Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Sustainable Approaches for Wastewater Treatment: An Analysis of Sludge-Based Materials for Heavy Metal Removal from Wastewater by Adsorption

This review synthesized findings on sludge-based materials as adsorbents for heavy metal removal from wastewater, providing a comprehensive foundation for understanding how different sludge types, activation treatments, and operating conditions affect metal removal performance.

2023 Sustainability 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Sludge-derived biochar: A review on the influence of synthesis conditions on environmental risk reduction and removal mechanism of wastewater pollutants

This paper is not about microplastics; it reviews methods for preparing biochar from sewage sludge and its use in removing heavy metals and organic pollutants from wastewater.

2023 Archives of Environmental Protection 7 citations
Article Tier 2

The role of microbial inoculum in improving composting performance and promoting compost maturation: A review

This review critically examines microbial inoculation strategies for accelerating composting performance and promoting compost maturation, synthesizing findings on single-strain and consortia inocula and their effects on composting phases, microbial succession, and physicochemical parameters. The authors identify how strategic microbial inoculation can enhance nutrient balance, reduce composting time, and improve the quality of finished compost.

2025 Green Technologies and Sustainability
Article Tier 2

Microplastics 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.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 125 citations
Article Tier 2

Synergistic effects of biochar derived from different sources on greenhouse gas emissions and microplastics mitigation during sewage sludge composting

Researchers found that biochar from different sources (wheat straw, sawdust, pig manure) added during sewage sludge composting significantly reduced greenhouse gas emissions and microplastic abundance, with sawdust biochar showing the most effective mitigation of global warming potential.

2023 Bioresource Technology 45 citations
Article Tier 2

Behavior of PCDD/Fs and PCBs from Wastewater Treatment Plants during Sewage Sludge Composting: Study of Semi-Anaerobic Conditions and Different Stages of the Process

Researchers studied how persistent organic pollutants, specifically dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls, behave during sewage sludge composting. They found that these contaminants actually increased in concentration during composting rather than being broken down, particularly during certain stages of the process. The study suggests that composted sewage sludge used in agriculture may contain elevated levels of these harmful chemicals compared to the original sludge.

2024 Water 4 citations
Article Tier 2

How Valuable Are Organic Amendments as Tools for the Phytomanagement of Degraded Soils? The Knowns, Known Unknowns, and Unknowns

This review evaluates organic soil amendments — including sewage sludge, compost, and manure — as tools for restoring degraded soils, noting both benefits for soil health and risks from contaminant introduction. The discussion is relevant to microplastic research because many organic amendments are known vectors for microplastic contamination in agricultural soils.

2018 Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 77 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2022 Environmental Research 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Organomineral fertilizer from sewage sludge: nutrient recycling and environmental safety for tropical agriculture

Not relevant to microplastics — this study evaluates an organomineral fertiliser derived from sewage sludge for tropical agriculture, focusing on nutrient recycling and heavy metal safety.

2023 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Aging and mitigation of microplastics during sewage sludge treatments: An overview

Researchers reviewed how microplastics change and break down during sewage sludge treatment processes such as composting, anaerobic digestion, and thermal treatment. They found that while some treatment methods can reduce microplastic levels, others may actually fragment particles into smaller, potentially more harmful sizes. The study highlights the importance of optimizing sludge treatment to prevent microplastics from reaching agricultural soils when sludge is applied as fertilizer.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Bewertung von Gärresten als Input für die Kompostierung: Untersuchung von Nähr‑, Ballast- und Schadstoffen

This study evaluated digestate as an input for composting, assessing nutrient content, heavy metal loads, and contaminant profiles including microplastics, to determine the suitability of digestion residues for producing safe agricultural compost.

2024 Österreichische Wasser- und Abfallwirtschaft
Article Tier 2

Effects of cattle manure and sludge vermicompost on nutrient dynamics and yield in strawberry cultivation with distinct continuous cropping histories in a greenhouse

This study compared using composted cattle manure versus sewage sludge compost to improve strawberry growth in greenhouse conditions. While not about microplastics directly, sewage sludge is a known source of microplastic contamination in agricultural soil. The study showed cattle manure compost produced better results for fruit quality and yield, offering a potential alternative that could reduce microplastic inputs to farmland.

