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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Bottom-up accounting of landfills across 346 cities reveals overlooked carbon stocks
ClearInfluence of landfill leachate microenvironment on the occurrence of microplastics: TOC changes are the main driving factor
Researchers surveyed microplastic contamination in leachate from 15 landfills across the North China Plain and found an average abundance of 712 particles per liter, predominantly small fibers. Using statistical modeling, they identified total organic carbon content as the most important factor driving microplastic accumulation patterns in leachate. The study highlights landfill leachate as a significant but often overlooked pathway for microplastic release into surrounding water systems.
Abundance of microplastics in a typical urban wetland in China: Association with occurrence and carbon storage
Researchers measured microplastic contamination in a Chinese urban wetland and estimated how much carbon the plastic particles contribute to the ecosystem. While microplastic-carbon currently makes up less than 0.3% of total organic carbon in the wetland, projections suggest this could rise to over 4% by 2100 if plastic production trends continue. The study highlights that microplastics are not just pollutants but are also subtly altering the carbon balance of ecosystems.
Estimating fossil carbon contributions from chemicals and microplastics in Sweden's urban wastewater systems: A model-based approach
A modeling study estimated that fossil-derived carbon makes up roughly 12–17% of the total carbon flowing into Swedish municipal wastewater treatment plants, with microplastics accounting for about 13% of that fossil carbon fraction. This is relevant because wastewater treatment plants emit greenhouse gases, and IPCC guidelines now require accounting for fossil carbon separately from biogenic carbon in those emissions. The study provides a practical framework for other countries to estimate plastic-derived fossil carbon contributions to wastewater emissions inventories.
Status of Research on Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Wastewater Collection Systems
This paper is not directly about microplastics — it reviews greenhouse gas emissions from wastewater collection systems and estimates China's annual emissions, without a focus on plastic pollution.
Insight into Greenhouse Gases Emissions and Energy Consumption of Different Full-Scale Wastewater Treatment Plants via ECAM Tool
Researchers evaluated greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption at multiple full-scale wastewater treatment plants across Chinese cities using the ECAM tool, finding that energy consumption correlated positively with influent organic load, that one Xi'an plant emitted 19,215 tonnes CO2-equivalent of methane annually, and that process selection strongly determines overall carbon footprint.
Effect of landfill leachates on urban soil: A review
This review examines how landfill leachate — which contains heavy metals, organic compounds, and emerging contaminants — affects urban soils, in the context of global concerns about the 1.4 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste deposited in landfills annually.
Microplastics and hydrocarbons in soils: Quantification as an anthropic carbon source
Researchers quantified the carbon contribution of microplastics and hydrocarbons to soil organic carbon in a coastal urban wetland in Argentina, finding an average of 587 items/kg of microplastics (predominantly fibers) that together with total hydrocarbons added up to 1.23 tons of carbon per hectare. The study highlights that conventional loss-on-ignition methods miscount microplastics as soil organic carbon, potentially skewing organic carbon assessments in contaminated soils.
Biochar Affects Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Urban Forestry Waste
Researchers examined how biochar additions affect greenhouse gas emissions from urban forestry waste including grass clippings, pruned branches, and fallen tree leaves, assessing biochar's potential to reduce carbon and nitrogen emissions from urban organic waste management.
Potential pollution risks of historic landfills in England: Further analysis of climate change impacts
Researchers expanded upon earlier analysis of historic landfill pollution risks in England by examining how climate change could affect inland landfill sites, not just coastal ones. They found that increased flooding, drought, and shifting groundwater patterns could all accelerate pollutant release from thousands of unregulated legacy landfills. The study warns that many of these sites sit in groundwater protection zones where modern regulations would never allow their construction.
Abundances of agricultural microplastics and their contribution to the soil organic carbon pool in plastic film mulching fields of Xinjiang, China
Researchers found that microplastics in plastic-mulched agricultural fields in Xinjiang, China contribute to the soil organic carbon pool, potentially causing overestimation of soil carbon sequestration when conventional measurement methods fail to separate microplastics from soil.
A Review of Landfills, Waste and the Nearly Forgotten Nexus with Climate Change
This review examined the climate change nexus of landfills, finding that methane and nitrous oxide emissions from decomposing landfill waste are underaccounted in IPCC models and could significantly contribute to warming above 1.5 degrees C, advocating for a zero-waste philosophy and alternatives to landfilling including incineration with energy recovery and mechanical biological treatment.
Characteristics and Driving Mechanism of Soil Organic Carbon Content in Farmland of Beijing Plain: Implication for the Fate of Engineered Polymers in Soil
This study examined how soil organic matter affects the transport of ions and particles in agricultural soils, relevant to understanding how microplastics interact with soil chemistry. Soil organic carbon content significantly influenced the mobility of contaminants through soil systems.
