Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Soil Pollution Status, Sources and Control Methods in China

This review examined soil pollution sources, status, and control methods in China, covering industrial activity, agriculture, and urbanization as primary drivers of contamination. The paper discussed how soil pollution degrades agricultural output, contaminates water, and affects air quality, and surveyed available remediation strategies.

2024 Academic Journal of Science and Technology 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of the Spatiotemporal Change of Ecological Quality under the Context of Urban Expansion—A Case Study of Typical Urban Agglomerations in China

Researchers tracked changes in ecological quality across three major urban areas in China over two decades of rapid urbanization. They found that urban expansion significantly reduced ecological quality in surrounding areas, with the most severe impacts occurring in newly developed zones. The study provides a framework for monitoring how urbanization affects local ecosystems using remote sensing data.

2023 Remote Sensing 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Research Progress of Soil Pollution and Its Remediation Technology

This review examines the combined soil pollution problem of heavy metals and microplastics in China, summarizing sources, ecological impacts, and remediation technologies including phytoremediation, bioremediation, and physicochemical approaches to restore contaminated agricultural land.

2025 Science and Technology of Engineering Chemistry and Environmental Protection
Article Tier 2

Asia’s soil contamination crisis: causes, consequences, and sustainable solutions: a comprehensive review

This review addresses Asia's soil contamination crisis, examining how rapid urbanization, intensive agriculture, and poor waste management have created widespread heavy metal and microplastic soil pollution threatening food security, biodiversity, and human health across the continent.

2025 International Journal of Sustainable Engineering
Article Tier 2

Managing contaminants in farmed soils: case studies from China

This chapter examines agricultural soil contamination in China — where 16.1% of surveyed sites are polluted — using case studies to illustrate strategies for managing heavy metals, microplastics, and other contaminants in farmed soils with implications for food safety.

2025 Burleigh Dodds series in agricultural science
Article Tier 2

Research on Ecological Effects of Microplastics and Removal Methods

This Chinese-language review systematically examines how microplastics contaminate water, soil, and air, damage ecosystems by disrupting water cycles and enriching heavy metals in soil, and surveys available removal technologies. It highlights both the breadth of ecological harm microplastics cause and the practical options for removing them from different environmental compartments.

2023 Highlights in Science Engineering and Technology
Article Tier 2

The Source, Distribution Characteristics,and Migration Behavior of Microplastic Pollutionin Soil Environment in China: A Review

Researchers reviewed how microplastics enter Chinese soils — mainly through plastic mulch films, sewage irrigation, and fertilizer application — and how they migrate through soil layers while carrying other pollutants with them. The review highlights that China's intensive agricultural practices make its soils among the most microplastic-contaminated on Earth, with implications for food safety and groundwater quality.

2024 Polish Journal of Environmental Studies 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatial Distributions, Compositional Profiles, Potential Sources, and Intfluencing Factors of Microplastics in Soils from Different Agricultural Farmlands in China: A National Perspective

Researchers conducted a nationwide survey of microplastics in Chinese agricultural soils, collecting 477 samples from 109 cities across 31 regions, and identified spatial distribution patterns and key factors influencing farmland microplastic contamination.

2022 Environmental Science & Technology 130 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental Behaviors, Ecological Risks, and Toxic Mechanisms of Emerging and Legacy Contaminants in China: From Distribution to Management

Researchers reviewed the environmental distribution, ecological risks, and toxic mechanisms of both emerging and legacy contaminants in China's aquatic environments, examining how industrialization and urbanization drive the co-occurrence and combined pollution that threatens ecosystem integrity and human health.

2026 Toxics
Article Tier 2

Spatial Risks of Microplastics in Soils and the Cascading Effects Thereof

Using data from over 3,000 field sites across China, researchers found that about 4.3% of soil ecosystems face ecological risk from microplastics, with agricultural soils being the most vulnerable at nearly 15%. Climate factors like temperature and precipitation, combined with human activities like plastic film use in farming, are the main drivers of risk. The study highlights that microplastic contamination in farm soil is a widespread problem that could affect the safety of crops grown for human consumption.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Current research and perspective of microplastics (MPs) in soils (dusts), rivers (lakes), and marine environments in China

This review synthesized a decade of Chinese research on microplastic concentrations in soils, rivers, lakes, and marine environments, finding that coastal and urban areas are most contaminated and that freshwater environments are understudied compared to marine ones. China, as the world's largest plastic producer, faces significant microplastic pollution challenges requiring systematic monitoring across all environmental compartments.

