Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Investigating the impact of microplastics on sulfur mineralization in different soil types: A mechanism study

This study used soil microcosm experiments to investigate how polystyrene and polyphenylene sulfide microplastics affect sulfur mineralization in different soil types, revealing mechanisms by which MPs alter soil physicochemical properties and microbial activity.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of microplastics on microbial-mediated soil sulfur transformations in flooded conditions

This study examined how polystyrene and polyphenylene sulfide microplastics affect microbial-mediated sulfur transformations in flooded soils. Researchers found that microplastic contamination significantly altered the microbial community structure involved in sulfur cycling, suggesting that microplastics could disrupt important nutrient processes in waterlogged agricultural soils.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Stable Isotopic and Metagenomic Analyses Reveal Microbial-Mediated Effects of Microplastics on Sulfur Cycling in Coastal Sediments

This study investigated how microplastics affect sulfur cycling in coastal mangrove sediments, an important process for marine ecosystem health. Biodegradable plastics actually increased sulfur-related bacterial activity more than conventional plastics, suggesting they may have unintended environmental effects. The findings show that microplastic pollution can disrupt fundamental chemical cycles in coastal environments, which could have cascading effects on water quality and the marine food web.

2023 Environmental Science & Technology 78 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

Effects of Microplastics on Soil Carbon Mineralization: The Crucial Role of Oxygen Dynamics and Electron Transfer

Researchers investigated how polyethylene and polylactic acid microplastics affect carbon cycling in soil, focusing on oxygen dynamics and electron transfer processes. They found that microplastics alter dissolved oxygen distribution at the microscale, which in turn influences how organic matter breaks down and whether carbon is released as CO2 or methane. The study reveals a previously overlooked mechanism by which microplastics can disrupt fundamental soil carbon processes.

2023 Environmental Science & Technology 126 citations
Article Tier 2

Insights into soil autotrophic ammonium oxidization under microplastics stress: Crossroads of nitrification, comammox, anammox and Feammox

This study found that microplastics in soil disrupted key nitrogen cycling processes carried out by bacteria, including nitrification and other pathways essential for soil fertility. Different types of microplastics had varying effects on the microbial communities responsible for converting nitrogen into forms plants can use. Since nitrogen availability directly affects crop growth, microplastic contamination in agricultural soil could subtly undermine food production.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Pollution in Andisol: Effects on Soil Microbiology, Nitrogen Cycling, and Raphanus sativus L. Growth

Researchers assessed how polyamide, LDPE, and polypropylene microplastics affect Andisol soil properties and radish growth, finding microplastics reduced soil nitrogen cycling, disrupted microbial communities, and induced oxidative stress in plants — with effects varying by polymer type.

2025 Soil Use and Management
Article Tier 2

Effects of micro(nano)plastics on soil nutrient cycling: State of the knowledge.

This review systematically examined how micro- and nano-plastics affect soil nutrient cycling for carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, finding that physical interference with soil structure, alteration of microbial communities, and chemical toxicity collectively disrupt mineralization, nitrification, and phosphorus availability in contaminated soils.

2023 Journal of environmental management
Article Tier 2

Polyethylene microplastic and soil nitrogen dynamics: Unraveling the links between functional genes, microbial communities, and transformation processes

Researchers conducted a six-month experiment to understand how polyethylene microplastics in soil affect nitrogen cycling, a process critical for soil fertility and plant nutrition. They found that while total nitrogen levels stayed stable, microplastics significantly altered the forms of nitrogen present by increasing ammonium and nitrate while decreasing dissolved organic nitrogen. The study suggests that microplastics reshape soil microbial communities and their nitrogen-processing activities, potentially disrupting the natural nutrient balance in agricultural soils.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 102 citations
Review Tier 2

Key factors and mechanisms of microplastics’ effects on soil nitrogen transformation: A review

This review systematically analyzed how microplastics affect nitrogen transformation processes in soil. Researchers found that the size, shape, concentration, and polymer type of microplastics all influence soil nitrogen cycling through changes to microbial communities, soil structure, and enzyme activity. The study identifies key knowledge gaps and recommends standardized research approaches to better predict how microplastic pollution will alter soil nutrient dynamics.

2024 Soil & Environmental Health 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Soil: Uncovering Their Hidden Chemical Implications

This review of over 100 studies examines how microplastics affect soil health, finding they can disrupt nutrient cycling, alter soil acidity, change microbial communities, and act as carriers for heavy metals and pesticides. The effects vary widely depending on the type of plastic, particle shape, and environmental conditions, with some plastics depleting nitrogen and phosphorus while others temporarily boost nutrient retention. The findings underscore that microplastic contamination in agricultural soils could have far-reaching consequences for food production and ecosystem health.

2025 Tropical Aquatic and Soil Pollution 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Microplastic Contamination on Phosphorus Availability, Alkaline Phosphatase Activity, and Polymer Degradation in Soil

Researchers studied how different types of microplastics at various concentrations affect phosphorus availability and enzyme activity in soil. They found that microplastics altered phosphorus cycling both by directly supplying phosphorus in some cases and by changing microbial enzyme function. The study suggests that microplastic contamination could disrupt soil nutrient dynamics important for maintaining agricultural productivity.

