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20 resultsShowing papers similar to Zinc-containing PVC microplastics reduce soil microbial activity and alter community structure in the plastisphere following UV-induced weathering
ClearZnO-loaded PVC microplastics increases soil Zn bioavailability and phytotoxicity
Researchers investigated how zinc oxide additives in PVC agricultural films affect soil health and plant growth after the plastic weathers and fragments. They found that UV-aged PVC microplastics containing zinc oxide significantly increased bioavailable zinc in soil, which in turn reduced maize productivity and altered soil microbial communities. The study demonstrates that metal additives in agricultural plastic films can amplify environmental harm as the plastics break down in the field.
Microplastics change soil properties, heavy metal availability and bacterial community in a Pb-Zn-contaminated soil
This study found that adding six different types of microplastics to soil contaminated with lead and zinc changed the soil's chemistry, increased the availability of those toxic metals, and shifted the bacterial communities living in the soil. Higher doses of microplastics caused greater disruption, reducing microbial diversity and altering nutrient cycling. The findings suggest that microplastics in contaminated soil could make heavy metals more likely to enter plants and the food chain.
Long term influences of PVC microplastics on soil chemical and microbiological parameters
Researchers exposed agricultural soil to PVC microplastics over a long-term experiment and measured changes in soil chemistry and microbial communities. PVC addition altered soil pH, carbon and nitrogen cycling, and microbial diversity over time. Long-term PVC contamination in farmland soils can disrupt the biological processes that maintain soil fertility and plant health.
Impact of PVC microplastics on soil chemical and microbiological parameters
Researchers found that PVC microplastics altered soil chemical properties and significantly affected microbial community composition and enzymatic activities in agricultural soil, with effects varying over different incubation periods in microcosm experiments.
Microplastics altered soil microbiome and nitrogen cycling: The role of phthalate plasticizer
Researchers discovered that chemical plasticizers leaching from PVC microplastics, rather than the plastic particles themselves, were the main driver of disrupted nitrogen cycling in soil. The phthalate plasticizer dramatically reduced soil nitrate levels by up to 91% and shifted microbial communities toward more nitrogen-fixing bacteria and fewer nitrifiers. The study highlights that the chemical additives in plastics may be a more important environmental concern than the plastic particles alone.
Soil microplastics pollution can reduce viral abundance and have less consistent impacts on bacteria
Researchers exposed soils containing natural microbial communities to polyethylene and PVC microplastics and found that both types consistently reduced viral abundance, while effects on bacteria were more variable, suggesting microplastic pollution may alter the balance of microbial communities that regulate soil processes.
Influence of aged and pristine polyethylene microplastics on bioavailability of three heavy metals in soil: Toxic effects to earthworms (Eisenia fetida)
Researchers studied how aging affects the ability of polyethylene microplastics to influence the bioavailability of zinc, lead, and cadmium in soil, and the resulting toxicity to earthworms. The study found that aged microplastics had different adsorption properties for heavy metals compared to pristine particles, which altered the bioavailability of these metals and affected earthworm health differently depending on microplastic concentration and aging status.
Traditional microplastics alter microbial community, metabolites and nutrition in heavy metal-contaminated coastal saline soil
Researchers added three types of microplastics to coastal soil already contaminated with heavy metals (cadmium, copper, and zinc), finding that the plastics altered soil chemistry, shifted microbial communities, disrupted metabolic pathways, and changed how available the toxic metals were to organisms. These findings suggest microplastics can worsen existing heavy metal pollution by changing how metals move through soil ecosystems.
Metagenomic analysis reveals soil microbiome responses to microplastics and ZnO nanoparticles in an agricultural soil
Researchers used advanced genetic analysis to show that microplastics and zinc oxide nanoparticles together alter soil microbe communities in ways that disrupt nutrient cycling, including carbon and nitrogen processing. Notably, biodegradable PLA plastic caused more harm to fungal communities than conventional plastics like polyethylene, challenging the assumption that biodegradable plastics are always safer for the environment.
UV-Irradiation Facilitating Pb Release from Recycled PVC Microplastics
Researchers found that UV light exposure causes microplastics made from recycled PVC to release lead (Pb), a toxic heavy metal used as a stabilizer in older PVC formulations. This shows that environmental weathering of plastic pollution can release hazardous chemical additives into water and soil.
