Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Water retention and hydraulic properties of a natural soil subjected to microplastic contaminations and leachate exposures

Researchers studied how microplastic contamination affects the water-holding and flow properties of compacted soil, a scenario relevant to engineering applications like landfill liners. They found that microplastics altered the soil's ability to retain water and changed both saturated and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity, with effects varying by particle size and leachate age. The study suggests that microplastic-contaminated soils may behave differently than expected in engineered structures.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of microplastic pollution in terrestrial ecosystem on index and engineering properties of sandy soil: An experimental investigation

Researchers tested how different concentrations of three common plastic types affect the physical and engineering properties of sandy soil. They found that increasing microplastic contamination significantly altered soil characteristics including liquid limit, plasticity, compaction, and shear strength. The findings suggest that microplastic pollution in the ground could potentially compromise the structural stability of soil used in construction and land management.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on the hydraulic properties and pore characteristics of compacted soil

Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics affect the hydraulic properties and pore structure of compacted soil, finding that higher microplastic concentrations disrupted pore size distribution and reduced saturated hydraulic conductivity while altering water retention capacity.

2025 Soil and Tillage Research 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Determinants of environmental changes in human-modified ecosystems: Effects of plastics on moisture gradients, nutrients, and clay properties

Researchers examined how plastic pollution affects soil properties in human-modified ecosystems through field experiments in China and Rwanda, combined with laboratory tests on clay mixed with PET microplastics. They found that microplastics altered the structural properties of natural clay, decreasing moisture content while increasing density and load-bearing capacity. The study suggests that plastic accumulation in soils can fundamentally change moisture gradients, nutrient availability, and physical soil characteristics.

2024 Heliyon 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Insights into simultaneous changes of water evaporation and desiccation crack formation for microplastics-contained saline soils

Researchers examined how microplastics interact with salt-stressed soils and found that microplastics reduced water flow and total evaporation while also suppressing the formation of desiccation cracks, with effects varying by microplastic concentration and soil salinity. These findings reveal that microplastic pollution can meaningfully alter the water and structural behavior of agricultural soils already under stress from salinization.

2024 Geoderma 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Concentration‐ and Size‐Dependent Influences of Microplastics on Soil Hydraulic Properties and Water Flow

Researchers investigated how microplastic concentration and particle size affect soil hydraulic properties and water flow. They found that microplastic contamination reduced saturated conductivity by up to 50% and inhibited water infiltration, with higher concentrations and larger particle sizes leading to weaker soil water-holding capacity.

2025 European Journal of Soil Science 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of microplastics on strength parameters of clayey, Sandy, silty soil: A comparative assessment

Researchers conducted a comparative study examining how three types of microplastics at different concentrations affect the strength properties of sandy, silty, and clayey soils over a 30-day period. They found that LDPE, HDPE, and PVC contamination at environmentally relevant levels altered key soil properties including moisture content, density, and shear strength. The study highlights that microplastic pollution could compromise soil structural integrity, with implications for construction and geotechnical engineering.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of low-density polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, and high-density polyethylene micro-plastic contamination on the index and engineering properties of clayey soil- an experimental study

Researchers examined how low-density polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, and high-density polyethylene microplastics affect the index and engineering properties of clayey soil, finding that microplastic contamination alters soil behavior relevant to geotechnical engineering.

2022 Environmental Research 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on evaporation dynamics in porous media

Researchers found that polyethylene and PVC microplastics altered soil water evaporation rates and crack formation patterns in laboratory experiments, with effects varying by microplastic type, concentration, and soil texture, suggesting microplastics can disrupt soil water dynamics.

2022 Chemosphere 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of co-present mineral colloids on the transport of microplastics in porous media: The key role of hydrochemical and hydrodynamic conditions

Scientists studied how tiny plastic particles (microplastics) move through soil and sand when mixed with natural clay particles. They found that the combination of different clay types and water conditions can either help microplastics travel further underground or trap them in place. This research helps us better understand how microplastics might contaminate groundwater sources that provide our drinking water.

