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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Review on advances in toxic pollutants remediation by solid waste composting and vermicomposting
ClearVermicomposting as a potential strategy for microplastic reduction in organic waste: mini review
This review evaluates vermicomposting as a biological approach for reducing microplastic contamination in organic waste streams. Researchers found evidence that earthworms can physically fragment and partially break down certain types of microplastics during the composting process, though effects on earthworm health vary by plastic type and concentration. The study suggests that vermicomposting shows promise as a strategy for mitigating microplastic contamination in compost, but more research is needed on long-term impacts.
Removal Potential of Microplastics in Organic Solid Wastes via Biological Treatment Approaches
This review examines biological treatment approaches — including composting, anaerobic digestion, and vermicomposting — for removing microplastics from organic solid wastes, finding that while these methods can reduce microplastic abundance, significant knowledge gaps remain about fragmentation and fate during treatment.
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.
Preliminary prospections on the fate of microplastics during vermicomposting of sewage sludge
Researchers tracked microplastic abundance through the vermicomposting stages of sewage sludge — from fresh sludge through aged sludge, vermicompost, and earthworm castings — finding a 52% reduction in microplastic concentration from initial sludge to vermicompost when particles were classified by size, color, and polymer type using micro-Raman spectroscopy.
Preliminary prospections on the fate of microplastics during vermicomposting of sewage sludge
Researchers tracked microplastic abundance through the vermicomposting stages of sewage sludge — from fresh sludge through aged sludge, vermicompost, and earthworm castings — finding a 52% reduction in microplastic concentration from initial sludge to vermicompost when particles were classified by size, color, and polymer type using micro-Raman spectroscopy.
Vermicomposting leads to more abundant microplastics in the municipal excess sludge
Researchers found that vermicomposting of municipal excess sludge leads to increased microplastic concentrations in the treated material compared to the input sludge, raising concerns that this widely-used organic amendment technology may concentrate and spread microplastic contamination in soils.
Effect of microplastics in sludge impacts on the vermicomposting
Researchers examined how adding polyethylene microplastic particles to sludge affects vermicomposting performance. The study found that higher microplastic concentrations reduced the efficiency of organic matter removal, impaired composting quality, and caused oxidative stress and neurotoxicity in earthworms, with bacterial diversity also declining in heavily contaminated treatments.
Impact of Vermicomposting with Soil Enriched with Plastic and Different Biodegradable Wastes on Physical, Chemical, and Biological Parameters of Soil
Researchers examined the impact of vermicomposting on soil enriched with conventional and biodegradable plastics, measuring how earthworm activity altered plastic fragmentation and soil properties. Results showed that vermicomposting accelerated the breakdown of some plastic types while earthworms ingested plastic particles, potentially dispersing them through the soil profile.
Combination between Composting and Vermicomposting of OFMSW: A Sicilian Case Study
This paper is not about microplastics; it studies a combined composting and vermicomposting process for treating organic municipal solid waste using earthworms, with a focus on carbon-to-nitrogen ratios and heavy metal accumulation.
A Systematic Review on Earthworms in Soil Bioremediation
This systematic review found that earthworm-based bioremediation (vermiremediation), alone or combined with phytoremediation and bioaugmentation, effectively reduces soil contamination from heavy metals, pesticides, and hydrocarbons. The research is relevant to microplastics because earthworms interact extensively with soil microplastics, potentially fragmenting them further while also being harmed by plastic particle ingestion.
Ecological adaptation of earthworms for coping with plant polyphenols, heavy metals, and microplastics in the soil: A review
This review examines how earthworms cope with and help remediate soil pollutants including heavy metals, microplastics, and plant polyphenols. Researchers describe how earthworms use specialized gut metabolites and elevated antioxidant enzyme activity to neutralize toxic compounds, and can serve as biofilters that accumulate and transform these pollutants. The findings support the wider use of earthworm-based bioremediation as a strategy for restoring contaminated soils.
Enhancing domestic wastewater treatment: Integrating vermifiltration and biochar for heavy metal and microplastic reduction and by-product utilization
Researchers tested a wastewater treatment system combining earthworms and biochar — a carbon-rich material made by burning organic matter — and found it removed up to 88.6% of microplastics and nearly 100% of several heavy metals from domestic wastewater. The system also produced nutrient-rich organic matter as a byproduct, offering a low-cost, eco-friendly solution for water treatment and soil improvement.
