We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Papers
61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Quantity and Material Composition of Foreign Bodies in Bio-Waste Collected in Towns from Single- and Multi-Family Housing and in Rural Areas
ClearMicroplastics 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.
Plastics and other extraneous matter in municipal solid waste compost: A systematic review of sources, occurrence, implications, and fate in amended soils
Researchers reviewed contamination in municipal compost made from household organic waste, finding plastics are the most prevalent pollutant — with some batches containing enough plastic to deposit over 500 kg per hectare of farmland each year. Repeated use of contaminated compost builds up microplastics in soil, threatening soil health and potentially moving plastic particles into crops and food.
Plastic particles in urban compost and their grain size distribution
Microplastics in urban compost produced from city greenery were dominated by PET, polystyrene, polyethylene, and polypropylene, with highest concentrations in the 0.63-1.25 mm grain size fraction and an average total concentration of 1368 mg/kg dry matter.
Makro- und Mikrokunststoffe in österreichischen Komposten
This German-language study analyzed macro- and microplastic contamination in Austrian composts from three modern composting facilities, finding between 13 and 111 plastic particles per kilogram of dry matter. The results highlight that even well-managed composting operations contribute to plastic pollution in agricultural soils when compost is applied.
Plastic input and dynamics in industrial composting
Researchers quantified plastic input and dynamics at five stages of an industrial composting process, tracking macroplastics in municipal bio-waste collections from different municipalities (0.36-4.72 kg/ton, dominated by PE and PP) and measuring microplastic concentrations through shredding and screening to assess removal or enrichment.
Quantification and analysis of surface macroplastic contamination on arable areas
Researchers quantified macroplastic contamination on German farmland, finding that fields fertilized with compost had 42 times more plastic particles per hectare than unfertilized fields, indicating that compost application and roadside littering are major pathways for plastic entering agricultural soils.
Plastic impurities in biowaste treatment: environmental and economic life cycle assessment of a composting plant
Researchers assessed an Italian composting facility and found that conventional plastic contaminants in food waste account for nearly half the residual waste produced and roughly 7% of annual operating costs, highlighting how plastic pollution undermines the economics and environmental benefits of composting.
Microplastic Abundance in the Locally Produced Commercial Compost and the Characteristics
Researchers measured microplastic abundance in locally produced commercial compost, characterizing particle morphology, size, and polymer type. The compost contained measurable microplastic concentrations dominated by polyester fibres and polyethylene fragments, confirming that commercial composting does not eliminate microplastic contamination and may serve as a route for soil plastic input.
Microplastic contamination and accumulation in municipal solid waste: A global review of sources, pathways, and impacts
This global review examines microplastic contamination in municipal solid waste, covering sources from landfills, sewage sludge, compost, and food waste, and how plastic particles from these land-based waste streams enter soil, groundwater, and eventually the food chain.
Microplastics in composting of rural domestic waste: abundance, characteristics, and release from the surface of macroplastics
Rural domestic waste compost contained an average of 2,400 ± 358 MP items/kg (dry weight) dominated by polyester, PP, and PE fibers and films, with lab experiments confirming that macroplastics in compost feedstock shed microplastics during the composting process.
Identification and Quantification of Microplastics in Commercial Compost From a Wide Range of Composting Materials and Potential Environmental Impacts
Researchers identified and quantified microplastics in commercial compost derived from household waste, livestock manure, and vegetable straw using acid extraction, filtration, and FTIR spectroscopy. All compost types contained microplastics, with concentrations varying by feedstock type, raising concerns about microplastic introduction to agricultural soils via compost application.
Microplastics generation and concentration during mechanical-biological treatment of mixed municipal solid waste
Researchers found that mechanical-biological treatment of mixed municipal solid waste generates and concentrates microplastics across multiple processing stages, with the stabilized organic output containing significant microplastic loads — raising concerns about the use of this material as compost or soil amendment.
