Papers

20 results
|
Article Tier 2

Biochar and Microplastics Affect Microbial Necromass Accumulation and CO2 and N2O Emissions from Soil

Researchers investigated how biochar and polyethylene microplastics interact in soil and found that both reduced CO2 and N2O greenhouse gas emissions, though through different mechanisms. Microplastics decreased emissions primarily by reducing dissolved organic matter and bacterial biomass, while biochar suppressed nitrogen-cycling genes. When combined, microplastics in biochar-treated soil unexpectedly increased microbial necromass carbon by disrupting soil aggregates, revealing complex interactions between these two soil amendments.

2023 ACS ES&T Engineering 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of biochar and microplastics on microbial necromass accumulation and CO2 and N2O emission in a Calcaric Fluvisol

A 91-day soil experiment found that biochar reduced CO2 and N2O emissions, but the presence of microplastics partially counteracted these benefits, suggesting that plastic pollution can undermine soil carbon management strategies.

2023 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Polyethylene microplastics hamper aged biochar’s potential in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions

Polyethylene microplastics (1–5% by weight) significantly reduced the greenhouse gas-mitigating benefits of aged biochar in agricultural soil, decreasing soil aggregation and altering dissolved organic matter dynamics—raising concerns about microplastic interference with biochar-based carbon sequestration strategies.

2025 Carbon Research 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyethylene microplastic and biochar interactively affect the global warming potential of soil greenhouse gas emissions

A 45-day laboratory incubation experiment tested polyethylene microplastics and two types of biochar applied to agricultural soil alone and in combination, measuring effects on greenhouse gas emissions and microbial communities. Co-application of microplastic and biochar reduced the global warming potential of cumulative greenhouse gas emissions compared to microplastic alone, suggesting biochar partially mitigates microplastic effects on soil carbon cycling.

2022 Environmental Pollution 69 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactive effects of microplastics, biochar, and earthworms on CO2 and N2O emissions and microbial functional genes in vegetable-growing soil

Researchers found that the interactions between microplastics, biochar, and earthworms had complex effects on soil greenhouse gas emissions, with biochar reducing CO2 emissions but the combination with microplastics and earthworms promoting nitrous oxide emissions in vegetable-growing soil.

2022 Environmental Research 90 citations
Article Tier 2

Aged polyethylene microplastics reduce CO2 emissions by altering carbon degradation genes rather than soil chemical properties at different aggregate scales

Researchers found that aged polyethylene microplastics reduce soil CO2 emissions by altering carbon degradation gene expression across different soil aggregate size classes, rather than by changing soil chemical properties. Microplastics aged for two months showed greater suppression of carbon mineralization genes than freshly added microplastics, with effects varying across macroaggregates, microaggregates, and silt-clay fractions.

2025 Applied Soil Ecology
Article Tier 2

Soil aggregation alterations under soil microplastic and biochar addition and aging process

An eight-month experiment found that polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics disrupted soil structure by breaking apart soil clumps, and this damage worsened as the plastics aged over time. Surprisingly, adding biochar, which is often proposed as a soil improvement, actually made some of the microplastic damage worse for certain soil aggregate sizes. This research shows that microplastic contamination in agricultural soil can degrade soil health in ways that may be difficult to reverse.

2025 Environmental Pollution 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Biochar-microplastics interaction modulates soil nitrous oxide emissions and microbial communities

Researchers examined how biochar interacts with conventional and biodegradable microplastics in soil to affect coriander growth, nitrous oxide emissions, and microbial communities. They found that biochar generally reduced soil nitrous oxide emissions, but this benefit was diminished or even reversed when certain microplastics were present. The study suggests that the combined use of biochar and plastic mulch in agricultural fields can produce unexpected effects on greenhouse gas emissions and soil microbiology.

2025 Biochar 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on soil organic carbon and greenhouse gas emissions in the context of straw incorporation: A comparison with different types of soil

Researchers combined microplastic treatments with straw incorporation in different soil types and measured effects on soil organic carbon and greenhouse gas emissions, finding that microplastics altered carbon cycling and in some soils increased CO2 and N2O emissions.

