Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Parameters of labile organic carbon as the indicators of the stability of soil organic matter under different land use

Despite its title referencing soil organic carbon and land use, this paper studies chemical indicators of soil organic matter stability under different farming practices — not microplastic pollution. It examines which carbon fractions best signal how organic matter is protected in forest and agricultural soils, and is not relevant to microplastics or human health.

2025 Soil and Water Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics-driven reconfiguration of organic carbon fractions in lake sediments: mineralization and stabilization dynamics of biodegradable polymers

Microplastics in soil were found to alter the composition and distribution of organic carbon fractions, with implications for soil fertility and carbon sequestration. The study reveals that microplastic contamination can reshape the biogeochemical cycling of carbon in terrestrial ecosystems.

2025 Water Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Characteristics and Driving Mechanism of Soil Organic Carbon Content in Farmland of Beijing Plain: Implication for the Fate of Engineered Polymers in Soil

This study examined how soil organic matter affects the transport of ions and particles in agricultural soils, relevant to understanding how microplastics interact with soil chemistry. Soil organic carbon content significantly influenced the mobility of contaminants through soil systems.

2019 Advances in Polymer Technology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Stability of organic carbon pools and sequestration potential as affected under different agroforestry systems

This study evaluates how five different agroforestry systems affect soil organic carbon stability and sequestration in degraded Himalayan soils in northeast India. It is not about microplastics and is a false positive for microplastic relevance.

2023 Crop Health 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic accumulation in agricultural soils: Source apportionment and impact on soil microbial community structure

Researchers investigated microplastic accumulation patterns in intensively farmed agricultural soils at multiple depth intervals, using polymer fingerprinting to apportion contamination sources among plastic mulch, treated wastewater irrigation, and organic amendment application. The study assessed impacts on soil microbial community structure using FTIR-confirmed microplastics extracted by zinc chloride density flotation.

2024 International Journal of Agriculture Extension and Social Development
Article Tier 2

Microplastic-Induced Alterations in Soil Aggregate-Associated Carbon Stabilization Pathways: Evidence from δ13C Signature Analysis

Researchers conducted a year-long field experiment to understand how different types of microplastics affect carbon storage in soil. They found that conventional plastics like polyethylene and PVC destabilized soil structures and released stored carbon, while biodegradable plastics like PLA and PHA helped maintain soil integrity. The study provides evidence that the type of plastic contaminating agricultural soils significantly influences whether carbon is retained or lost.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatiotemporal heterogeneous effects of microplastics input on soil dissolved organic matter (DOM) under field conditions

Researchers conducted a long-term field experiment and found that microplastic inputs have spatiotemporally heterogeneous effects on soil dissolved organic matter (DOM), with implications for soil carbon dynamics under increasing terrestrial plastic contamination.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Soil carbon cycling mediated by microplastics: Formation, mineralization, and sequestration

This review examines how microplastic pollution affects soil organic carbon cycling, covering direct participation in carbon processes and indirect effects on soil physicochemical properties and microbial communities. The authors synthesize mechanisms by which microplastics influence organic carbon formation, mineralization, and sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems.

2024 Scientia Sinica Technologica 1 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

Combined effect of biochar and soil moisture on soil chemical properties and microbial community composition in microplastic‐contaminated agricultural soil

Biochar was applied to microplastic-contaminated agricultural soil under different moisture conditions, with results showing that biochar improved soil chemical properties and shifted microbial communities in ways that partially offset microplastic-induced degradation. The study suggests biochar as a practical soil amendment to mitigate microplastic impacts in farming systems.

2022 Soil Use and Management 49 citations
Article Tier 2

Contributions of fine mineral particles and active Al/Fe to stabilization of plant material in neutral-to-alkaline soils of Indo-Gangetic Plain

Researchers studied how organic carbon added to farmland soils in northern India gets stored or broken down, finding that clay particles and aluminum and iron compounds are key to locking carbon in place for the long term. Understanding these mechanisms is important for predicting how tropical agricultural soils can help offset carbon emissions through carbon sequestration.

2023 Geoderma 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics disrupt accurate soil organic carbon measurement based on chemical oxidation method

Microplastic contamination of soil was found to interfere with standard chemical oxidation methods for measuring soil organic carbon, leading to significant overestimates because plastic particles are oxidized alongside organic matter during analysis.

