Papers

61,005 results
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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

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

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

Soil microbial community parameters affected by microplastics and other plastic residues

Researchers conducted a meta-analysis examining how plastic residues, including microplastics, affect soil microbial communities. The study found that plastics accelerated soil organic carbon loss and reduced microbial biomass overall, with effects varying by polymer type: polyethylene decreased microbial richness while polypropylene increased it, and the impact on microbial activity followed a dose-response pattern with a turning point around 40 grams per kilogram of soil.

2023 Frontiers in Microbiology 31 citations
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

Effect of LDPE microplastics on chemical properties and microbial communities in soil

Low-density polyethylene microplastics were added to soil at varying concentrations, revealing dose-dependent effects on soil chemical properties and shifts in microbial community composition. Higher LDPE concentrations altered soil pH, nutrient availability, and bacterial diversity, raising concerns about plastic impacts on soil ecosystem function.

2022 Soil Use and Management 46 citations
Article Tier 2

[Effects of Polyethylene Microplastics with Different Particle Sizes on Soil Organic Carbon Characteristics and Mineralization in Agricultural Soil].

Researchers conducted a 180-day indoor soil cultivation experiment to investigate how polyethylene microplastics of different particle sizes — millimeter-scale, micrometer-scale — affect soil organic carbon characteristics and mineralization processes in agricultural soil.

2025 PubMed
Article Tier 2

Vertical transport behavior of soil polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) microplastic-mediated based on column leaching experiment

A soil column experiment showed that microplastics reduce how much polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) pollution leaches downward through soil by 8–20%, effectively trapping these carcinogenic compounds closer to the surface; however, alkaline conditions reversed this effect, causing elevated PAH leaching. This matters because microplastic-contaminated agricultural soils often also carry PAHs, and the interaction between the two pollutants could affect both groundwater contamination risk and the bioavailability of PAHs to crops.

2026
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

Low-density polyethylene microplastics alter chemical properties and microbial communities in agricultural soil

Researchers found that adding low-density polyethylene microplastics to agricultural soil at concentrations of 1% and above significantly altered soil chemistry and bacterial community structure. The study suggests that microplastic contamination from plastic mulch and other agricultural inputs may shift microbial diversity in ways that could affect long-term soil health.

2023 Scientific Reports 55 citations
Article Tier 2

The weathering process of polyethylene microplastics in the paddy soil system: Does the coexistence of pyrochar or hydrochar matter?

Researchers conducted a 24-week paddy soil weathering experiment with polyethylene microplastics in the presence or absence of pyrochar or hydrochar, finding that weathering roughened and discolored PE particle surfaces, and that weathered PE microplastics showed altered sorption capacity toward cadmium, bisphenol A, and dimethyl phthalate compared to original particles.

2022 Environmental Pollution 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of biodegradable microplastics coexistence with biochars produced at low and high temperatures on bacterial community structure and phenanthrene degradation in soil

Researchers investigated how biodegradable microplastics interact with biochar in soil to affect bacterial communities and pollutant degradation. The study found that the coexistence of PBAT microplastics and biochar significantly altered soil microbial structure and influenced the degradation of phenanthrene, suggesting complex interactions between these increasingly common soil amendments.

2024 Journal of Environmental Management 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyethylene Microplastic Particles Alter the Nature, Bacterial Community and Metabolite Profile of Reed Rhizosphere Soils

Researchers found that polyethylene microplastic particles alter the bacterial community composition, soil environmental factors, and metabolite profiles of reed rhizosphere soils, with effects increasing at higher microplastic concentrations and showing distinct interactions with reed biomass.

2023 Water 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Microplastics on Soil Carbon Mineralization: The Crucial Role of Oxygen Dynamics and Electron Transfer

Researchers investigated how polyethylene and polylactic acid microplastics affect carbon cycling in soil, focusing on oxygen dynamics and electron transfer processes. They found that microplastics alter dissolved oxygen distribution at the microscale, which in turn influences how organic matter breaks down and whether carbon is released as CO2 or methane. The study reveals a previously overlooked mechanism by which microplastics can disrupt fundamental soil carbon processes.

2023 Environmental Science & Technology 126 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic coupled with soil dissolved organic matter mediated changes in the soil chemical and microbial characteristics

Researchers conducted a two-month incubation experiment to study how polyethylene microplastics of different sizes and concentrations affect soil carbon composition and microbial communities. They found that microplastics altered the dissolved organic matter in soil and shifted how microbial communities utilized carbon sources. The study suggests that microplastic accumulation in agricultural soils may have cascading effects on soil health and nutrient cycling.

2024 Chemosphere 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of emerging contaminants on soil microbial community composition, soil enzyme activity, and strawberry plant growth in polyethylene microplastic-containing soils

Researchers found that emerging contaminants altered soil microbial community composition and enzyme activity, but these effects were suppressed when HDPE microplastics were also present in the soil, suggesting microplastics may modulate how soils respond to chemical contaminants.

2023 Environmental Science Advances 11 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

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

[Effect of Polyethylene Microplastics on the Microbial Community of Saline Soils].

Researchers investigated how polyethylene (PE) microplastics at concentrations of 1% and 4% dry weight affect microbial communities in saline soils under chloride and sulphate salt conditions, finding that PE microplastics reduced microbial diversity and abundance with sulphate soils showing stronger effects and Proteobacteria relative abundance positively correlating with microplastic concentration.

2024 PubMed 1 citations
Article Tier 2

High‐density polyethylene microplastics in agricultural soil: Impact on microbes, enzymes, and carbon‐nitrogen ratio

Researchers assessed the impact of high-density polyethylene microplastics at various concentrations on agricultural soil over 60 days. The study found that microplastics caused non-uniform effects on microbial populations, reduced key enzyme activities through hydrogen bond formation with enzymes, and significantly altered the soil carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, suggesting potential long-term consequences for soil health.

2024 Journal of Environmental Quality 11 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

Microplastics affect C, N, and P cycling in natural environments: Highlighting the driver of soil hydraulic properties

This study found that common microplastics like polyethylene and polypropylene significantly change how soil handles water and nutrients by increasing water content, reducing soil density, and altering bacterial communities involved in nitrogen and carbon cycling. These changes affected how nutrients are stored in soil, with increases of 12 to 93 percent in nitrogen and carbon storage depending on the plastic type and amount. The findings suggest microplastic pollution could disrupt the fundamental soil processes that support food production.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 53 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in agricultural soils: The role of soil texture in modulating oxygen diffusivity and soil respiration

Researchers spiked clay and sandy loam soils with PET microplastic fibers and fragments and measured oxygen diffusivity and soil respiration, finding that fibers reduced pore connectivity and oxygen diffusion more than fragments and that clay soils amplified these effects relative to sandy loam.

2025 Soil Biology and Biochemistry 2 citations