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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Assessment of the Presence of Microplastics in Stabilized Sewage Sludge: Analysis Methods and Environmental Impact
ClearStabilized Sewage Sludge as Fertilizer: Risks Related to the Presence of Microplastics
Researchers analyzed microplastic content in sewage sludge-derived fertilizer collected in June and July, finding an average of ~460 mg of microplastics per 100 g of fertilizer with fragments and fibers predominating — raising concerns about agricultural land contamination from sewage sludge application.
Microplastic contamination in sewage sludge: Abundance, characteristics, and impacts on the environment and human health
This review focuses on microplastics found in sewage sludge, which is often spread on agricultural land as fertilizer. The practice introduces microplastics directly into farm soil, where they can be taken up by crops or leach into groundwater. This creates a pathway for microplastics to reach human food and drinking water, raising concerns about the safety of using sewage sludge in agriculture.
Microplastics in Sewage Sludge: A review
This review examines the presence and fate of microplastics in sewage sludge from municipal wastewater treatment plants, a topic that has received less attention than microplastics in the water treatment line. The study highlights that agricultural application of sewage sludge is a primary source of microplastic contamination in soils, and provides a comprehensive overview of detection methods, concentrations, and the environmental implications of sludge-borne microplastics.
Microplastics in Sludges and Soils: A Comprehensive Review on Distribution, Characteristics, and Effects
This review summarizes research on microplastics in sewage sludge and soil, noting that when contaminated sludge is used as fertilizer, it turns farmland into a major reservoir for microplastic pollution. The accumulated microplastics can alter soil properties, harm soil organisms, and potentially enter crops and groundwater, creating pathways for human exposure through food and drinking water.
Evidence of microplastic accumulation in agricultural soils from sewage sludge disposal
Agricultural soils from 31 fields with different sludge application histories were analyzed for microplastics, finding significant accumulation in fields with repeated sludge applications and a positive correlation between application frequency and plastic particle counts. The study provides direct field evidence that sewage sludge fertilization is a major pathway for microplastic accumulation in agricultural soil.
Microplastics in an agricultural soil following repeated application of three types of sewage sludge: A field study
Researchers investigated microplastics in agricultural soil after repeated sewage sludge application, finding that sludge-amended soils contained significantly more small microplastic particles than unamended soils, with particle accumulation varying by sludge type.
An Overlooked Entry Pathway of Microplastics into Agricultural Soils from Application of Sludge-Based Fertilizers
Researchers analyzed sludge-based fertilizers applied to agricultural soils and found high microplastic concentrations (hundreds to thousands per kilogram of dry weight) that were transferred to soils after application, identifying this as an important but overlooked pathway for terrestrial microplastic contamination.
Sewage Sludge-Mediated Microplastic Transfer to Agroecosystem: A Comprehensive Review on Detection, Fate and Ecological Impacts
This review study shows that tiny plastic particles called microplastics are getting into farm soil through sewage sludge that's used as fertilizer. When wastewater treatment plants process our sewage, they capture these plastic bits in the leftover sludge, which farmers then spread on their fields. This matters because these microplastics could potentially affect our food supply and soil health, but scientists still need more research to understand the full risks.
Hidden contaminants: Unveiling the content of microplastics in municipal sewage sludge that may affect soil ecosystems
Researchers analyzed sewage sludge from two municipal treatment plants and found up to 116,000 microplastic particles per kilogram of dry sludge, with fiber-shaped and film-shaped particles dominating each plant respectively — highlighting the risk of spreading microplastic contamination to farmland when sludge is used as fertilizer.
Impact of sewage sludge application on soil microplastic accumulation and nutrient levels: Analysis of 22 years of data from central UK farmland
Researchers analyzed a 22-year dataset from 5,323 fields in central UK to examine the relationship between repeated sewage sludge application and microplastic accumulation in agricultural soils, alongside changes in nutrient levels such as nitrogen and phosphorus. They found that microplastic concentrations increased with cumulative sludge applications while nutrients were taken up by crops, raising concerns about long-term plastic accumulation in farmland receiving sludge-derived fertilizers.
Mapping microplastics in sludge
Researchers mapped microplastic contamination in sewage sludge from eight Norwegian wastewater treatment plants, finding plastics in all ten samples with an overall average of 6,077 particles per kilogram dry weight. Based on current sludge application rates in Norway, researchers estimated that over 500 billion microplastic particles enter the environment annually through agricultural and land application of sewage sludge.
Microplastics in sewage sludge: Distribution, toxicity, identification methods, and engineered technologies
This review examines how microplastics accumulate in sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plants, which then becomes a major pathway for spreading these particles into the environment. Researchers found that sludge can contain extremely high concentrations of microplastics, ranging from thousands to hundreds of thousands of particles per kilogram. The study evaluates current detection methods and emerging technologies for removing microplastics from sludge before it is applied to agricultural land or disposed of.
