researchers found that adding polypropylene microplastics to soil contaminated with cadmium (a toxic heavy metal) changed how the metal distributed across different soil particle sizes and shifted bacterial communities. The microplastics increased cadmium availability in some soil fractions, potentially making it easier for plants to absorb this toxic metal. This suggests that microplastic-contaminated farmland may pose greater heavy metal exposure risks for crops and, ultimately, for people who eat them.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 21 citations
Article Tier 2

[Characteristics and Mechanism of Cd Release and Transport in Soil Contaminated with PE-Cd].

Researchers investigated how polyethylene (PE) microplastics affect the sorption and transport of cadmium (Cd) in soil, examining the characteristics and mechanisms of Cd release under PE contamination. Their findings reveal that microplastics alter soil physicochemical properties and sorption capacity, influencing heavy metal mobility and distribution in terrestrial ecosystems.

2024 PubMed 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Polypropylene microplastics affect the distribution and bioavailability of cadmium by changing soil components during soil aging

A 180-day soil aging experiment with polypropylene microplastics at 2-10% concentration showed that microplastics altered the distribution of cadmium between soil particle-associated organic matter, organo-mineral complexes, and mineral fractions. Higher microplastic concentrations shifted cadmium toward more stable organo-mineral associations, reducing its bioavailability over time.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 73 citations
Article Tier 2

Dual Effects of PVC Microplastics on Cd Mobility in Red Soil: Enhanced Aqueous Concentration Versus Reduced Soil Bioavailability

Microplastics in farmland soils don't just stay put — they can change how toxic metals like cadmium move through the soil and into groundwater. This study found that PVC microplastics dramatically altered cadmium's behavior in red clay soils, doubling the amount of cadmium leaching into soil water while reducing the form available for plant uptake — a paradoxical finding that means lower risk to crops but higher risk of cadmium reaching streams and wells. The results underscore that microplastic pollution and heavy metal contamination in agricultural soils must be assessed together, not in isolation.

2025 Land Degradation and Development 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics in soil on the regulation of cadmium bioavailability by biochar

Researchers investigated how biochar amendments affect cadmium bioavailability in soils co-contaminated with microplastics, finding that the presence of microplastics altered cadmium mobility and complicated biochar's remediation effectiveness in ways that depend on the specific MP type present.

2025 Environmental Geochemistry and Health 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption characteristics of cadmium onto microplastics from aqueous solutions

Laboratory adsorption experiments characterized how cadmium is taken up by microplastics of different polymer types from aqueous solutions, finding adsorption capacity varied significantly with polymer chemistry, particle size, and solution conditions. The results help predict how microplastics in contaminated waterways accumulate and transport cadmium, a highly toxic heavy metal.

2019 Chemosphere 331 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined effects of microplastics and cadmium on the soil-plant system: Phytotoxicity, Cd accumulation and microbial activity

Researchers tested how different microplastic types combined with cadmium affect plant growth and soil health. Aged and biodegradable microplastics increased cadmium uptake in mustard greens more than fresh conventional plastics did. The study also found that microplastics altered soil microbial activity, suggesting that plastic pollution in farmland could change how plants absorb toxic metals from contaminated soil.

2023 Environmental Pollution 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption, immobilization mechanisms and potential risks of Cd in soil-biochar-microplastics system

This study examined how varying concentrations (0-10%) of polyethylene microplastics affect biochar's capacity to adsorb and immobilize cadmium (Cd) in soil. Microplastics increased biochar's Cd adsorption by up to 33% but simultaneously elevated Cd leaching risk, highlighting a complex trade-off in using biochar for heavy metal remediation in microplastic-contaminated soils.

2025 Journal of Environmental Management 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Insight into the interactions between microplastics and heavy metals in agricultural soil solution: adsorption performance influenced by microplastic types

Environmental-simulating microplastics (aged under environmental conditions) showed higher cadmium and chromium adsorption capacity than commercial microplastics in agricultural soil solutions, with surface oxidation increasing adsorption—suggesting that aged microplastics are more effective co-transporters of heavy metals in contaminated agricultural soils.

2025 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption mechanism of cadmium on microplastics and their desorption behavior in sediment and gut environments: The roles of water pH, lead ions, natural organic matter and phenanthrene

Researchers compared how cadmium adsorbs onto five different microplastic types and then desorbs in simulated sediment and gut environments, finding that pH, competing ions, natural organic matter, and co-pollutants like phenanthrene all significantly alter how much cadmium is released.

2020 Water Research 353 citations