Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastic-derived dissolved organic matter: Generation, characterization, and environmental behaviors

This review examines how microplastics release dissolved organic matter as they break down in the environment, creating a previously overlooked source of carbon and chemical pollution. Researchers found that this microplastic-derived organic matter can interact with other pollutants, affect water quality, and influence microbial communities. The study highlights a lesser-known dimension of microplastic pollution that could have significant environmental consequences.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 37 citations
Article Tier 2

The Removal and Mitigation Effects of Biochar on Microplastics in Water and Soils: Application and Mechanism Analysis

This review examines how biochar can be used to both remove microplastics from water and mitigate their harmful effects in soils. Researchers found that woody biochar was the most effective type for adsorbing microplastics, while also helping to restore soil enzyme activities and microbial communities disrupted by plastic contamination. The study calls for further research into optimizing biochar applications and understanding the long-term environmental implications of biochar-microplastic interactions.

2024 Sustainability 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Pyrolysis temperature matters: Biochar-derived dissolved organic matter modulates aging behavior and biotoxicity of microplastics

Researchers found that dissolved organic matter from biochar (a charcoal-like soil additive) affects how microplastics age in the environment by generating reactive oxygen species that alter the plastic surfaces. Importantly, microplastics aged in the presence of biochar-derived compounds caused significantly more inflammation and tissue damage in living organisms than freshly made microplastics. This means microplastics in the real world, where they interact with soil compounds, may be more toxic than laboratory tests with clean plastic particles suggest.

2023 Water Research 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic-derived dissolved organic matter and its biogeochemical behaviors in aquatic environments: A review

This review examines how microplastics release dissolved organic matter (MP-DOM) as they break down in water, and how these released chemicals affect water ecosystems. MP-DOM can interact with other pollutants and alter carbon cycling in natural waters, with the type and amount varying based on plastic composition and weathering conditions. Understanding what microplastics release into water as they degrade is important because these dissolved chemicals may have their own toxic effects on aquatic life and water quality.

2024 Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology 84 citations
Article Tier 2

Temperature-Dependent Molecular Evolution of Biochar-Derived Dissolved Black Carbon and Its Interaction Mechanism with Polyvinyl Chloride Microplastics

Researchers revealed that biochar-derived dissolved black carbon molecules evolve with formation temperature and interact with PVC microplastics through mechanisms involving hydrogen bonding and electrostatic forces, affecting microplastic fate in water.

2023 Environmental Science & Technology 49 citations
Article Tier 2

Interplay between microplastics and natural organic matter in association with environmental processes

This review explores how microplastics interact with natural organic matter—the dissolved and particulate carbon that permeates soils and waterways—and how these interactions alter microplastic transport, surface chemistry, and biological availability. Because natural organic matter coats microplastics and changes their behavior, ignoring this interplay leads to underestimates of how far and how dangerously microplastics spread through ecosystems.

2026 Environmental Science and Pollution Research
Article Tier 2

Removal of micro- and nano-plastics from aqueous matrices using modified biochar – A review of synthesis, applications, interaction, and regeneration

This review examines how modified biochar materials can be used to remove micro- and nanoplastics from water. Researchers found that chemical functionalization and nanoparticle integration of biochar significantly improve its ability to capture plastic particles through mechanisms like electrostatic interaction and physical adsorption. The study also highlights challenges in regenerating used biochar for sustainable reuse in water treatment applications.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Role of Biochar and Microbes in Remediation of Microplastics in Soil

This review examines how biochar and soil microbes can be combined to remediate microplastic-contaminated soils, synthesizing evidence for biochar's adsorption capacity and microbial degradation pathways that reduce microplastic persistence and toxicity.

2025 Journal of Innovative Solutions for Eco-Environmental Sustainability
Article Tier 2

Interactions of microplastics, dissolved organic matter, and coexisting pollutants: Mechanisms, environmental implications, and knowledge gaps

This review examines the three-way interactions between microplastics, dissolved organic matter, and coexisting pollutants, synthesizing how microplastic-DOM adsorption influences contaminant behavior and fate in the environment. The authors identify the dual roles of environmental DOM and microplastic-derived DOM in regulating pollutant adsorption, mobility, and toxicity as a critical knowledge gap.

2025 Environmental Research
Article Tier 2

The environmental effects of microplastics and microplastic derived dissolved organic matter in aquatic environments: A review

This review examines how microplastics interact with other pollutants in water and how aging from sunlight and weathering changes their behavior. As microplastics break down, they release dissolved organic matter and develop surface changes that increase their ability to carry harmful chemicals like pesticides and pharmaceuticals. The findings suggest that weathered microplastics in real-world environments may be more dangerous than fresh plastics used in most lab studies.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 55 citations
Article Tier 2

Self-motivated photoaging of microplastics by biochar-dissolved organic matter under different pyrolysis temperatures

Researchers investigated how dissolved organic matter from biochar affects the photoaging of polystyrene microplastics under different conditions. The study found that biochar produced at lower pyrolysis temperatures significantly accelerated microplastic degradation, suggesting that biochar-derived organic matter may play an important role in the environmental weathering and breakdown of plastic particles.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorptive behavior of micro(nano)plastics through biochar: Co-existence, consequences, and challenges in contaminated ecosystems

This review examines how biochar can adsorb micro- and nanoplastics with over 90% removal efficiency in aqueous systems, while also discussing their combined effects on soil properties, microbial communities, and plant growth.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 138 citations
Article Tier 2

Addressing the Microplastic Dilemma in Soil and Sediment with Focus on Biochar-Based Remediation Techniques: Review

This review examines how biochar, a carbon-rich material made from organic waste, can be used to remediate microplastic-contaminated soils and sediments. Researchers found that biochar can adsorb microplastics and reduce their mobility, while also improving overall soil health and microbial activity. The study highlights biochar-based approaches as a cost-effective and environmentally friendly strategy for addressing microplastic pollution in terrestrial environments.

