Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Employing Phytoremediation Methods to Extract Heavy Metals from Polluted Soils

This paper is not directly about microplastics in the typical environmental exposure sense; it studies phytoremediation — using the Dodonaea plant to absorb heavy metals (zinc, nickel, cadmium) from contaminated soil — with no connection to plastic or microplastic pollution.

2024 Ecological Engineering & Environmental Technology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Aquatic Plants in phytoremediation of contaminated water: Recent knowledge and future prospects

This paper is not about microplastics; it reviews phytoremediation — the use of aquatic plants to remove heavy metals from contaminated water — covering sources of heavy metal pollution, remediation techniques, and factors affecting plant uptake efficiency.

2023 Journal Of Advanced Zoology
Article Tier 2

Use of Parthenium hysterophorus with synthetic chelator for enhanced uptake of cadmium and lead from contaminated soils—a step toward better public health

Researchers demonstrated that the invasive weed Parthenium hysterophorus can extract cadmium and lead from contaminated soils, with EDTA chelator boosting metal uptake capacity, offering a phytoremediation approach to improve public health.

2022 Frontiers in Public Health 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on the phytoremediation of Cd, Pb, and Zn contaminated soils by Solanum photeinocarpum and Lantana camara

Researchers found that polyethylene microplastics at different concentrations affected the phytoremediation efficiency of cadmium, lead, and zinc from contaminated soils by Solanum photeinocarpum and Lantana camara, with effects varying by microplastic dose and plant species.

2023 Environmental Research 56 citations
Article Tier 2

The impact of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and endophytic bacteria on peanuts under the combined pollution of cadmium and microplastics

Researchers tested whether beneficial soil fungi and bacteria could help peanut plants cope with combined contamination from cadmium and microplastics. They found that the microbial treatment effectively trapped cadmium in the plant roots, preventing it from moving into the shoots and edible parts. The study suggests that harnessing natural soil microbes could be a practical strategy for growing safer food in polluted farmland.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Plant growth-promoting bacteria improve the Cd phytoremediation efficiency of soils contaminated with PE–Cd complex pollution by influencing the rhizosphere microbiome of sorghum

Researchers found that adding beneficial bacteria to soil contaminated with both polyethylene microplastics and the toxic metal cadmium helped sorghum plants grow larger and absorb more cadmium from the soil, improving cleanup potential. This approach matters for food safety because using plants and bacteria to remove combined microplastic-heavy metal pollution from farmland could reduce the amount of these contaminants that enter the food supply.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 49 citations
Article Tier 2

Metal(loid) tolerance, accumulation, and phytoremediation potential of wetland macrophytes for multi-metal(loid)s polluted water

This study is not directly about microplastics; it evaluates the ability of ten wetland plant species to tolerate and accumulate heavy metals from industrially polluted groundwater, focusing on phytoremediation potential in constructed wetlands.

2024 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic-Mediated Heavy Metal Uptake in Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.): Implications for Food Safety and Agricultural Sustainability

Researchers grew lettuce in contaminated soil mixed with different types of microplastics, including fibers, glitter, and fragments from bags and bottles. They found that microplastics altered how heavy metals like lead, cadmium, and copper moved through the soil and into the plants, sometimes increasing uptake of toxic metals in roots while decreasing others in leaves. The results raise concerns about food safety in agricultural areas where both microplastic and heavy metal contamination overlap.

2025 Molecules 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of polyethylene microplastics on cadmium accumulation in Solanum nigrum L.: A study involving microbial communities and metabolomics profiles

This study found that polyethylene microplastics in soil reduced the ability of a plant known for cleaning up cadmium contamination to absorb the toxic metal. The microplastics changed the soil's microbial community and altered the plant's metabolism in ways that disrupted its natural heavy metal uptake process. This is important because it suggests microplastic pollution in farmland could interfere with natural and engineered soil cleanup strategies for heavy metals.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 9 citations
Article Tier 2

The Effect of Microplastics-Plants on the Bioavailability of Copper and Zinc in the Soil of a Sewage Irrigation Area

Researchers examined how different concentrations of microplastics affect the bioavailability of copper and zinc in sewage-irrigated soils, finding that microplastics can alter heavy metal mobility and plant uptake, with implications for food safety in contaminated agricultural areas.

2023 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Principles and Applicability of Integrated Remediation Strategies for Heavy Metal Removal/Recovery from Contaminated Environments

Researchers reviewed strategies for removing heavy metals from contaminated agricultural soils, focusing on how chelating agents — chemicals that bind to metals — combined with beneficial bacteria can help plants absorb and neutralize metals without harming plant growth, offering cleaner soils for safer food production.

2022 Journal of Plant Growth Regulation 106 citations
Article Tier 2

Application of soil amendments to reduce the transfer of trace metal elements from contaminated soils of Lubumbashi (Democratic Republic of the Congo) to vegetables

This paper is not about microplastics; it studies whether organic soil amendments can reduce the transfer of heavy metals like copper, cobalt, and lead from mine-contaminated soils to vegetables in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

2024 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Phytoaccumulation of Heavy Metals in South Kazakhstan Soils (Almaty and Turkestan Regions): An Evaluation of Plant-Based Remediation Potential

Researchers tested whether sowing peas could be used to clean up heavy metal contamination in the soils of South Kazakhstan, where mining and industrial activities have left elevated levels of copper, nickel, and cobalt. They found that the pea plants were able to accumulate these metals in their roots and biomass, showing promise for phytoremediation. The study suggests that growing metal-accumulating plants in polluted soils could be a practical strategy for reducing heavy metal contamination in agricultural regions.