Microplastic contamination of organic fertilisers applied to agricultural soils
This study examined microplastic contamination in organic fertilizers applied to agricultural soils, finding plastic particles in multiple fertilizer types. Organic fertilizers derived from sewage sludge or compost can introduce microplastics into farmland, potentially contaminating crops and groundwater.
Fate of microplastics in sewage sludge and in agricultural soils
Researchers reviewed how microplastics accumulate in sewage sludge at wastewater treatment plants and then spread into agricultural soils when that sludge is applied as fertilizer, finding that sludge treatment processes can alter microplastic size and shape but do not eliminate them. The review calls for standardized methods to study how different sludge treatments affect microplastic properties and their downstream risks to soil health.
Agricultural application of microplastic-rich sewage sludge leads to further uncontrolled contamination
Researchers found that 44% of microplastics from sewage sludge applied to agricultural land migrated to nearby untreated areas, demonstrating that this common fertilizer practice leads to further uncontrolled contamination of surrounding soils.
Tracking nonregulated micropollutants in sewage sludge: Antimicrobials, OH-PAHs, and microplastics — Environmental risks, fertilizer implications and energy considerations
Researchers tracked antimicrobials, hydroxylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and microplastics in sewage sludge and fertilizers derived from it. The study found that while fertilizer production reduced some contaminants, significant levels of antimicrobials and an average of over 2,400 microplastic particles persisted in stabilized sludge, raising concerns about environmental contamination when these materials are applied to agricultural land.
Sewage sludge application as a vehicle for microplastics in eastern Spanish agricultural soils
Scientists measured microplastics in sewage sludge from Spanish wastewater treatment plants and in agricultural soils receiving sludge applications, finding that sludge application transferred hundreds to thousands of microplastic particles per kilogram into agricultural soil.
Sewage Sludge in Farmlands: A Gateway to Soil Microplastic Pollution?
Researchers analysed microplastic contamination in dewatered anaerobically digested sewage sludge and adjacent agricultural fields in the UK with varied sludge application histories, using fluorescence microscopy and FTIR/Raman spectroscopy to detect predominantly polyethylene, polyester, polypropylene, polystyrene, PVC, and polyamide particles.
Microplastic accumulation and transport in agricultural soils with long-term sewage sludge amendments
This study examined farmland that received sewage sludge applications for 16 years and found that microplastic levels in the topsoil were about five times higher than in untreated fields. Microplastics also migrated deeper into the soil over time, with migration rates 20 times greater in sludge-treated areas. The findings demonstrate that long-term use of sewage sludge as fertilizer is a significant pathway for microplastic accumulation in agricultural soils.
Sampling, pre-treatment, and identification methods of microplastics in sewage sludge and their effects in agricultural soils: a review
This review examines methods for sampling, pre-treating, and identifying microplastics in sewage sludge, which accumulates microplastics removed during wastewater treatment. Researchers found that standardized protocols for sludge analysis are still lacking, making it difficult to compare results across studies. The study also highlights that when microplastic-laden sludge is applied to agricultural soils, it may introduce persistent plastic contamination into terrestrial ecosystems.
Establishment and application of standard analysis methods for microplastic samples: Urban sewage and sewage sludge as a source of microplastics in the environment
Researchers developed a standardized method for measuring microplastics in wastewater treatment plants and found that treated wastewater still releases an estimated 14.2 billion microplastic particles per day into the environment. While treatment plants remove most microplastics from the water, many end up concentrated in sewage sludge, which is often spread on farmland. The findings highlight that wastewater treatment is a major pathway for microplastics to reach rivers and agricultural soil.
Seasonal Variation, Distribution and Characteristics of Microplastic in Sewage Sludge
Researchers investigated seasonal variation in microplastic concentration, distribution, and characteristics within sewage sludge at wastewater treatment plants, examining how precipitation patterns and sludge treatment processes influence microplastic retention and the pathways by which sludge-borne microplastics enter agricultural soils upon land application.
Risk of re-release of microplastics from sewage fertilisers into the environment
This paper reviews the risk that microplastics in sewage sludge (biosolids used as agricultural fertilizer) will be re-released into soils and water when the sludge is land-applied. Microplastics from cosmetics and clothing fibers concentrate in sludge during wastewater treatment and persist because they resist biodegradation. Applying microplastic-contaminated biosolids to farmland is one of the major pathways through which microplastics enter agricultural soils.
Microplastic abundance in sludge-treated fields: Variance and estimated half-life
Researchers measured microplastic levels in agricultural fields that had been heavily treated with sewage sludge, finding concentrations ranging from roughly 2,400 to 49,000 particles per kilogram of soil, with polyester and acrylic accounting for more than half of all particles. The study estimated that once sludge application stops, the number of microplastic particles in soil decreases with a half-life of about 2.5 years, suggesting smaller particles break down or migrate away faster than larger ones.