2021 Chemosphere 98 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in agricultural soils : effects on physical, chemical, and microbiological processes

This thesis examines how pristine and degraded conventional microplastics (polyethylene and PET) and biodegradable microplastics (PBAT) affect soil physical, chemical, and microbial properties across silty loam and sandy loam soils, integrating five studies involving greenhouse and laboratory experiments to assess impacts on aggregation, water-holding capacity, carbon storage, respiration, nutrient cycling, and microbial community composition.

2025
Article Tier 2

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.

2024 Agronomy 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Diverse Impacts of Microplastic-derived Dissolved Organic Matter at Environmentally Relevant Concentrations on Soil Dissolved Organic Matter Transformation

Researchers examined how dissolved organic matter leached from biodegradable and conventional agricultural mulch microplastics affects soil chemistry at environmentally realistic concentrations. They found that UV-exposed microplastic leachates were more bioavailable and caused greater changes to soil organic matter than those produced in dark conditions. The study suggests that even at low concentrations, microplastic-derived compounds can meaningfully alter soil carbon dynamics, with effects varying by soil type.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and hydrocarbons in soils: Quantification as an anthropic carbon source

Researchers quantified the carbon contribution of microplastics and hydrocarbons to soil organic carbon in a coastal urban wetland in Argentina, finding an average of 587 items/kg of microplastics (predominantly fibers) that together with total hydrocarbons added up to 1.23 tons of carbon per hectare. The study highlights that conventional loss-on-ignition methods miscount microplastics as soil organic carbon, potentially skewing organic carbon assessments in contaminated soils.

2022 Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management 8 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

Study on the impact of microplastic characteristics on ecological function, microbial community migration and reconstruction mechanisms during saline-alkali soil remediation

Researchers systematically analyzed how polyethylene, polypropylene, and PBAT microplastics affect soil ecological functions and microbial communities during saline-alkali soil remediation. The study found that different types of microplastics introduced through agricultural practices such as plastic film residue have complex and varying effects on soil microbial community structure, with implications for understanding how plastic contamination affects agricultural soil improvement efforts.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 7 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

Mycorrhization and Warming Modulate Soil Organic Matter Stability

This study examined how mycorrhizal fungi and warming temperatures interact to affect the stability of soil organic matter, which is important for carbon storage in terrestrial ecosystems. Understanding these interactions is relevant to predicting how climate change will affect soil health, which is also influenced by microplastic contamination.

2021
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastic effects on carbon cycling in terrestrial soil ecosystems: Storage, formation, mineralization, and microbial mechanisms

Microplastics in soil contribute to organic carbon storage through degradation and leaching, but also disrupt carbon cycling by altering plant growth, litter decomposition, and microbial activity. The net effect on soil CO2 and CH4 emissions varies depending on how microplastics reshape microbial community structure and enzyme activity.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 8 citations
Article Tier 2

A comparative study on the distribution behavior of microplastics through FT-IR analysis on different land uses in agricultural soils

Researchers compared microplastic distribution in agricultural soils under different land uses, including soil mulching, plastic housing, and sewage sludge composting. Using FT-IR analysis, the study found that plastic particles smaller than 100 micrometers were present across all conditions, highlighting the widespread and persistent nature of microplastic contamination in agricultural environments.

2022 Environmental Research 50 citations
Article Tier 2

Abundances of agricultural microplastics and their contribution to the soil organic carbon pool in plastic film mulching fields of Xinjiang, China

Researchers found that microplastics in plastic-mulched agricultural fields in Xinjiang, China contribute to the soil organic carbon pool, potentially causing overestimation of soil carbon sequestration when conventional measurement methods fail to separate microplastics from soil.

2023 Chemosphere 58 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Mixture Diversity Destabilizes Mineral-Associated Carbon via Constraining the Accumulation of Microbial Necromass

Researchers exposed soil to increasing microplastic diversity (1–12 polymer types) and found that greater polymer diversity reduced microbial necromass carbon by up to 9% and mineral-associated organic carbon by up to 11%, suggesting diverse microplastic mixtures pose greater risks to soil carbon sequestration.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 2 citations