2025 Polymers 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Differential impacts of polyethylene microplastic and additives on soil nitrogen cycling: A deeper dive into microbial interactions and transformation mechanisms

This study tested how polyethylene microplastics, their base resin, and plastic additives each affect nitrogen cycling in soil -- a process essential for plant growth. All three altered the soil's nitrogen balance and microbial communities in different ways, with microplastics increasing certain nitrogen transformation rates the most. These findings matter because disrupted nitrogen cycling in farmland could affect crop nutrition and ultimately the quality of food humans eat.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on soil microorganisms and microbial functions in nutrients and carbon cycling – A review

This review examines how microplastics in soil alter the communities of bacteria and fungi that are essential for recycling nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon. Microplastics can increase certain beneficial bacteria but decrease others that are important for soil fertility, and they also carry toxic chemicals that further disrupt microbial life. The authors note that most studies are short-term lab experiments, and long-term field studies are needed to understand real-world impacts.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 174 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride microplastics promote soil nitrification and alter the composition of key nitrogen functional bacterial groups

Researchers found that polyethylene and PVC microplastics in soil increased nitrification (a key step in the nitrogen cycle) and changed the composition of nitrogen-processing bacteria. These changes could affect soil fertility and the availability of nutrients for crops. The study highlights how microplastic contamination in agricultural soil may have hidden effects on food production by altering fundamental soil processes.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 72 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Microplastics in Agricultural Soil on Nutrient Recycling and Fertility

This book chapter examines how microplastic accumulation in agricultural soils disrupts nutrient cycling, affects soil microbial communities, and impairs fertility, reviewing evidence from laboratory and field studies and discussing implications for sustainable food production.

2025
Article Tier 2

Effects and mechanism of microplastics on organic carbon and nitrogen cycling in agricultural soil: A review

This review summarizes how microplastic pollution in agricultural soils affects carbon and nitrogen cycling by altering soil properties, microbial communities, and enzymatic activity. Evidence indicates that microplastics can change organic matter degradation rates and nutrient cycling processes, with implications for soil health and agricultural productivity.

2023 Soil Use and Management 39 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyethylene microplastics distinctly affect soil microbial community and carbon and nitrogen cycling during plant litter decomposition

Researchers measured how polyethylene microplastics affect soil microbial communities and carbon cycling in agricultural soils, finding that microplastic addition shifted microbial diversity and suppressed key carbon mineralization processes. The results suggest microplastic accumulation in farmland could impair soil carbon storage.

2024 Journal of Environmental Management 7 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

Evaluating the impacts of microplastics on agricultural soil physical, chemical properties, and toxic metal availability: An emerging concern for sustainable agriculture

This study tested how five common types of microplastics affect soil properties and heavy metal availability in agricultural soil over 90 days. Microplastics changed soil structure, nutrient levels, and water-holding capacity, and actually reduced the availability of toxic heavy metals at higher plastic concentrations -- highlighting the complex ways plastic pollution is altering the farmland that produces our food.

2025 PLoS ONE 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Response of soil enzyme activities and bacterial communities to the accumulation of microplastics in an acid cropped soil

Researchers tested how polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride microplastics at different concentrations affect enzyme activity and bacterial communities in acidic agricultural soil. Both types of microplastics reduced the diversity of soil bacteria while stimulating certain enzymes related to nitrogen and phosphorus cycling. The findings suggest that microplastic accumulation in farmland may alter important soil biological processes, potentially affecting nutrient cycling and the breakdown of pollutants.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 795 citations
Article Tier 2

Molecular transformation and photochemical reactivity of microplastic-derived dissolved organic matter on goethite: Implications for persistence and reactive oxygen species dynamics

Researchers investigated how microplastic-derived dissolved organic matter interacts with the mineral goethite and how this affects its photochemical reactivity. They found that different plastic types produced distinct chemical behaviors: polystyrene-derived matter underwent sulfonation that enhanced reactive oxygen species formation, while polyethylene-derived matter remained relatively inert. The study suggests that microplastic-derived organic matter persists differently in soil depending on its polymer origin and mineral interactions.

2025 Water Research 7 citations
Article Tier 2

[Effects of Polyethylene Microplastics on Soil Nutrients and Enzyme Activities].

Researchers studied how different concentrations and sizes of polyethylene microplastics affect soil chemistry and enzyme activity over four months. They found that smaller microplastics had a greater impact on soil nutrient cycling than larger ones, and that higher concentrations more significantly disrupted enzyme functions critical for soil health. The study indicates that microplastic pollution in agricultural soils could impair the biological processes that maintain soil fertility.

2024 PubMed 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Trigger Soil Dissolved Organic Carbon and Nutrient Turnover by Strengthening Microbial Network Connectivity and Cross-Trophic Interactions

This study found that polyethylene and PVC microplastics in agricultural soil significantly altered the microbial communities responsible for breaking down organic carbon and recycling nutrients. The microplastics strengthened connections between bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms in ways that accelerated carbon and nutrient turnover. These changes to fundamental soil processes could affect crop nutrition and long-term soil health on farms contaminated with microplastics.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 34 citations