2026 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
Article Tier 2

How Do Microplastics Affect Physical Properties of Silt Loam Soil under Wetting–Drying Cycles?

Researchers investigated how microplastics of different sizes and types affect the physical properties of silt loam soil under repeated wetting and drying cycles. The study found that microplastics altered soil water retention and structural stability during these cycles, with effects varying based on particle size and polymer type, indicating that microplastic contamination could influence agricultural soil behavior.

2023 Agronomy 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Soil texture is an important factor determining how microplastics affect soil hydraulic characteristics

This study tested how polypropylene microplastics of different sizes affect how water moves through three types of soil. Adding microplastics reduced the soil's ability to absorb and hold water by up to 96%, with clay soils being the most affected. These changes to soil water flow could affect crop growth and potentially increase the movement of other pollutants through contaminated farmland.

2022 Environment International 266 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of plastic contamination on water evaporation and desiccation cracking in soil

Plastic films of different sizes at environmentally relevant concentrations were mixed into two clay soils, finding that plastic significantly increased soil water evaporation rates and altered the pattern of desiccation cracking by creating preferential channels for moisture loss. The study reveals that even small amounts of plastic contamination can alter the hydrological behavior of agricultural soils.

2018 The Science of The Total Environment 624 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Microplastics on Soil Hydraulic Properties

Researchers investigated how pristine and UV-weathered polypropylene granules and polyester fibers affect soil hydraulic properties in a silt loam soil, finding that microplastic incorporation altered bulk density, saturated hydraulic conductivity, water holding capacity, and aggregate stability in ways that depended on particle shape and weathering state.

2022 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Geotechnical Implications of Microplastics: A Review of Their Effects on Soil Mechanical Parameters

This review compiled and analyzed findings from previous studies on how microplastics affect soil mechanical parameters — including compressibility, permeability, shear strength, settlement, and slope stability — concluding that microplastic contamination can substantially alter geotechnical soil behavior with implications for engineering and construction.

2025 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Geotechnical Implications of Microplastics: A Review of Their Effects on Soil Mechanical Parameters

This review compiled and analyzed findings from previous studies on how microplastics affect soil mechanical parameters — including compressibility, permeability, shear strength, settlement, and slope stability — concluding that microplastic contamination can substantially alter geotechnical soil behavior with implications for engineering and construction.

2025 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Microplastics affect C, N, and P cycling in natural environments: Highlighting the driver of soil hydraulic properties

This study found that common microplastics like polyethylene and polypropylene significantly change how soil handles water and nutrients by increasing water content, reducing soil density, and altering bacterial communities involved in nitrogen and carbon cycling. These changes affected how nutrients are stored in soil, with increases of 12 to 93 percent in nitrogen and carbon storage depending on the plastic type and amount. The findings suggest microplastic pollution could disrupt the fundamental soil processes that support food production.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 53 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics effects on wettability, pore sizes and saturated hydraulic conductivity of a loess topsoil

Researchers tested how polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polystyrene microplastics at concentrations already found in farmland soils affect key physical properties of agricultural soil. They found that adding microplastics reduced the soil's ability to conduct water and hold moisture, with larger particles at higher concentrations causing the greatest changes. The study suggests that microplastic accumulation in agricultural soils could alter water movement and availability in ways that may affect crop growth.

2023 Geoderma 65 citations
Article Tier 2

Identification of microplastics from urban informal solid waste landfill soil; MP associations with COD and chloride

Researchers identified microplastic concentrations of 180–1,120 particles per kilogram of soil in an urban informal landfill in India, with fragments and fibers as the dominant shapes, and found that microplastic presence altered key soil properties including conductivity and moisture content.

2022 Water Science & Technology 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Overlooked yet critical pathways for microplastics input to soil and groundwater system: Transport mechanisms and simulation predictions in landfill environments

Researchers systematically investigated how microplastics travel through landfill soils into groundwater, examining the effects of particle density, size, polymer type, temperature, and salinity on transport. The study used column experiments and computational modeling to reveal that landfill conditions create overlooked but critical pathways for microplastic contamination of soil and groundwater systems.

2025 Water Research 8 citations