Determination and quantification of microplastics in compost
Researchers analyzed commercially available compost products to determine how much microplastic contamination they contain. They found microplastics in all tested composts, with fibers and fragments being the most common forms, primarily made of polyethylene and polypropylene. The findings raise concerns that applying commercial compost to agricultural land may be an overlooked pathway for introducing microplastics into soil.
Plastics in biogenic matrices intended for reuse in agriculture and the potential contribution to soil accumulation
Researchers measured plastic contamination across agricultural input materials including manures, digestate, compost, and sewage sludge, finding plastics in all samples ranging from 0.06 plastics/g in animal manure to 986 plastics/g in compost. Fibres were the dominant shape and polyester, polypropylene, and polyethylene were the most common polymers, highlighting the risk these reused matrices pose for soil plastic accumulation.
Occurrence of macroplastics and microplastics in biogenic waste digestate: Effects of depackaging at source and dewatering process
Researchers investigated plastic debris in digestate from anaerobic digestion of biogenic waste, finding that both preprocessing and dewatering steps significantly influence the quantity of macroplastics and microplastics in the resulting material used as a soil conditioner.
Compost‐Hosted Microplastics – Municipal Solid Waste Compost
This review examines microplastics hosted in municipal solid waste compost, addressing a gap in research that has largely focused on marine ecosystems, and discussing the sources, prevalence, and potential impacts of microplastics in compost on terrestrial ecosystems, agriculture, and soil health.
Bioplastic Content in Biowaste: a Growing Problem in Composting Efficiency and Quality
This study examines the growing problem of bioplastic content in biowaste streams and its impact on composting efficiency and quality, highlighting how compostable bio-based plastics — despite being marketed as environmentally friendly alternatives to fossil-fuel plastics — create contamination challenges in industrial composting systems.
A systematic review of the occurrence of microplastics in compost: Understanding the abundance, sources, characteristics and ecological risk
Researchers reviewed 19 global studies and found microplastics in virtually all types of compost — including those made from animal manure, sewage sludge, and municipal waste — with concentrations reaching up to 288,000 particles per kilogram in some samples. Since compost is widely applied to farmland, these findings highlight a significant but overlooked pathway for microplastics to enter soils and the food chain.
Microplastics as an underestimated emerging contaminant in solid organic waste and their biological products: Occurrence, fate and ecological risks
This review identified solid organic waste streams including compost, sewage sludge, and food waste as important but underappreciated repositories of microplastics that can reintroduce particles into agricultural soils and water systems. The authors call for standardized monitoring of microplastics in organic waste before environmental application.
Distribution characteristics of microplastics in typical organic solid wastes and their biologically treated products
Researchers extracted and characterized microplastics from food waste, livestock manure, sludge, and their composted or digested products, finding MPs in all organic waste types with concentrations varying by matrix. The study highlights organic waste management pathways as an understudied route for microplastic transfer to agricultural soils.
Identification and Quantification of Microplastics in Compost: A case of landfills in Uganda
Researchers surveyed compost sites across 8 cities and 5 municipalities in Uganda, finding microplastics at all locations with fibers being the most abundant type (54.98%), indicating that poor waste management practices are driving plastic contamination into compost used in agriculture.
Macro- and microplastics in composts from municipal solid waste industrial composting Plants in Uganda
Researchers quantified macro- and microplastic contamination in composts from two industrial municipal solid waste composting plants in Uganda, finding substantial plastic contamination resulting from minimal source separation in waste collection, which could transfer plastics to agricultural soils.
The dynamics of macro- and microplastic quantity and size changes during the composting process
Researchers tracked microplastic generation during composting at two Austrian facilities, finding that microplastics appear after the first turning event and increase throughout the process, with shorter turning intervals accelerating fragmentation rates.
Microplastic Contamination of Composts and Liquid Fertilizers from Municipal Biowaste Treatment Plants: Effects of the Operating Conditions
Researchers measured microplastic contamination in fertilizers produced from municipal organic waste and found that while solid composts generally stayed within regulatory limits, liquid fertilizers from some facilities contained up to 10,000 plastic particles per liter — raising concerns about microplastic inputs to farmland from compost and digestate applications.