2021 Environmental Pollution 159 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Can Inhibit Organic Carbon Mineralization by Influencing Soil Aggregate Distribution and Microbial Community Structure in Cultivated Soil: Evidence from a One-Year Pot Experiment

Researchers conducted a one-year pot experiment to study how different types and concentrations of microplastics affect soil carbon cycling and aggregate stability. They found that microplastics significantly altered soil aggregate size distribution and decreased organic carbon mineralization rates regardless of polymer type. The study suggests that microplastic contamination may slow the natural breakdown of organic carbon in agricultural soils by changing soil structure and microbial communities.

2024 Agronomy 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanism of polyethylene and biodegradable microplastic aging effects on soil organic carbon fractions in different land-use types

Researchers compared how polyethylene and biodegradable microplastics at different stages of aging affect soil organic carbon fractions across various land-use types. The study found that both types of microplastics altered soil carbon dynamics, but the effects depended on the plastic type, its degree of aging, and the specific land-use context.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 40 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

Response of Soil Greenhouse Gases Emissionsto Microplastics Accompanied with Earthwormsand Biochar from a Sandy-Loam Soil

Researchers used a controlled soil experiment to test how PVC microplastics, biochar, and earthworms individually and together affect greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural soil, finding that microplastics increased CO2 release while suppressing methane and nitrous oxide. The complex interactions between these factors underscore that microplastic contamination in farmland can have unintended effects on soil carbon and climate.

2025 Polish Journal of Environmental Studies
Article Tier 2

Microplastics InfluenceDissolved Organic Matter TransformationMediated by Microbiomes in Soil Aggregates

A 450-day incubation experiment found that microplastics altered dissolved organic matter transformation in different soil aggregate fractions by modifying microbial community composition and activity, potentially affecting long-term soil carbon dynamics. (Duplicate record of ID 10767.)

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Fate of plastic film residues in agro-ecosystem and its effects on aggregate-associated soil carbon and nitrogen stocks

Researchers studied the fate of biodegradable and LDPE plastic film residues buried in agricultural soil over three years and found that biodegradable films did not meaningfully degrade under field conditions, both types altered soil aggregate structure and reduced carbon and nitrogen stocks compared to controls.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 184 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of the oversized microplastic pollution layer on soil aggregates and organic carbon at different soil depths

Researchers examined how oversized microplastic pollution layers in soil affect aggregate stability and organic carbon at different depths, finding that plastic films disrupted soil aggregate formation and altered carbon distribution, with effects varying by soil depth and plastic concentration.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 46 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of microplastics on soil aggregate formation: Insights into biological binding agents

A laboratory experiment found that polyethylene microplastics in different shapes (granules, fibers, and films) and aging states significantly alter how soil particles clump together into aggregates, with effects depending on the plastic's shape and the soil's organic matter content. Disruption of soil aggregation by microplastics matters because aggregate structure controls water retention, aeration, and microbial habitat — all fundamental to healthy, productive soils.

2026 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Insights into effects of conventional and biodegradable microplastics on organic carbon decomposition in different soil aggregates

Researchers compared how conventional polypropylene and biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics affect carbon decomposition in different sizes of soil aggregates. Both types of microplastics increased carbon dioxide emissions from soil, but the effects varied depending on particle type, concentration, and aggregate size. The study reveals that microplastics can alter soil carbon cycling at a fundamental structural level, with biodegradable plastics not necessarily being more benign than conventional ones.

2024 Environmental Pollution 32 citations
Article Tier 2

The association of microplastics with water-stable aggregates formed under controlled conditions

Researchers compiled data from a controlled study examining the association between microplastics and water-stable soil aggregates, providing the underlying dataset for the linked publication on microplastic-aggregate interactions.

2026 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

The association of microplastics with water-stable aggregates formed under controlled conditions

Researchers compiled data examining how microplastics associate with water-stable soil aggregates formed under controlled laboratory conditions, providing a dataset supporting the linked publication on microplastic-soil aggregate interactions.

2026 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)