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

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

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

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

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

Microplastic Mixture Diversity Destabilizes Mineral-Associated Carbon via Constraining the Accumulation of Microbial Necromass

Researchers exposed soil to increasing microplastic diversity (1–12 polymer types) and found that greater polymer diversity reduced microbial necromass carbon by up to 9% and mineral-associated organic carbon by up to 11%, suggesting diverse microplastic mixtures pose greater risks to soil carbon sequestration.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 2 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

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

Biochar-amended soil can further sorb atmospheric CO2 for more carbon sequestration

Researchers found that adding biochar to soil not only stores carbon but also helps the soil absorb additional carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through mineral reactions. While not directly about microplastics, biochar-amended soils could offer dual benefits by both sequestering carbon and potentially trapping microplastics, since biochar has been shown to adsorb plastic particles. This approach could address both climate change and plastic pollution in agricultural settings.

2025 Communications Earth & Environment 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Addition Alters the Microbial Community Structure and Stimulates Soil Carbon Dioxide Emissions in Vegetable-Growing Soil

A soil microcosm experiment found that low-density polyethylene microplastics significantly promoted CO₂ emissions from vegetable-growing soil, shifted the ratio of gram-positive to gram-negative bacteria, and altered microbial community structure in ways that could affect soil carbon cycling.

2020 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 395 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of polyethylene microplastics and fresh/aged biochar on soil CO2 and N2O emissions regulated by soil aggregation, dissolved organic matter structure and the formation of necromass-derived soil organic carbon

This is raw data supporting a study on how polyethylene microplastics and biochar affect soil carbon and nitrogen emissions, specifically examining their interactions with soil aggregates and organic matter — not a standalone article.

2023 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Combined effect of biochar and soil moisture on soil chemical properties and microbial community composition in microplastic‐contaminated agricultural soil

Biochar was applied to microplastic-contaminated agricultural soil under different moisture conditions, with results showing that biochar improved soil chemical properties and shifted microbial communities in ways that partially offset microplastic-induced degradation. The study suggests biochar as a practical soil amendment to mitigate microplastic impacts in farming systems.

2022 Soil Use and Management 49 citations
Article Tier 2

How biochar works, and when it doesn't: A review of mechanisms controlling soil and plant responses to biochar

This comprehensive review synthesizes 20 years of research on biochar, a charcoal-like material made from organic waste that can improve soil health and reduce pollution. Biochar can reduce plant uptake of heavy metals by 17-39% and increase nutrient availability, making it potentially useful for cleaning up microplastic-contaminated soils. While not directly about microplastics, the findings are relevant because biochar could help mitigate the effects of soil pollutants that microplastics carry and concentrate.

2021 GCB Bioenergy 872 citations
Article Tier 2

MicroplasticMixture Diversity Destabilizes Mineral-AssociatedCarbon via Constraining the Accumulation of Microbial Necromass

Researchers exposed soils to mixtures of increasing microplastic diversity (1 to 12 polymer types) and found that greater microplastic mixture diversity reduced microbial necromass carbon and mineral-associated organic carbon by 3.5-9.2% and 4.2-11.4% respectively compared to single-polymer treatments. The results indicate that diverse microplastic mixtures destabilize soil carbon stocks by constraining the accumulation of microbial necromass, a key pathway for long-term carbon sequestration.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

High-Dose Biochar Hinders Micro/Nanoplastic-Induced Soil Positive Priming by Reducing Substrate Quality and Microbial Activity

A 70-day incubation experiment found that high-dose biochar application reduced micro/nanoplastic-induced soil positive priming effects by decreasing the quality of dissolved organic carbon available to microbes. This suggests that biochar soil management can help offset the carbon sequestration losses caused by microplastic-driven acceleration of organic matter turnover.

2026 Environmental Science & Technology 1 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastic effects on carbon cycling in terrestrial soil ecosystems: Storage, formation, mineralization, and microbial mechanisms

Microplastics in soil contribute to organic carbon storage through degradation and leaching, but also disrupt carbon cycling by altering plant growth, litter decomposition, and microbial activity. The net effect on soil CO2 and CH4 emissions varies depending on how microplastics reshape microbial community structure and enzyme activity.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Biochar's Effects and Operations on Microbial Life within the Soil Ecosystem- A Review

Not directly relevant to microplastics — this review examines how biochar additions to soil affect microbial community structure, enzymatic activity, and contaminant transformation, without a specific focus on microplastics.

2023 International Journal of Plant & Soil Science
Article Tier 2

Influence of polyethylene terephthalate microplastic and biochar co-existence on paddy soil bacterial community structure and greenhouse gas emission

Researchers studied how polyethylene terephthalate microplastics and biochar, both common in agricultural soils, affect soil bacteria and greenhouse gas emissions during rice cultivation. They found that microplastics alone reduced bacterial diversity, but adding biochar alongside the microplastics partially restored microbial communities and altered gas emissions. The study suggests that biochar may help mitigate some of the negative soil health effects of microplastic contamination in paddy fields.

2021 Environmental Pollution 135 citations