Effects of photoaging on structure and characteristics of biofilms on microplastic in soil: Biomass and microbial community
Scientists studied how sunlight aging changes the way bacteria colonize microplastics in soil, finding that weathered plastics attracted different bacterial communities than fresh plastics. Aged microplastics initially supported less biofilm growth but developed bacteria with greater ability to break down carbon compounds. This research helps explain how microplastics behave differently in real-world soil conditions versus lab settings, which matters for understanding how plastics affect agricultural land and the food grown in it.
Altered interactions and joint toxicity between microplastics and zinc induced by activated sludge composting process
Researchers studied how the composting process ages microplastics made of PET, PP, and PE, and how this aging alters their interactions with the heavy metal zinc. They found that composting increased cracks and oxygen-containing groups on the plastic surfaces, enhancing their capacity to adsorb zinc and increasing the combined toxicity to the model organism C. elegans. The study suggests that aged microplastics in compost may increase heavy metal bioavailability when applied to agricultural soils.
Aging Dynamics of Polyvinyl Chloride Microplastics in Three Soils with Different Properties
Researchers tracked how PVC microplastics age and degrade over 12 months in three different soil types. They found that soil properties significantly influenced the aging process, with sandy soil promoting more surface oxidation and silty clay causing greater physical fragmentation into smaller particles. The study reveals that microplastics do not remain static in soil but undergo continuous chemical and physical changes that may affect their environmental impact over time.
Leaching of phthalate acid esters from plastic mulch films and their degradation in response to UV irradiation and contrasting soil conditions
Researchers studied how phthalate plasticizers leach from agricultural mulch films and break down under different soil conditions and UV exposure. They found that sunlight accelerates the release of these chemicals from plastic, while soil microbes play a major role in their subsequent degradation. The study highlights how plastic mulch in farming can be a continuous source of potentially harmful chemical additives entering the soil environment.
Effects of chemical and natural ageing on the release of potentially toxic metal additives in commercial PVC microplastics
Researchers aged commercial PVC microplastics under chemical and natural weathering conditions and measured release of potentially toxic trace metals added as stabilizers, finding that weathering significantly increased metal leaching rates, with cadmium and lead among the metals released.
Effects of different concentrations and types of microplastics on bacteria and fungi in alkaline soil
Researchers examined how different types and concentrations of polyethylene, polystyrene, and PVC microplastics affect soil bacteria and fungi in alkaline soil over 310 days, finding that all three stimulated enzyme activities and shifted microbial community abundance patterns.
Plasticizers determine a deeper reshape of soil virome than microplastics
Researchers compared how microplastics and the common plasticizer diethyl phthalate independently affect soil viral communities, finding that the plasticizer caused a much more dramatic shift in viral diversity than the plastic particles themselves. Diethyl phthalate exposure led to a three-fold increase in viral genetic material and triggered widespread activation of dormant viruses within soil bacteria. The findings suggest that the chemical additives leaching from plastics may pose a greater threat to soil ecosystems than the physical plastic particles.
Assessing Microplastic Contamination Effects on Soil Microbial Communities in Agricultural Land
This study sampled agricultural soils with varying degrees of microplastic contamination to assess effects on microbial diversity, abundance, and enzymatic activity, finding that higher microplastic concentrations reduced microbial diversity and suppressed nutrient-cycling enzyme activity.
Responses of microbial communities to the addition of different types of microplastics in agricultural soils
Researchers conducted a 90-day soil incubation study to examine how four types of microplastics — polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, and polyethylene terephthalate — affect agricultural soil properties and microbial communities. They found that all four types significantly altered soil enzyme activities, nutrient content, and the diversity of microbial populations. The study indicates that microplastic contamination in farmland can disrupt soil health in ways that may affect agricultural productivity.
The impact of microplastic weathering on interactions with the soil environment: a review
This review examines how weathering — exposure to UV light, moisture, and physical forces — changes the surface properties of microplastics and affects their interactions with soil. Weathered microplastics behave differently in the environment, potentially altering soil structure and the movement of water and nutrients.