Effect of agricultural microplastic and mesoplastic in the vermicomposting process: Response of Eisenia fetida and quality of the vermicomposts obtained
Researchers found that agricultural plastic waste in vermicomposting reduced earthworm survival by 10% and body weight by 15%, altered nutrient content of the resulting compost, and induced oxidative stress regardless of plastic particle size or UV pretreatment.
Effects of Vermicompost on Soil and Plant Health and Promoting Sustainable Agriculture
This review highlights vermicompost (worm-processed compost) as a sustainable alternative to chemical fertilizers for grain crops, improving soil quality, nutrient availability, and pest resistance. Vermicomposting can also help break down organic contaminants and emerging pollutants in soil. The approach is relevant to the microplastics challenge because healthier soils with more organic matter may better buffer against microplastic contamination.
El vermicompostaje una alternativa para potenciar la agricultura urbana
This paper is not relevant to microplastics research — it is a Spanish-language review of vermicomposting techniques using earthworms to process organic solid waste for urban agriculture applications.
Microplastics as an underestimated emerging contaminant in solid organic waste and their biological products: Occurrence, fate and ecological risks
This review identified solid organic waste streams including compost, sewage sludge, and food waste as important but underappreciated repositories of microplastics that can reintroduce particles into agricultural soils and water systems. The authors call for standardized monitoring of microplastics in organic waste before environmental application.
Plastic contamination of composts derived from feedstocks with and without food waste
Researchers investigated plastic contamination levels in composts derived from feedstocks with and without food waste, examining how organic waste amendments may act as vectors for introducing plastic fragments into terrestrial soils. A vermiculture composting approach was used to assess the fate of plastics through the composting process.
Insights Into the Efficiency and Health Impacts of Emerging Microplastic Bioremediation Approaches
This review summarizes research on using living organisms like bacteria, fungi, and worms to break down microplastics, finding that bioremediation is a promising but still limited approach. Microplastics were detected in human feces (44% of studies), lungs (35%), and blood (17%), confirming widespread human contamination. While biological methods can partially degrade some plastics, no single organism can fully eliminate them, and the byproducts of biodegradation may themselves pose health risks.
Bioremediation of soil microplastics: the role of microbial and earthworm activity
This review of 150 studies found that tiny plastic particles in soil can be naturally broken down by soil microbes and earthworms working together, with earthworms reducing some plastics by up to 60%. The research shows that certain plastic types like shopping bags and food containers are harder to break down than others, and that healthy soil with diverse microbes and earthworms is better at cleaning up plastic pollution. This matters because microplastics in soil can eventually end up in our food and water, so understanding how nature breaks them down could help us develop better ways to reduce plastic pollution in the environment.
Microbial regulation of organic solid waste composting: Lignocellulose degradation (fertilization), process gas emissions, and containment of typical pollutants
This review examines how microbial agents can improve composting of organic solid waste by enhancing lignocellulose breakdown, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and managing pollutants including microplastics. Researchers found that inoculating compost with bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes accelerates decomposition, promotes humus formation, and can decrease heavy metal bioavailability and degrade antibiotics. The study suggests that complex microbial formulations show greater stability and environmental adaptability due to synergistic effects.
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.
Biochar to Enhance Environmental Remediation in Composting
This review examines the application of biochar to composting and vermicomposting processes, highlighting how its porous structure and large surface area improve aeration, gas diffusion, and the passivation of heavy metals. The chapter also details biochar's role in enhancing degradation of organic pollutants including antibiotics, PAHs, heavy oils, microplastics, and organophosphate esters within compost systems.
Potential Use of Earthworms to Enhance Decaying of Biodegradable Plastics
Researchers examined the potential of earthworms to accelerate the biodegradation of both conventional and biobased biodegradable plastics in soil, finding that earthworm activity can enhance the physical fragmentation and microbial degradation of some polymers, though effectiveness varies significantly by polymer type. The study suggests earthworm-assisted composting as a partial strategy to reduce agricultural plastic pollution.
Earthworm-microbiome interactions: Unlocking next-generation bioindicators and bioengineered solutions for soil and environmental health
This review explores how earthworms and their associated microbiomes can serve as bioindicators of soil contamination from pollutants including microplastics. Changes in earthworm gut microbial communities can act as early warning signals of soil pollution, and engineered earthworm-microbiome systems show potential for environmental remediation. The study suggests that understanding these biological interactions could lead to new biomonitoring tools for assessing microplastic contamination in terrestrial ecosystems.