Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Interaction between microplastics and humic acid and its effect on their properties as revealed by molecular dynamics simulations

Researchers used molecular dynamics simulations to study how microplastics interact with humic acid, a natural organic compound found in soil and water. They found that microplastics disrupted the hydrogen bonding and calcium coordination within humic acid, altering its structure and properties. The study suggests that when microplastics and humic acid combine in the environment, both materials behave differently than they would alone, which could affect pollutant transport in natural systems.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 60 citations
Article Tier 2

Stability and interaction of biochar and iron  mineral nanoparticles: effect of pH, ionic strength, and dissolved organic matter

Researchers investigated how biochar nanoparticles (tiny carbon-rich particles used in soil cleanup) interact with iron mineral nanoparticles under different environmental conditions, finding that acidity, salt concentration, and dissolved organic matter all affect whether the particles clump together and settle out. Understanding these interactions is important for designing effective soil remediation treatments using these combined nanoparticles.

2022 Biochar 29 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

Degradation Process of Herbicides in Biochar-Amended Soils: Impact on Persistence and Remediation

This review examines how biochar — a carbon-rich soil amendment — affects the persistence and degradation of herbicides in soil. While biochar can reduce some pollutants, it may also slow the natural breakdown of agricultural chemicals, illustrating complex tradeoffs in soil remediation.

2022 IntechOpen eBooks 7 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

Competitive adsorption behaviors and mechanisms of Cd, Ni, and Cu by biochar when coexisting with microplastics under single, binary, and ternary systems

Researchers studied how biochar absorbs heavy metals like cadmium, nickel, and copper when microplastics are also present in the soil. They found that microplastics competed with biochar for metal binding, reducing its effectiveness as a soil amendment. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in agricultural soils may undermine common remediation strategies that rely on biochar to immobilize toxic metals.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 64 citations
Article Tier 2

Fe-modified biochar-driven ROS generation in the rhizosphere and their role in microplastic transformation

Researchers found that iron-modified biochar generates reactive oxygen species in paddy soil rhizospheres, and that these ROS interact with microplastic contamination to influence soil biogeochemical cycling in ways that differ from unmodified biochar.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Biochar as a Green Sorbent for Remediation of Polluted Soils and Associated Toxicity Risks: A Critical Review

This review examines biochar, a charcoal-like material made from organic waste, as a tool for cleaning up soil contaminated with heavy metals and organic pollutants. While biochar can effectively trap contaminants, the production process itself can create toxic byproducts like PAHs that may harm soil life. The research is relevant to microplastic pollution because biochar is being explored as a potential method to bind and reduce microplastic contamination in agricultural soils.

2023 Separations 75 citations
Article Tier 2

How biochar works, and when it doesn't: A review of mechanisms controlling soil and plant responses to biochar

This comprehensive review synthesizes 20 years of research on biochar, a charcoal-like material made from organic waste that can improve soil health and reduce pollution. Biochar can reduce plant uptake of heavy metals by 17-39% and increase nutrient availability, making it potentially useful for cleaning up microplastic-contaminated soils. While not directly about microplastics, the findings are relevant because biochar could help mitigate the effects of soil pollutants that microplastics carry and concentrate.

2021 GCB Bioenergy 872 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigating the Adsorption Effect of Biochar on Microplastic Pollutants in Soil

This study reviews how biochar can adsorb and remove microplastics from contaminated soil through physical and chemical mechanisms. Researchers found that biochar's high surface area and functional groups are key factors in its microplastic adsorption capacity, and that acidic soil conditions improve removal efficiency. The findings suggest biochar application could be a practical approach for addressing microplastic pollution in agricultural soils.

2025 Science and Technology of Engineering Chemistry and Environmental Protection 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent trends and economic significance of modified/functionalized biochars for remediation of environmental pollutants

Researchers reviewed recent advances in modified biochars — charcoal-like materials made from organic waste — as low-cost tools for removing chemical pollutants from contaminated soil and water. By altering biochar's physical and chemical properties through various treatment techniques, scientists have significantly improved its ability to bind and neutralize a wide range of harmful substances.