2023 Soil Systems 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Biochar applications in microplastic and nanoplastic removal: mechanisms and integrated approaches

This review explores how biochar, a charcoal-like material made from organic waste, can be used to filter microplastics and nanoplastics out of water. Researchers found that biochar works through several mechanisms and becomes even more effective when combined with other water treatment technologies. The study suggests biochar-based approaches could be a practical, low-cost strategy for tackling plastic pollution in water systems.

2024 Environmental Science Water Research & Technology 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactions Between Biochar and Nano(Micro)Plastics in the Remediation of Aqueous Media

This review examines how biochar, a charcoal-like material made from organic waste, can be used to remove micro and nanoplastics from contaminated water. Biochar is an affordable and sustainable option that absorbs plastic particles, though the technology is still in early stages. Better water purification methods like this could help reduce the amount of microplastics that end up in drinking water and the human body.

2024 International Journal of Environmental Research 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent advances in biochar-mediated mitigation of microplastics: A comprehensive review on removal mechanisms, toxicity alleviation strategies, and synergistic environmental impacts

Researchers comprehensively reviewed recent advances in using biochar to mitigate microplastic pollution, including removal mechanisms, toxicity alleviation strategies, and synergistic environmental impacts. The study found that biochar is a promising candidate for microplastic removal and toxicity reduction due to its high specific surface area and adsorptive properties.

2026 Environmental Pollution
Article Tier 2

Interactions between Microplastics and Dissolved Organic Matter in the Fresh Water Environment

This review explores how microplastics interact with dissolved organic matter (DOM) — the complex mixture of carbon compounds found in rivers and lakes — and what that means for freshwater ecosystems. Microplastics readily bind to DOM, altering its distribution in sediments and affecting the microbial communities that depend on it for food and energy. DOM can also change how far microplastics travel and how available they are to aquatic organisms. The interplay between these two classes of contaminant complicates efforts to predict microplastic behavior in the environment.

2025 1 citations
Article Tier 2

How biochar works, and when it doesn't: A review of mechanisms controlling soil and plant responses to biochar

This comprehensive review synthesizes 20 years of research on biochar, a charcoal-like material made from organic waste that can improve soil health and reduce pollution. Biochar can reduce plant uptake of heavy metals by 17-39% and increase nutrient availability, making it potentially useful for cleaning up microplastic-contaminated soils. While not directly about microplastics, the findings are relevant because biochar could help mitigate the effects of soil pollutants that microplastics carry and concentrate.

2021 GCB Bioenergy 872 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of microplastic-derived organic matter onto minerals

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) released from weathered microplastics was studied for its adsorption onto soil minerals, a process relevant to microplastic fate and potential contaminant transport. Microplastic-derived DOM adsorbed onto mineral surfaces, altering soil chemistry and potentially stabilizing or mobilizing other contaminants in soil-water systems.

2020 Water Research 152 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactions between white and black carbon in water: A case study of concurrent aging of microplastics and biochar

Researchers investigated the concurrent aging of microplastics and biochar in water under UV light, finding that their interaction significantly altered dissolved organic matter release and fluorescence properties, affecting their environmental behavior.

2023 Water Research 47 citations
Article Tier 2

Sludge-derived biochar: Physicochemical characteristics for environmental remediation

This review examines how sewage sludge can be converted into biochar, a carbon-rich material useful for cleaning up environmental contaminants including microplastics and heavy metals from water and soil. The process turns a waste product into an effective pollution filter while reducing the volume of sludge that needs disposal. This approach is relevant to microplastics research because biochar could help remove plastic particles from contaminated water and agricultural land.

2023 Applied Physics Reviews 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigating the Adsorption Effect of Biochar on Microplastic Pollutants in Soil

This study reviews how biochar can adsorb and remove microplastics from contaminated soil through physical and chemical mechanisms. Researchers found that biochar's high surface area and functional groups are key factors in its microplastic adsorption capacity, and that acidic soil conditions improve removal efficiency. The findings suggest biochar application could be a practical approach for addressing microplastic pollution in agricultural soils.

2025 Science and Technology of Engineering Chemistry and Environmental Protection 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Biochar mitigates microplastic‐induced destabilization of soil organic carbon via molecular recalcitrance and microbial process regulation

Biochar amendments to soil were shown to offset the destabilizing effects that microplastics have on soil aggregate structure. The finding suggests that biochar could be a practical soil amendment to counteract microplastic-driven soil degradation in contaminated agricultural lands.

2025 Functional Ecology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Microplastics and Organic Fertilizer Regulation on Soil Dissolved Organic Matter Evolution

This study examined how microplastic addition to soil affects dissolved organic matter (DOM) evolution, focusing on the interactions between microplastics as carbon sources and organic fertilizer. Microplastics altered DOM composition and quantity, with effects on soil carbon cycling that varied by plastic type and organic fertilizer combination, suggesting complex interactions between plastic pollution and soil amendment practices.

2024 Toxics 6 citations