Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastics enhance soil residue of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: Roles of pH and dissolved organic matter

Researchers used dynamic soil column leaching experiments with multiple controlled factors to investigate how microplastics affect the soil residue of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). MPs significantly enhanced PAH persistence in soil by altering sorption-desorption dynamics, with MP type, aging, and soil organic matter content as key modulating factors.

2025 Environmental Research 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Research Progress on The Adsorption and Their Mechanisms of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Soil by Microplastics

This review examines how microplastic characteristics including polymer type, particle size, density, and aging state influence their adsorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil, along with how environmental factors such as pH and organic matter modify this interaction. The authors provide a theoretical framework for understanding the combined pollution risk of microplastics and PAHs in terrestrial ecosystems.

2024 Academic Journal of Science and Technology
Article Tier 2

Adsorption behaviour and mechanism of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons onto typical microplastics in a soil solution

Researchers investigated the adsorption behavior of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons benzo[a]anthracene and benzo[a]pyrene onto polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics across multiple particle sizes (0.8–500 µm) in soil solution using batch sorption experiments, finding that particle size and environmental factors significantly affect PAH sorption mechanisms.

2022 International Journal of Environmental & Analytical Chemistry 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of biodegradable and non-biodegradable microplastics on bacterial community and PAHs natural attenuation in agricultural soils

Researchers found that biodegradable and non-biodegradable microplastics differently affect soil bacterial communities and the natural attenuation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in agricultural soils, with biodegradable plastics sometimes enhancing microbial activity while conventional plastics inhibited PAH degradation.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 55 citations
Article Tier 2

The adsorption process and mechanism of benzo[a]pyrene in agricultural soil mediated by microplastics

Researchers investigated how different types of microplastics affect the adsorption of the carcinogenic pollutant benzo[a]pyrene in agricultural soil. They found that PVC microplastics had the strongest capacity to adsorb this pollutant, increasing soil adsorption by nearly four times compared to soil alone. The study suggests that microplastics in agricultural soils may concentrate harmful organic pollutants, potentially altering their environmental fate and bioavailability.

2024 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyethylene microplastics influence the transport of organic contaminants in soil

Laboratory experiments showed that polyethylene microplastics in soil altered the transport and distribution of organic contaminants, acting as secondary carriers that changed contaminant mobility through the soil matrix. The findings suggest microplastics in agricultural soils could inadvertently redistribute pesticides and other pollutants, with implications for groundwater quality.

2018 The Science of The Total Environment 320 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and nanoplastics barely enhance contaminant mobility in agricultural soils

A mesocosm study found that micro- and nanoplastics in agricultural soils had minimal effect on the mobility of sorbed organic contaminants toward deeper soil layers, suggesting that concerns about plastics significantly enhancing contaminant transport to groundwater may be overstated under typical field conditions.

2021 Communications Earth & Environment 77 citations
Article Tier 2

The Adsorption Process and Mechanism of Benzo[a]pyrene in Agricultural Soil Mediated by Microplastics

Scientists studied how three common types of microplastics interact with benzo[a]pyrene, a cancer-linked pollutant, in agricultural soil. PVC microplastics showed the strongest ability to adsorb this pollutant, increasing soil's overall capacity to hold benzo[a]pyrene by nearly four times compared to soil alone. The research suggests that microplastics in farmland may concentrate harmful chemical pollutants, potentially affecting how these toxins move through the soil ecosystem.

2024 Toxics 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon accumulation in aged and unaged polyurethane microplastics in contaminated soil

Researchers exposed biodegradable and conventional polyurethane foam microplastics to PAH-contaminated soils to measure pollutant sorption over 28 days. The study found that biodegradable polyurethane accumulated significantly more polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons than conventional polyurethane, suggesting that the flexibility of the polymer network drives sorption and that biodegradable microplastics may pose unexpected risks as pollutant carriers in soil.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 52 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluating the effect of different modified microplastics on the availability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Researchers investigated how weathering processes alter the ability of polyethylene microplastics to affect the bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, finding that etching and UV aging increased surface oxygen groups, specific surface area, and pore volume. Free PAH concentrations decreased with increasing microplastic concentration for most hydrophobic PAHs, and UV aging only slightly altered sorption coefficients compared to pristine microplastics.

