Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Mechanisms of microorganisms and environmentally persistent free radicals in biochar/PMS degradation of antibiotics after the aging process of fermentation

Researchers studied how microbial aging of biochar via anaerobic fermentation affects the degradation of antibiotics using biochar/peroxymonosulfate systems, finding that microplastic-aged biochar altered the formation of persistent free radicals and reduced antibiotic removal efficiency.

2025 Environmental Technology
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

Effect of combined contaminants (i.e., microplastics and heavy metals) on the enzymatic activity of soils

Researchers assessed the combined and individual effects of heavy metals and microplastics on soil dehydrogenase enzyme activity across varying concentrations and exposure durations in controlled laboratory experiments. The combined presence of both pollutants caused greater reductions in enzymatic activity than either contaminant alone, demonstrating synergistic toxicity in soil microbial function.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Activation of peroxymonosulfate by(sunlight)FeCl3-modified biochar for efficient degradation of contaminants of emerging concern: Comparison with H2O2 and effect of microplastics

Researchers investigated how microplastics affect the ability of iron-modified biochar to break down emerging contaminants in wastewater when activated by peroxymonosulfate and sunlight. Surprisingly, they found that the presence of microplastics actually enhanced the treatment efficiency by up to 42%. The study demonstrates that the coexistence of microplastics and biochar in wastewater can influence the effectiveness of advanced oxidation treatment processes.

2025 Chemical Engineering Journal 9 citations
Article Tier 2

[Effect of Microplastics and Phenanthrene on Soil Chemical Properties, Enzymatic Activities, and Microbial Communities].

A 300-day experiment tested how polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics, alone and combined with the PAH pollutant phenanthrene, affected soil chemistry, enzyme activity, and microbial communities. The results showed that microplastics and phenanthrene interacted to reshape soil microbial composition and function in ways that neither contaminant produced alone, suggesting that co-contamination by microplastics and organic pollutants poses compounded risks to soil ecosystem health.

2024 PubMed 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of excess sludge composting process, environmentally persistent free radicals, and microplastics on antibiotics degradation efficiency of aging biochar

Researchers examined how microplastics (specifically polystyrene) added to sewage sludge affect a biochar's long-term ability to degrade antibiotics in compost environments. After composting, the antibiotic-degrading efficiency of biochar decreased — and decreased more when polystyrene microplastics were present — primarily because composting reduced the reactive free radicals that drive antibiotic breakdown. This matters because biochar is increasingly proposed as a tool for removing antibiotic contaminants from waste streams, and microplastic co-contamination of sludge could undermine this function over time.

2023 Bioresource Technology 10 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

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

Effects of Polyethylene Microplastics and Phenanthrene on Soil Properties, Enzyme Activities and Bacterial Communities

Researchers conducted a year-long soil microcosm experiment finding that polyethylene microplastics and phenanthrene, individually and combined, significantly altered soil pH, enzyme activities, and bacterial community diversity and function, with combined pollution showing the most pronounced effects.

2022 Processes 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of co-loading of polyethylene microplastics and ciprofloxacin on the antibiotic degradation efficiency and microbial community structure in soil

Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics and the antibiotic ciprofloxacin together affect soil microbial communities and antibiotic degradation. The study found that co-loading of microplastics with antibiotics altered microbial community structure and affected the rate of antibiotic degradation in soil, suggesting microplastic contamination may influence how soils process pharmaceutical pollutants.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 142 citations
Article Tier 2

Bioavailability of pyrene in soil affected by polylactic acid and polystyrene microplastics and their toxic effects on earthworms (Eisenia fetida)

Researchers investigated how polylactic acid and polystyrene microplastics interact with the pollutant pyrene in soil and affect earthworm health. They found that while microplastics alone did not break down the earthworms' antioxidant defenses, combining them with pyrene produced more severe toxic effects including neurotoxicity and disruption of gut microbiota. The study suggests that microplastics in contaminated soils can amplify the harmful effects of other pollutants on soil organisms.

2025 Environmental Pollution 4 citations
Article Tier 2

An integrated metagenomic model to uncover the cooperation between microbes and magnetic biochar during microplastics degradation in paddy soil

Researchers used magnetic biochar in an advanced oxidation system in paddy soil to investigate whether microbes cooperate with free radicals in degrading polyethylene and PVC microplastics, finding that microbial-biochar synergy enhances microplastic breakdown in flooded soil conditions.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of aged biochar after microbial fermentation on antibiotics removal: Key roles of microplastics and environmentally persistent free radicals

Researchers prepared biochar from sludge containing varying amounts of polystyrene and tested its ability to remove antibiotics after microbial aging. The study found that while aging reduced biochar's surface area and removal efficiency by 6-14%, increasing the polystyrene content actually improved antibiotic removal due to the positive effects of environmentally persistent free radicals.

