Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Influence of polyethylene-microplastic on environmental behaviors of metals in soil

Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics affect the adsorption, desorption, and bioavailability of heavy metals in soil. They found that adding microplastics altered how metals bind to soil particles and increased the mobility of certain metals like cadmium and lead. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in soils may change the environmental behavior of heavy metals, potentially increasing their availability to plants and soil organisms.

2021 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 93 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of Different Microplastic Forms on pH and Mobility of Cu2+ and Pb2+ in Soil

Researchers investigated how different microplastic forms influence soil pH and the mobility of copper and lead ions, finding that microplastics' surface properties and electrostatic interactions can modify heavy metal sorption and alter the soil microenvironment.

2022 Molecules 92 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of Polystyrene Microplastics on Pb(II) Adsorption onto a Loessial Soil (Sierozem) and Its Mechanism

Researchers examined how polystyrene microplastics affect the adsorption of lead onto loessial soil and found that the presence of microplastics reduced lead uptake by the soil. Smaller microplastic particles had a greater inhibitory effect on lead adsorption compared to larger ones, likely due to competitive binding on soil surfaces. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in agricultural soils could alter heavy metal mobility and increase environmental risk.

2024 ACS Omega 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics influence the adsorption and desorption characteristics of Cd in an agricultural soil

Batch experiments showed that polyethylene microplastics reduced cadmium adsorption but increased desorption in farmland soil, with effects varying by MP dose, particle size, and pH. The findings indicate microplastics could increase cadmium mobility in agricultural soils, potentially raising risks of crop uptake.

2019 Journal of Hazardous Materials 374 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics inhibit lead binding to sediment components: Influence of surface functional groups and charge environment

Researchers systematically investigated interactions among lead, polystyrene microplastics, and sediment components to understand how microplastics affect heavy metal behavior in aquatic environments. The study found that polystyrene significantly inhibited lead adsorption to sediment by competing for binding sites, reducing lead uptake by up to 28%, which suggests that microplastics could increase the mobility of toxic metals in contaminated waterways.

2025 Water Research 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of Microplastics on the Adsorption and Desorption Properties of Cadmium in Soil

Polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics were found to reduce soil's capacity to adsorb cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, raising concerns that microplastic contamination in farmland soils could increase the mobility and risk of heavy metal pollutants.

2022 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparative analysis of kinetics and mechanisms for Pb(II) sorption onto three kinds of microplastics

The sorption kinetics and mechanisms of lead (Pb(II)) onto three types of microplastics were compared to understand how plastic debris concentrates heavy metals in aquatic environments. The study found polymer-specific differences in sorption capacity and mechanism, with implications for how microplastics alter the distribution and bioavailability of lead in contaminated water.

2020 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 158 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 heavy metal forms and bioavailability to the application of microplastics across five years in different soil types

Researchers conducted a five-year experiment examining how microplastics affect the chemical forms and bioavailability of heavy metals across five different soil types. They found that microplastics generally reduced the readily available forms of heavy metals while increasing the mineral- and organic-bound forms, and that the bioconcentration of chromium and lead decreased substantially. The study suggests that soil type and exposure duration both play important roles in how microplastics influence heavy metal behavior in soils.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption Characteristics of Cd and Pb on Microplastic Films Generated in Agricultural Environment

Korean researchers found that agricultural microplastic films (used in greenhouses and mulching) can adsorb heavy metals like cadmium and lead onto their surfaces. This means microplastics in farm soils can accumulate and transport toxic metals, potentially contaminating crops and groundwater.

2021 Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Synergistic modulation of Lead (II) bioavailability by polyethylene terephthalate microplastics and insights into assimilation kinetics in Canna indica

Scientists found that tiny plastic particles (microplastics) in soil can make plants absorb up to 250% more lead, a toxic heavy metal that's harmful to humans. This happens because the plastic pieces act like a delivery system, carrying more lead into plants that we might eventually eat. This research suggests that areas with plastic pollution in the soil could pose greater health risks than previously thought, especially for crops grown in contaminated areas.

