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20 resultsShowing papers similar to Small-size polyethylene and polylactic microplastic alterations on soil aggregate formation with soil sterilization
ClearMicroplastic effects on soil aggregation in sterilized and non-sterilized soils
Researchers tested how microplastics affect soil aggregate stability in both sterilized and non-sterilized soils, finding that microbial activity mediates much of the structural impact and that plastic type influences aggregation differently depending on soil biology.
Association of microplastics with water-stable aggregates formed under laboratory conditions
Scientists found that tiny plastic particles in soil can break apart the natural clumps that keep soil healthy and stable. Different types of plastics had different effects, with some plastics causing more damage to soil structure than others. This matters because damaged soil could affect how well crops grow and how plastic pollution moves through the environment, potentially impacting our food supply.
Microplastic Effects on Soil Aggregation in Sterilized and Non‐Sterilized Soils
Researchers tested how microplastics affect soil aggregation in both sterilized and biologically active soils, finding that microplastic effects on aggregate stability were strongly mediated by the presence of soil microorganisms. Biologically active soils showed different responses than sterile soils, highlighting the role of the soil microbiome.
Microplastics sequestered in the soil affect the turnover and stability of soil aggregates: A review
This review examines how microplastics trapped in soil affect the structure and stability of soil clumps (aggregates) that are essential for healthy farming. Microplastics create weak points in soil structure and alter its physical and chemical properties, which can reduce soil's ability to hold water and support plant growth. Since healthy soil aggregates are the foundation of productive farmland, microplastic contamination could threaten food production over the long term.
Influence of microplastics on soil aggregate formation: Insights into biological binding agents
A laboratory experiment found that polyethylene microplastics in different shapes (granules, fibers, and films) and aging states significantly alter how soil particles clump together into aggregates, with effects depending on the plastic's shape and the soil's organic matter content. Disruption of soil aggregation by microplastics matters because aggregate structure controls water retention, aeration, and microbial habitat — all fundamental to healthy, productive soils.
Size- and concentration-dependent effects of microplastics on soil aggregate formation and properties
This study tested how polyethylene microplastics of different sizes and amounts affect soil structure, finding that smaller particles cause more damage. As microplastics break down into smaller pieces over time, they increasingly disrupt soil aggregates, reduce water stability, and alter soil density. This matters for human health because degraded soil affects food production and can change how contaminants move through the environment.
Microplastics alter soil structure and microbial community composition
Researchers found that both conventional polyethylene and biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics break down soil structure in similar ways, increasing the proportion of smaller soil clumps while reducing larger, more stable ones. The microplastics also significantly altered soil bacterial communities, with effects varying by particle size. This matters because changes to soil health can affect the food we grow and the broader ecosystem services that soil provides.
Aging microplastics and coupling of “microplastic-electric fields” can affect soil water-stable aggregates’ stability
Researchers investigated how aged microplastics from polystyrene and polypropylene affect the stability of soil aggregates, which are important for soil health. The study found that weathered microplastics can break down the structure of water-stable soil aggregates, and that the combination of microplastics with electric fields further destabilizes soil, suggesting long-term consequences for soil quality.
Microplastics Can Inhibit Organic Carbon Mineralization by Influencing Soil Aggregate Distribution and Microbial Community Structure in Cultivated Soil: Evidence from a One-Year Pot Experiment
Researchers conducted a one-year pot experiment to study how different types and concentrations of microplastics affect soil carbon cycling and aggregate stability. They found that microplastics significantly altered soil aggregate size distribution and decreased organic carbon mineralization rates regardless of polymer type. The study suggests that microplastic contamination may slow the natural breakdown of organic carbon in agricultural soils by changing soil structure and microbial communities.
Microplastics Influence Dissolved Organic Matter Transformation Mediated by Microbiomes in Soil Aggregates
Researchers conducted a 450-day experiment to study how microplastics alter the transformation of dissolved organic matter within soil aggregates, a process critical for soil stability and fertility. They found that microplastics destabilized organic matter in larger soil clumps while increasing its chemical complexity in smaller ones, with biodegradable plastics having the strongest effects. These changes were driven by shifts in microbial communities, suggesting that microplastic pollution could fundamentally alter how carbon cycles through agricultural soils.
Soil aggregation alterations under soil microplastic and biochar addition and aging process
An eight-month experiment found that polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics disrupted soil structure by breaking apart soil clumps, and this damage worsened as the plastics aged over time. Surprisingly, adding biochar, which is often proposed as a soil improvement, actually made some of the microplastic damage worse for certain soil aggregate sizes. This research shows that microplastic contamination in agricultural soil can degrade soil health in ways that may be difficult to reverse.
The distribution of pristine and aged low density polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate microplastics in soil aggregate fractions
Researchers investigated how pristine and artificially weathered low-density polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate microplastics redistribute across soil aggregate fractions during aggregation, adding particles at low concentration to silt loam and loam soils amended with organic matter over a two-month incubation period. They found that weathering significantly altered microplastic surface properties, which in turn affected how particles interacted with and distributed within soil aggregate fractions during soil formation.
Polymer-specific impacts of microplastics on mineral retention and soil stability
A laboratory study tested six common plastic polymers in soil and found polymer-specific effects on mineral retention and soil aggregate stability, with some MPs reducing soil structure while others had minimal impact, depending on polymer chemistry and surface interactions with soil particles.
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.
Microplastics DisruptSoil Aggregate Stability andAssociated Nutrient Dynamics in Mulched Salt-Affected AgriculturalSoils
Researchers investigated how microplastic accumulation and aging affects soil aggregate stability and nutrient dynamics in mulched salt-affected agricultural soils, finding that microplastics disrupt aggregate structure and interfere with nutrient storage and cycling processes critical to soil quality.
Microplastics DisruptSoil Aggregate Stability andAssociated Nutrient Dynamics in Mulched Salt-Affected AgriculturalSoils
Researchers investigated how microplastic accumulation and aging affects soil aggregate stability and nutrient dynamics in mulched salt-affected agricultural soils, finding that microplastics disrupt aggregate structure and interfere with nutrient storage and cycling processes critical to soil quality.
Effects of the oversized microplastic pollution layer on soil aggregates and organic carbon at different soil depths
Researchers examined how oversized microplastic pollution layers in soil affect aggregate stability and organic carbon at different depths, finding that plastic films disrupted soil aggregate formation and altered carbon distribution, with effects varying by soil depth and plastic concentration.
Impacts of Microplastics on the Soil Biophysical Environment
Four common microplastic types (polyacrylic fibers, polyamide beads, polyester fibers, PE fragments) were added to loamy sand soil at environmentally relevant concentrations in a garden experiment and effects on soil-water relationships, structure, and microbial function were measured over 5 weeks. Results showed that microplastics altered water repellency, aggregate stability, and microbial activity in a plastic-type-dependent manner, confirming that microplastics can disrupt fundamental soil biophysical processes.
Evaluating the impacts of microplastics on agricultural soil physical, chemical properties, and toxic metal availability: An emerging concern for sustainable agriculture
This study tested how five common types of microplastics affect soil properties and heavy metal availability in agricultural soil over 90 days. Microplastics changed soil structure, nutrient levels, and water-holding capacity, and actually reduced the availability of toxic heavy metals at higher plastic concentrations -- highlighting the complex ways plastic pollution is altering the farmland that produces our food.
Does plastic and microplastic change the soil physical properties? A review
This review summarizes how microplastics in soil affect physical properties such as water retention, aggregation, and aeration. Plastic particles enter soil through mulch films, sewage sludge, and irrigation water, and their accumulation threatens the health of agricultural soils that support food production.