2025 Frontiers in Plant Science 5 citations
Article Tier 2

A highly efficient multi-step methodology for the quantification of micro-(bio)plastics in sludge

This study developed a multi-step method to quantify both conventional microplastics and starch-based bioplastic microparticles in sewage sludge. The method is important because bioplastic bags used in food waste collection may survive treatment processes and contaminate compost later applied to agricultural land.

2020 Waste Management & Research The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined application of analytical techniques for microplastic determination to achieve comprehensive results for sewage sludge samples

Researchers combined multiple analytical techniques for comprehensive microplastic determination in sewage sludge samples, addressing the challenge that more than 90% of microplastics entering wastewater treatment plants are retained in sludge and require robust multi-method characterization.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Stabilized Sewage Sludge as Fertilizer: Risks Related to the Presence of Microplastics

Researchers analyzed microplastic content in sewage sludge-derived fertilizer collected in June and July, finding an average of ~460 mg of microplastics per 100 g of fertilizer with fragments and fibers predominating — raising concerns about agricultural land contamination from sewage sludge application.

2025 Applied Sciences 2 citations
Review Tier 2

Occurrence, analysis of microplastics in sewage sludge and their fate during composting: A literature review

This literature review synthesizes data on microplastic concentrations in sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plants across 18 countries, finding concentrations ranging from 7,910 to 495,000,000 particles per kilogram dry weight. The review discusses fate during composting and recommends inoculation with plastic-degrading microbes and high-temperature composting as promising remediation approaches.

2022 Journal of Environmental Management 79 citations
Article Tier 2

Moisture-Induced Effects on Lignocellulosic and Humification Fractions in Aerobically Composted Straw and Manure

Not relevant to microplastics — this study examines how different moisture levels affect the breakdown of straw and manure during composting, measuring changes in cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and humic acid content.

2023 Fermentation 13 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Composting as a Sustainable Solution for Organic Solid Waste Management: Current Practices and Potential Improvements

This systematic review of composting practices finds that technological advances like microbial inoculants and in-vessel systems have improved efficiency, but managing contaminants such as heavy metals and microplastics in compost remains a significant challenge. The presence of microplastics in organic waste streams threatens compost quality and can introduce plastic pollution into agricultural soils.

2024 Sustainability 122 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Pollution via Wastewater Effluent and Sewage Sludge: Special Focus on Microplastic Fibres in Compost

Researchers measured microplastic concentrations in treated wastewater effluent and sewage sludge from treatment plants, finding that despite high MP removal rates, large daily discharge volumes still release substantial quantities of MPs into the environment. Sludge applied to agricultural land was identified as a major secondary MP pollution pathway.

2025 Water Air & Soil Pollution 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Application of the Sewage Sludge in Agriculture: Soil Fertility, Technoeconomic, and Life-Cycle Assessment

This review assesses the environmental, technoeconomic, and life-cycle aspects of applying sewage sludge in agriculture, addressing risk factors including heavy metals, microplastics, and organic pollutants while evaluating its potential as a soil amendment.

2022 IntechOpen eBooks 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Best Available Technology for P-Recycling from Sewage Sludge—An Overview of Sewage Sludge Composting in Austria

This Austrian review examines current sewage sludge composting practices as a pathway for recycling phosphorus back to agricultural land, finding that heavy metal pollutant levels in sludge generally meet regulatory limits. The review notes that microplastics are an emerging concern in sewage sludge that may complicate this recycling pathway, as sludge applied to farmland is a known source of microplastic soil contamination.

2021 Recycling 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Sewage Sludge: Effects of Treatment

This study examined the effects of various sewage sludge treatment processes on microplastic content, finding that treatment methods differ substantially in their ability to reduce microplastic concentrations before sludge is disposed of or land-applied.

2016 Environmental Science & Technology 1019 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental and ecological risk assessment of municipal sewage sludge management using a sustainable solar drying system

Researchers evaluated a solar drying system as a sustainable alternative to mechanical drying for municipal sewage sludge management, characterizing raw and digested sludges collected across seasons for total solids, volatile solids, heavy metals, and geo-accumulation pollution index to assess environmental and ecological risk.

2023 Water Science & Technology 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Análise da eficiência de compostagem e vermicompostagem para resíduos sólidos orgânicos com inserção de material biodegradável

Researchers analysed the efficiency of composting and vermicomposting for organic solid waste in Brazil, incorporating biodegradable materials and evaluating how these treatment approaches can reduce the approximately 45.3% of urban solid waste that currently ends up in landfills.

2024 Periódico Eletrônico Fórum Ambiental da Alta Paulista.