2020 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 53 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrences and distribution of microplastic pollution and the control measures in China

This review summarizes reported microplastic contamination levels in China's marine, freshwater, and atmospheric environments, finding that concentrations are highest in urbanized freshwater systems and identifying human population density and agricultural plastic use as key drivers.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 71 citations
Article Tier 2

From mapping to modelling: the evolving multidimensional microplastic risks in China's farmlands

Researchers combined a national-scale soil survey with machine learning models to map and project microplastic risks across China's farmlands through 2050, finding that agricultural film use, population density, and GDP are key drivers, and that regional risk rankings will shift counter-intuitively depending on which socioeconomic development pathway is followed.

2026 Environmental Pollution
Article Tier 2

Potential sources and occurrence of macro-plastics and microplastics pollution in farmland soils: A typical case of China

This review examines plastic pollution in Chinese farmland soils, finding that agricultural practices like mulch film use and sewage sludge application are major sources of both macro- and microplastics that accumulate over time.

2023 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Distribution, Environmental Risk Assessment, and Key Drivers of Microplastics in Farmland Soils Across Agricultural Zones in China

Researchers mapped the distribution and environmental risk of microplastics across a study area while identifying the key drivers of spatial variation, including land use and proximity to pollution sources. The findings provide a framework for prioritizing cleanup and management efforts in microplastic-contaminated environments.

2025 Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 1 citations
Article Tier 2

A Comprehensive Analysis of Agricultural Non-Point Source Pollution in China: Current Status, Risk Assessment and Management Strategies

This review analyzes agricultural pollution in China from fertilizers, pesticides, plastic films, livestock, and crop waste, and finds widespread nitrogen, phosphorus, and heavy metal contamination across provinces. Microplastic pollution from agricultural plastic films was assessed as low risk, but heavy metals like arsenic and cadmium pose serious cancer risks to adults and children. The study recommends strategies focused on reducing pollution at the source to protect both farmland and human health.

2024 Sustainability 18 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

National-scale distribution of micro(meso)plastics in farmland soils across China: Implications for environmental impacts

Farmland soils across 30 sites in China contained an average of 358 microplastic items/kg, with concentrations higher in arid northern regions; meta-analysis showed that while current soil levels are generally below minimum effective concentrations for harming crops and soil enzymes, they are approaching those thresholds.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 152 citations
Article Tier 2

Current practices and future perspectives of microplastic pollution in freshwater ecosystems in China

This review summarizes current knowledge and future research priorities for microplastic pollution in China's freshwater ecosystems, including rivers, lakes, and wetlands, identifying both urban and agricultural sources as major contributors. The authors call for nationally coordinated monitoring, standardized methods, and stronger regulatory frameworks to address the growing microplastic burden in Chinese freshwater systems.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 251 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic contamination in Chinese topsoil from 1980 to 2050

Using machine learning models, researchers estimated that microplastic contamination in Chinese topsoil increased roughly 25-fold between 1980 and 2018, driven by industrial growth, agricultural plastic film use, tire wear, and household waste. Cropland soil was especially affected, with concentrations rising from about 98 to 2,400 particles per kilogram. The models project that while reducing agricultural film use could cut cropland contamination in half by 2050, overall soil pollution will likely remain high due to continued urbanization.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in agricultural soils in China: Sources, impacts and solutions

This review examines microplastic contamination in Chinese agricultural soils, finding abundances ranging from about 5 to over 40,000 items per kilogram depending on location. The study identifies plastic mulching films as the most significant source, followed by abandoned greenhouses and organic fertilizers, and recommends sustainable agronomic practices to reduce soil microplastic pollution.

2023 Environmental Pollution 148 citations