2019 Water Research 115 citations
Article Tier 2

Response characteristics of indigenous microbial community in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) contaminated aquifers under polyethylene microplastics stress: A microcosmic experimental study

Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics affect indigenous microbial communities in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-contaminated groundwater aquifers, finding that microplastics alter microbial community structure and function in ways that affect PAH degradation potential.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of polyethylene microplastics on the vertical migration of pesticides in soil

Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics affect the vertical migration of pesticide mixtures in soil using stainless steel column experiments with sandy reference soil, finding that microplastics' hydrophobic surfaces and high sorption capacity altered the transport of 20 pesticides compared to uncontaminated soil.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Microplastics reduced bioavailability and altered toxicity of phenanthrene to maize (Zea mays L.) through modulating rhizosphere microbial community and maize growth

Researchers studied how microplastics affect the behavior of phenanthrene, a common soil pollutant, in maize-growing soil. They found that microplastics reduced the amount of phenanthrene absorbed by the plants while also changing the microbial communities around the roots. The study suggests that microplastics in agricultural soil can alter how other pollutants interact with crops, sometimes reducing their uptake but also shifting soil ecology in complex ways.

2023 Chemosphere 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Soil structures and immobilization of typical contaminants in soils in response to diverse microplastics

Soil column experiments with polyethylene, polyacrylonitrile, and PET microplastics at 0.5% by weight found that all three polymer types altered soil aggregate structure and affected the mobility of the hydrophobic organic contaminant phenanthrene and heavy metals through the soil profile. PET MPs most strongly changed soil structure and increased phenanthrene leaching, while PAN MPs had the greatest effect on heavy metal mobility.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 50 citations
Article Tier 2

Indirect Effects of Microplastic-Contaminated Soils on Adjacent Soil Layers: Vertical Changes in Soil Physical Structure and Water Flow

Laboratory experiments showed that microplastic contamination in upper soil layers indirectly altered the physical structure and water flow of adjacent uncontaminated lower soil layers, suggesting that microplastics can affect soil hydrology beyond their immediate zone of contamination.

2021 Frontiers in Environmental Science 61 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined Effects of Microplastics and Biochar on the Removal of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Phthalate Esters and Its Potential Microbial Ecological Mechanism

Researchers investigated the combined effects of microplastics and biochar on the removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and phthalate esters from contaminated soil, finding that the combination altered microbial community structure and contaminant fate differently than either amendment alone.

2021 Frontiers in Microbiology 31 citations
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

Minimal vertical transport of microplastics in soil over two years with little impact of plastics on soil macropore networks

A two-year field experiment found that microplastics placed on the soil surface moved very little downward, with only about 1% reaching below 8 cm depth, and had minimal effect on soil structure. While this suggests microplastics do not quickly contaminate deeper soil layers, they do persist near the surface where they can still be taken up by shallow-rooted crops.

2025 Communications Earth & Environment 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics lag the leaching of phenanthrene in soil and reduce its bioavailability to wheat

Researchers found that polystyrene, polyethylene, and PVC microplastics delayed the downward leaching of phenanthrene through soil by adsorbing the contaminant, reducing its bioavailability to wheat, with adsorption capacity following the order PS > PE > PVC.

2021 Environmental Pollution 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by microplastic films: Characterizing kinetics, isotherms, and impacts of sludge exposure

This study characterized the sorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons onto microplastic films in sludge and wastewater systems, finding that MP type and surface properties strongly influence PAH binding capacity and may facilitate PAH transport and bioavailability in contaminated environments.

2025 Chemosphere