2024 Scientific Reports 137 citations
Article Tier 2

Differential responses of humic acid in different soil aggregates under microplastic stress

This study examined how different concentrations of microplastics affect humic acid structure and electron transfer capacity in soil aggregates of varying sizes. High MP concentrations altered humic substance composition and reduced their electrochemical activity, suggesting MPs can disrupt soil organic matter function at elevated contamination levels.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Change in adsorption behavior of aquatic humic substances on microplastic through biotic and abiotic aging processes

Researchers found that both UV irradiation and microbial aging of polyethylene microplastics significantly altered their surface chemistry, changing how aquatic humic substances adsorb onto the plastic surface and highlighting the importance of weathering state in assessing microplastic-contaminant interactions.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Succession of biochar addition for soil amendment and contaminants remediation during co-composting: A state of art review

Researchers reviewed how adding biochar during composting improves soil health and reduces contaminants, finding that co-composting with biochar can remediate heavy metals by 66–95% and also adsorb emerging organic pollutants like microplastics and pesticides, though some changes to soil microbial communities may inadvertently favor pathogens.

2023 Journal of Environmental Management 68 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of microplastics and environmentally persistent free radicals on the ability of biochar components to promote degradation of antibiotics by activated peroxymonosulfate

Researchers investigated how microplastics and environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) together influence the activity of soil enzymes, finding that combined exposure produced greater inhibition of dehydrogenase and urease activity than either contaminant alone. The results indicate EPFRs can amplify the toxic effects of microplastics on soil microbial processes.

2024 Environmental Pollution 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Unveiling the Role of Dissolved Organic Matter on the Hg Phytoavailability in Biochar-Amended Soils

Researchers found that biochar reduces mercury availability to plants in soil primarily by promoting the formation of humus-like dissolved organic matter rather than by directly adsorbing mercury, with higher-temperature biochar providing greater protection.

2023 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 10 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

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

Interactions between polypropylene microplastics (PP-MPs) and humic acid influenced by aging of MPs

Researchers examined how aging affects polypropylene microplastic interactions with humic acid, finding that aged microplastics with increased surface oxygen groups showed stronger adsorption of humic acid compared to pristine particles, altering their environmental behavior.

2022 Water Research 145 citations
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
Article Tier 2

New insights into the distribution and interaction mechanism of microplastics with humic acid in river sediments

Researchers found that microplastics and humic acids interact significantly in river sediments, with humic acid coating altering microplastic surface properties and affecting their distribution at different sediment depths, influencing the environmental fate and pollutant-carrying capacity of microplastics.

2022 Chemosphere 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Biochar mitigates microplastic‐induced destabilization of soil organic carbon via molecular recalcitrance and microbial process regulation

Biochar amendments to soil were shown to offset the destabilizing effects that microplastics have on soil aggregate structure. The finding suggests that biochar could be a practical soil amendment to counteract microplastic-driven soil degradation in contaminated agricultural lands.

2025 Functional Ecology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Remediation of ternary heavy metal-polyethylene microplastics co-contaminated soil using co-modified biochar with deep eutectic solvent and warm patch: competitive interactions, mechanistic insights, and microbial community response

Researchers developed a deep eutectic solvent and warm patch co-modified biochar that reduced DTPA-extractable Pb, Cr, and Cd in contaminated soil by up to 50.8%, 46.7%, and 24.2% respectively, while polyethylene microplastics significantly limited biochar remediation effectiveness by altering its physicochemical properties.

2025 Environmental Research
Article Tier 2

Temperature-Dependent Molecular Evolution of Biochar-Derived Dissolved Black Carbon and Its Interaction Mechanism with Polyvinyl Chloride Microplastics

Researchers revealed that biochar-derived dissolved black carbon molecules evolve with formation temperature and interact with PVC microplastics through mechanisms involving hydrogen bonding and electrostatic forces, affecting microplastic fate in water.

2023 Environmental Science & Technology 49 citations