Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Organic boost or health risk? The dual impact of organic amendments in agriculture

This review examined the dual impact of organic amendments on agricultural soils, discussing how compost and sludge applications simultaneously boost fertility and introduce microplastics and chemical contaminants, requiring careful risk-benefit assessment.

2024 International Journal of Research in Agronomy 1 citations
Article Tier 2

How Valuable Are Organic Amendments as Tools for the Phytomanagement of Degraded Soils? The Knowns, Known Unknowns, and Unknowns

This review evaluates organic soil amendments — including sewage sludge, compost, and manure — as tools for restoring degraded soils, noting both benefits for soil health and risks from contaminant introduction. The discussion is relevant to microplastic research because many organic amendments are known vectors for microplastic contamination in agricultural soils.

2018 Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 77 citations
Article Tier 2

Potential Benefits and Risks for Soil Health Derived From the Use of Organic Amendments in Agriculture

This review examines the benefits and risks of using organic amendments like compost, manure, and sewage sludge in agriculture. Researchers highlight that while these amendments improve soil health and crop productivity, they can also introduce pollutants including heavy metals, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and microplastics into agricultural soils. The study identifies sewage sludge as a particularly significant source of microplastic contamination in farmland and calls for strategies to mitigate these risks.

2019 Agronomy 284 citations
Article Tier 2

Organic amendment in climate change mitigation: Challenges in an era of micro- and nanoplastics

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics found in organic amendments like compost, manure, and sewage sludge may undermine their effectiveness as climate change mitigation tools. Researchers found that plastic contamination in these materials can alter soil carbon cycling, potentially reducing the carbon sequestration benefits of adding organic matter to soils. The study highlights a tension between using organic waste for soil health and inadvertently introducing plastic pollution.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Organic matter and microplastics nexus: A comprehensive understanding of the synergistic impact on soil health

This review examines how microplastics and organic matter interact in soil, finding that common soil additions like compost and sewage sludge are significant sources of microplastic contamination. The interplay between these substances can disrupt nutrient cycling, soil biology, and carbon storage, which ultimately affects the quality of food grown in contaminated soil.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Extent and impact of microplastics on soil nutrients and biota: a trade-off assessment

This review examines the extent of microplastic inputs from sewage sludge applied to agricultural soils, synthesizing evidence on how sludge-derived microplastics affect soil nutrient availability, soil biota, plant performance, and crop productivity, concluding that the benefits of sludge as a soil amendment must be weighed against its role as a vector for microplastic contamination.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Organic amendments as vectors of micro and macro plastic pollution of terrestrial ecosystems

Researchers analyzed seven types of organic amendments commonly applied to farmland, including sewage sludge, manure, composts, and digestates, for microplastic contamination. They found microplastics in all samples, with sewage sludge containing the highest levels and a wide variety of polymer types. The study demonstrates that organic soil amendments are an important and underappreciated pathway through which both micro and macro plastics enter agricultural soils.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects and mechanism of microplastics on organic carbon and nitrogen cycling in agricultural soil: A review

This review summarizes how microplastic pollution in agricultural soils affects carbon and nitrogen cycling by altering soil properties, microbial communities, and enzymatic activity. Evidence indicates that microplastics can change organic matter degradation rates and nutrient cycling processes, with implications for soil health and agricultural productivity.

2023 Soil Use and Management 39 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on soil organic carbon and greenhouse gas emissions in the context of straw incorporation: A comparison with different types of soil

Researchers combined microplastic treatments with straw incorporation in different soil types and measured effects on soil organic carbon and greenhouse gas emissions, finding that microplastics altered carbon cycling and in some soils increased CO2 and N2O emissions.

2021 Environmental Pollution 159 citations
Article Tier 2

Unraveling the characteristics of microplastics in agricultural soils upon long-term organic fertilizer application: A comprehensive study using diversity indices

Researchers analyzed microplastic contamination in agricultural soils that had received organic fertilizers (pig manure, chicken manure, and sewage sludge compost) for 12 years. All three fertilizer types introduced significant microplastic pollution, with risk levels classified as high across all treatments. This study shows that organic fertilizers, often considered environmentally friendly, are a major pathway for microplastics to enter the soil and potentially the food we grow in it.

2024 Chemosphere 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantification and identification of microplastics in organic fertilizers: the implication for the manufacture and safe application

Researchers measured microplastic contamination in 23 commercial organic fertilizers, finding widespread presence at levels that could meaningfully contribute to agricultural soil pollution when fertilizers are applied. The results raise concerns about organic fertilizers as an underappreciated pathway for microplastics entering farm soils and the food system.

2022 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in agricultural soils: a new challenge not only for agro-environmental policy?

This review addresses microplastic pollution in agricultural soils, identifying farming practices like mulching and sludge application as significant sources and discussing potential impacts on soil health and food safety. It calls for both policy action and more research on microplastic behavior in terrestrial environments.

2019 AgEcon Search (University of Minnesota, USA) 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic contamination in agricultural soils from mulch films and organic amendments: Transformation mechanism, soil-Biota toxicity, and future perspectives

This review examines how agricultural soils are becoming increasingly contaminated with microplastics from plastic mulch films and organic amendments like compost, with land-based contamination being 4 to 23 times higher than in water. Microplastics in farmland can harm soil organisms, disrupt soil structure, and enter the food chain through crops, posing potential risks to human health.

2025 Waste Management 11 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2023 SPIRE - Sciences Po Institutional REpository
Article Tier 2

Investigating plastic in organic fertilizers: A 2-year comparative study

A two-year field study compared how different types of organic fertilizers affected plastic content in agricultural soils, finding significant variation depending on the feedstock and processing method. The research informs best practices for minimizing plastic inputs to farmland through fertilizer choice.

2025 Chemosphere 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of microplastics used in agronomic practices on agricultural soil properties and plant functions: Potential contribution to the circular economy of rural areas

Researchers measured the effects of microplastics used in common agricultural practices — including mulch film residues and irrigation-delivered particles — on soil physical, chemical, and biological properties. Microplastic presence altered soil aggregation, water retention, and microbial community composition, with effects depending on plastic concentration, polymer type, and soil texture.

2024 Waste Management & Research The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Extent and effects of microplastic pollution in soil with focus on recycling of sewage sludge and composted household waste and experiences from the long-term field experiment CRUCIAL

Researchers reviewed microplastic contamination in agricultural soils amended with sewage sludge and compost, finding that current microplastic levels in farm fields remain below those shown to harm soil organisms in lab studies, though they caution that more long-term research is needed to confirm safety.

2023 TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic effects on soil organic matter dynamics and bacterial communities under contrasting soil environments

Researchers compared microplastic effects on soil organic matter dynamics and bacterial communities across contrasting soil environments, finding that the type of microplastic polymer and soil conditions together determine whether microbial activity and carbon cycling are stimulated or suppressed.

2024
Article Tier 2

Microplastics identification and quantification in the composted Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste

Researchers quantified microplastics in composted organic municipal solid waste from five facilities, finding contamination levels that raise concerns about compost quality and the potential transfer of microplastics to agricultural soils through organic waste recycling.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 125 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of the sustainable agricultural practices for governing soil health from the perspective of a rising agri-based circular bioeconomy

This review examines sustainable farming practices for maintaining soil health and supporting a circular bioeconomy, focusing on preserving soil organic matter as the foundation of productive agriculture. Depleted soils are a growing global concern as population expansion demands more food production. While not directly about microplastics, healthy soil management is relevant because degraded soils are more vulnerable to microplastic accumulation and contamination.

2023 Applied Soil Ecology 64 citations