How soon will landfilled plastics integrate into the geological carbon cycle?
Using landfill field data and a fragmentation model, researchers estimated that landfilled plastics will take tens of thousands of years to fully reintegrate into the geological carbon cycle, with microplastic and nanoplastic leakage into ecosystems occurring on much shorter timescales.
Contribution of Microplastics to Carbon Storage in Coastal Wetland Sediments
Microplastic occurrence was measured in coastal sediments across different habitat types in Hong Kong, and the carbon content of the particles was used to estimate that microplastics represent a small but measurable contribution to the organic carbon stock in coastal wetland sediments.
Impacts of Wetland Degradation on Soil Organic Carbon and Carbon Sequestration Function: A Case Study of the Huixian Wetland in the Li River Basin
Researchers examined how degradation gradients from non-degraded to heavily degraded conditions affect soil organic carbon fractions and carbon fluxes in the Huixian Wetland, China, finding that increasing degradation progressively depleted labile carbon pools — particularly microbial biomass carbon and light fraction organic carbon — and reduced carbon sequestration capacity while increasing CO2 emissions.
A Megacity-Scale Analysis of Sludge Managementand Carbon Footprint in China
This analysis of sludge management and carbon footprint across Shanghai's 42 wastewater treatment plants found that the city produces more sludge per capita than other Chinese regions. Managing sludge effectively is important because sludge can contain concentrated microplastics removed from wastewater during treatment.
Augmentation of global marine sedimentary carbon storage in the age of plastic
Researchers quantified plastic carbon inputs to the global marine sedimentary system, finding that approximately 7.8 Mt of plastic carbon is deposited on the seafloor annually, exceeding the natural organic carbon burial rate and representing a previously unaccounted anthropogenic component of the marine carbon cycle.
Degradable film mulching increases soil carbon sequestration in major Chinese dryland agroecosystems
Researchers compared biodegradable and conventional plastic film mulches used in farming and found that biodegradable films increased carbon storage in soil while traditional plastic mulch reduced it, suggesting that switching to biodegradable alternatives could help fight climate change while cutting plastic pollution.
Socio-Economic Contributions of Informal Waste Pickers to Urban Waste Management
This study examines the socio-economic contributions of informal waste pickers to urban waste management systems, finding they prevent significant recyclable materials from reaching landfills, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and sustain livelihoods for millions of urban poor. The authors argue for formalization pathways that integrate waste pickers into municipal systems while preserving their economic autonomy.
Estimating Forest Aboveground Carbon Storage in Hang-Jia-Hu Using Landsat TM/OLI Data and Random Forest Model
Researchers used Landsat satellite imagery and machine learning to estimate forest carbon storage in a region of China over two decades. The study demonstrates remote sensing as a practical tool for tracking carbon stocks and the effects of land-use change.
Identification of Groundwater Pollution Characteristics and Health Risk Assessment of a Landfill in a Low Permeability Area
Researchers assessed groundwater quality and health risks near a landfill in a low-permeability red-bed area of Southwest China, finding elevated concentrations of heavy metals and organic pollutants in shallow aquifers used for drinking water by nearby rural residents.
Enhanced Microplastic Burial in China’s Coastal Blue Carbon Ecosystems: Drivers and Potential Roles in Climate Change Mitigation
Researchers measured microplastic stocks in coastal blue carbon ecosystems along the Chinese coastline and found that these environments significantly enhance the trapping and burial of microplastic particles in sediments. Microplastic-derived carbon storage ranged from 0.01 to 104.4 kg of carbon per hectare across the study sites. The study suggests that while blue carbon ecosystems act as sinks for microplastic pollution, this buried plastic carbon may need to be accounted for in coastal carbon budget assessments.
Microplastics divert carbon flow in anaerobic digestion: a meta-analysis reveals product-specific effects
Researchers conducted a meta-analysis of 55 studies and found that microplastics do not simply inhibit anaerobic digestion but redirect carbon flow within it — suppressing methane production while boosting volatile fatty acid accumulation — with the direction and magnitude of effects determined by polymer type, concentration, size, and temperature.
Soil Organic Carbon Estimation via Remote Sensing and Machine Learning Techniques: Global Topic Modeling and Research Trend Exploration
Researchers used advanced topic modeling and bibliometric analysis to map global research trends in estimating soil organic carbon using remote sensing and machine learning. They identified key research clusters including satellite imagery analysis, deep learning methods, and regional carbon mapping efforts. The study provides a roadmap for future research priorities in monitoring soil carbon stocks, which is critical for understanding climate change.