2026 International Journal of Science and Research Archive
Article Tier 2

Ecotoxicological effects of polyethylene microplastics and lead (Pb) on the biomass, activity, and community diversity of soil microbes

A soil experiment found that polyethylene microplastics made lead (a toxic heavy metal) more available in soil and worsened its harmful effects on soil microorganisms. The combination reduced beneficial enzyme activity, lowered microbial efficiency, and shifted the soil microbial community, suggesting that microplastic pollution in contaminated soils could amplify heavy metal toxicity in ways that ultimately affect food crops and human health.

2024 Environmental Research 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Insight into the interactions between microplastics and heavy metals in agricultural soil solution: adsorption performance influenced by microplastic types

Environmental-simulating microplastics (aged under environmental conditions) showed higher cadmium and chromium adsorption capacity than commercial microplastics in agricultural soil solutions, with surface oxidation increasing adsorption—suggesting that aged microplastics are more effective co-transporters of heavy metals in contaminated agricultural soils.

2025 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics change soil properties, heavy metal availability and bacterial community in a Pb-Zn-contaminated soil

This study found that adding six different types of microplastics to soil contaminated with lead and zinc changed the soil's chemistry, increased the availability of those toxic metals, and shifted the bacterial communities living in the soil. Higher doses of microplastics caused greater disruption, reducing microbial diversity and altering nutrient cycling. The findings suggest that microplastics in contaminated soil could make heavy metals more likely to enter plants and the food chain.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 497 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhancing Pb Adsorption on Crushed Microplastics: Insights into the Environmental Remediation

Researchers found that crushed microplastics generated during plastic recycling have significantly higher capacity to absorb lead than primary microplastics, due to their greater surface area and more reactive surfaces. Factors like particle size, water pH, salinity, and biofilm formation all influenced how much lead the particles could adsorb. The study raises concerns that the recycling process itself may create a secondary environmental hazard by producing microplastics that more efficiently concentrate toxic heavy metals.

2024 Water 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyethylene fragments in Argentinean horticultural soils: Environmental transformation to a composite material

Researchers collected weathered polyethylene plastic fragments from agricultural soils in Argentina and found they had transformed into composite materials embedded with soil minerals like clay and iron. These environmentally aged plastics absorbed significantly more heavy metals such as nickel and lead compared to fresh plastic, up to 11 times more for lead. The study suggests that as plastics break down in farm soils, they may become more effective carriers of toxic metals, potentially increasing contamination risks.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Use of EDTA and CaCl2 Extraction Methods to Predict the Bioavailability of Heavy Metals in Soils Polluted with Microplastics

This study tested how seven common types of microplastics affect the availability of heavy metals like lead, cadmium, and copper in soil. Some microplastics, like high-density polyethylene, reduced lead movement but increased cadmium and cobalt availability by 10-20%. The findings show that microplastics in agricultural soil can change how toxic metals behave, potentially affecting which contaminants get absorbed by food crops.

2025 Materials 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Study on the Adsorption Behavior and Mechanism of Heavy Metals in Aquatic Environment before and after the Aging of Typical Microplastics

Researchers investigated the adsorption behavior and mechanisms of heavy metals by typical microplastics before and after environmental aging, finding that aging significantly alters microplastics' surface properties and capacity to bind metals such as cadmium and lead in aquatic systems.

2024
Article Tier 2

Natural aging and adsorption/desorption behaviors of polyethylene mulch films: Roles of film types and exposure patterns

This study examined how polyethylene mulch films used in farming break down over time and become sources of microplastic pollution in soil. Films exposed on the soil surface degraded faster than buried ones, and the resulting microplastic fragments were better at absorbing toxic pollutants like lead. Importantly, once pollutants attach to these aged microplastics, they are harder to release -- even in conditions that mimic human digestion -- raising concerns about contamination entering our food chain.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Insights Into the Adsorption Behavior of Polyethylene Microplastics Towards Lead(II) Ions

Researchers investigated the adsorption behavior of lead(II) ions onto polyethylene microplastics in freshwater environments by systematically varying initial Pb(II) concentration, pH, and residence time, using scanning electron microscopy and other characterization methods to elucidate the interaction dynamics and sorption mechanisms between this common metal contaminant and microplastic surfaces.

2024 Environmental Quality Management