2024 International Journal of Design & Nature and Ecodynamics 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Accumulation of As, Ag, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn by Native Plants Growing in Soils Contaminated by Mining Environmental Liabilities in the Peruvian Andes

Researchers tested native Andean plants growing in mining-contaminated soils for their ability to absorb heavy metals like lead, arsenic, and copper, finding that different plants accumulate different metals in their roots, stems, and leaves. This phytoremediation research is relevant to understanding how contaminated soils near plastic production and waste sites might be cleaned up.

2021 Plants 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyploidy affects responses to Nickel in Ni-hyperaccumulating plants: Evidence from the model species Odontarrhena bertolonii (Brassicaceae)

This paper is not about microplastics; it studies whether polyploid plants (those with extra chromosome sets) accumulate more nickel than diploid plants when grown in metal-contaminated soils, with applications in phytoremediation.

2023 Environmental and Experimental Botany 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Analysis of double phytoextraction of Cadmium and microplastics by Galinsoga Quadriradiata in soil An exploration for a comprehensive treatment method for the environment

This study explored whether the plant Galinsoga quadriradiata could simultaneously extract both cadmium (a heavy metal) and microplastics (PVC and polyethylene) from contaminated soil. The plant showed ability to take up both types of contaminants, offering a potential phytoremediation strategy for co-contaminated agricultural soils.

2023 Applied and Computational Engineering
Article Tier 2

POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL MICROPLASTICS ON PHYTOREMEDIATION OF Cu, Mn and Sr  FROM SERBIAN URBAN SOILS

Researchers investigated the prevalence of microplastics in soils from four Serbian cities and evaluated how microplastic contamination affects the uptake of copper, manganese, and strontium by the bioindicator plant Capsella bursa-pastoris, assessing implications for phytoremediation of urban contaminated soils.

2025 Metallurgical & Materials Engineering Congress of South-East Europe
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Mediterranean Agricultural Soils: Effects on Soil Properties, Metal Accumulation in Plants, and Implications for Sustainable Agroecosystems

Scientists found that tiny plastic particles in soil make it easier for toxic metals like lead and zinc to move into plants we might eat. Even small amounts of microplastics changed how metals behave in the soil, with some types of plastic causing up to 20% more metal absorption in plants. This matters because these contaminated plants could end up in our food supply, potentially increasing our exposure to harmful metals.

2026 Sustainability
Article Tier 2

Polyethylene microplastics increase cadmium uptake in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) by altering the soil microenvironment

This study found that polyethylene microplastics in soil increased the amount of cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, that lettuce plants absorbed. The microplastics changed soil chemistry by lowering pH and increasing dissolved organic carbon, which made cadmium more available for plant uptake. This is concerning because it suggests that microplastics in agricultural soil could make crops more contaminated with heavy metals, increasing the health risks for people who eat them.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 273 citations
Article Tier 2

Rhizosphere microbiome metagenomics in PGPR-mediated alleviation of combined stress from polypropylene microplastics and Cd in hybrid Pennisetum

Researchers found that beneficial soil bacteria (PGPR) can help plants cope with the combined stress of polypropylene microplastics and the toxic heavy metal cadmium. The bacteria improved plant growth by 8-42% under contaminated conditions by reshaping the microbial community around plant roots. This study offers a potential strategy for maintaining crop productivity in farmland contaminated with both microplastics and heavy metals.

2025 Frontiers in Microbiology 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of microplastics on bioaccumulation of heavy metals in rape (Brassica napus L.)

Researchers found that microplastics influenced the bioaccumulation of copper and lead in rapeseed plants, with effects varying by microplastic concentration and heavy metal type, revealing how plastic pollution may alter contaminant uptake in crops.

2021 Chemosphere 165 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of naturally aged microplastics on arsenic and cadmium accumulation in lettuce: Insights into rhizosphere microecology

Researchers studied how naturally aged microplastics in soil affect the uptake of arsenic and cadmium by lettuce. At low concentrations, microplastics actually reduced heavy metal absorption and helped plant growth, but at higher concentrations they increased the amount of toxic metals taken up by the lettuce. This means microplastic-contaminated farmland could lead to higher levels of heavy metals in salad greens and other vegetables that people eat.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Research on the Mechanisms of Plant Enrichment and Detoxification of Cadmium

This review examines how plants absorb, transport, and accumulate the heavy metal cadmium from contaminated soil, as well as the detoxification mechanisms plants use to cope with cadmium stress. While focused on cadmium rather than microplastics, the research is relevant because microplastics in soil can alter cadmium mobility and uptake by crops, potentially affecting food safety.

2021 Biology 93 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Microplastics may increase the environmental risks of Cd via promoting Cd uptake by plants: A meta-analysis

This meta-analysis found that microplastics in soil can increase how much cadmium (a toxic heavy metal) plants absorb. This is concerning because it means microplastic pollution could make our food crops more contaminated with heavy metals, adding another health risk on top of the plastics themselves.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 164 citations