2023 Bioresource Technology 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of microplastics and aged microplastics on the toxicity of emerging contaminants in the soil

Researchers assessed how polypropylene (PP) microplastics and UV-aged PP microplastics modify the toxicity of eight emerging organic contaminants -- including diclofenac, ciprofloxacin, and diuron -- on soil organism Enchytraeus crypticus, finding that while PP alone had no effect at 5 mg/kg, its presence significantly amplified the toxicity of all tested organic pollutants.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

The impact of microplastic and sulfanilamide co-exposure on soil microbiota

This study investigated what happens when microplastics and the antibiotic sulfanilamide are present together in soil, finding that the combination significantly altered soil microbial communities compared to either pollutant alone. Both conventional polyethylene and biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics interacted with the antibiotic to change bacterial diversity and soil chemistry. The results show that microplastics and antibiotics in agricultural soil can have compounding effects on soil health, potentially affecting the crops grown in it.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined contamination of microplastic and antibiotic alters the composition of microbial community and metabolism in wheat and maize rhizosphere soil

A study found that when soil is contaminated with both microplastics and antibiotics together, the damage to wheat and maize seedlings is worse than from either contaminant alone, with increased root oxidative stress and disrupted soil bacterial communities. This combined contamination, common in agricultural soils treated with plastic mulch and livestock manure, could affect crop health and food quality.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 44 citations
Article Tier 2

The Individual and Combined Effects of Microplastics and Antibiotics on Soil Microbial Metabolic Limitation and Carbon Use Efficiency

Researchers tested how polyethylene microplastics, biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics, and the antibiotic oxytetracycline individually and together affect soil microbial metabolism. When microplastics and antibiotics were combined, they shifted the nutrient limitation of soil microbes from nitrogen to phosphorus and reduced the efficiency with which microbes use carbon. The study suggests that the combined presence of microplastics and antibiotics in agricultural soils could disrupt fundamental nutrient cycling processes.

2025 Land Degradation and Development 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of biochar coexistence with polar/nonpolar microplastics on phenanthrene sorption in soil

Researchers found that when microplastics and biochar coexist in soil, nonpolar polyethylene weakens soil particle adhesion to biochar more than polar PBAT, affecting the sorption behavior of the pollutant phenanthrene in agricultural soils.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 37 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyvinyl Chloride and Polypropylene Microplastics Impact Soil Total Antioxidant Capacity and Exoenzyme Secretions

Researchers investigated how polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polypropylene (PP) microplastics affect soil total antioxidant capacity and exoenzyme secretion activity. The study found that both polymer types disrupted soil biochemical functioning, altering enzyme activity and antioxidant defense mechanisms in ways that could compromise soil health and ecosystem services.

2025 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology
Article Tier 2

The UltravioletIrradiation Aging Characteristicsof Microplastics in Soil under the Action of Biochar

Researchers investigated how biochar application at four concentrations affects UV-induced aging of both persistent polyethylene microplastics and biodegradable PBAT microplastics in soil, finding that biochar modulates the aging behavior and physicochemical transformation of microplastics under ultraviolet irradiation.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Effect of flumetsulam alone and coexistence with polyethylene microplastics on soil microbial carbon and nitrogen cycles: Elucidation of bacterial community structure, functional gene expression, and enzyme activity

Researchers tested how the herbicide flumetsulam interacts with polyethylene microplastics in soil and found that both individually and together they reduced bacteria and fungi populations. When microplastics were present alongside the herbicide, the soil bacterial community shifted more dramatically, though carbon and nitrogen cycling remained largely unchanged. The study suggests that the combined presence of herbicides and microplastics in agricultural soil creates distinct effects on microbial life compared to either contaminant alone.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Co-exposure of microplastics and polychlorinated biphenyls strongly influenced the cycling processes of typical biogenic elements in anoxic soil

Researchers examined how co-exposure to polyethylene microplastics and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) affects the cycling of carbon, nitrogen, iron, and sulfur in oxygen-depleted soil over 255 days. The presence of microplastics enhanced some processes like methane production and iron reduction while inhibiting nitrate reduction and PCB degradation. The study found that microplastics significantly altered the functional microbial communities responsible for these biogeochemical cycles, suggesting that combined plastic and chemical pollution creates more severe effects than either pollutant alone.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactions of microplastics with pesticides and anthelminthics mediate undesirable effects on microbial nitrogen cycling in agricultural soils

This study examined how microplastics (LDPE, PBAT, and starch-based) interact with pesticides and veterinary medicines to affect soil microbiota. The co-exposure of MPs with these agricultural chemicals produced undesirable effects on microbial communities beyond those of each contaminant alone.

2025 Refubium (Universitätsbibliothek der Freien Universität Berlin)
Article Tier 2

Role of Biochar and Microbes in Remediation of Microplastics in Soil

This review examines how biochar and soil microbes can be combined to remediate microplastic-contaminated soils, synthesizing evidence for biochar's adsorption capacity and microbial degradation pathways that reduce microplastic persistence and toxicity.

2025 Journal of Innovative Solutions for Eco-Environmental Sustainability