Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Typical microplastics in field and facility agriculture dynamically affect available cadmium in different soil types through physicochemical dynamics of carbon, iron and microbes

Researchers found that polyurethane and polypropylene microplastics dynamically affect cadmium availability in different soil types through changes in soil carbon chemistry, iron mineral forms, and microbial community composition, with effects varying between field and greenhouse agricultural conditions.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 37 citations
Article Tier 2

Susceptibility of Cd availability in microplastics contaminated paddy soil: Influence of ferric minerals and sulfate reduction

When microplastics and cadmium contaminate paddy soil together — a common situation in agricultural areas — microplastics increase the availability of cadmium to plants, raising the risk of cadmium uptake into food crops like rice. The mechanism involves microplastics releasing dissolved organic matter that disrupts iron mineral cycling and promotes sulfate-reducing bacteria, which in turn mobilize cadmium from soil particles. These findings highlight that microplastic pollution in farmland does not act alone — it can amplify the toxicity of co-occurring heavy metal contaminants.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Dynamic production of hydroxy radicals affects the available Cadmium in paddy soils under microplastic contamination

Researchers showed that polyethylene microplastics amplify hydroxyl radical production in flooded paddy soils through photochemical activation of plastic-derived dissolved organic carbon and iron cycling, raising plant-available cadmium concentrations by up to 4.5-fold and highlighting a previously overlooked mechanism by which microplastics worsen heavy metal contamination in rice fields.

2025 Journal of Environmental Sciences
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

Mechanisms of microplastic generation from polymer-coated controlled-release fertilizers (PC-CRFs)

This study investigated how the plastic coatings on slow-release fertilizers break down and release microplastics into soil. Significantly more microplastic particles were released in soil conditions than in water alone, and wet-dry cycles accelerated the breakdown, meaning agricultural soils receiving these fertilizers may be accumulating substantial amounts of microplastic pollution.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 24 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Unveiling the impacts of microplastics on cadmium transfer in the soil-plant-human system: A review

A meta-analysis found that microplastics significantly increase soil cadmium bioavailability by 6.9% and cadmium accumulation in plant shoots by 9.3%, through both direct surface adsorption and indirect modification of soil pH and dissolved organic carbon. This enhanced cadmium mobility through the soil-plant-human food chain amplifies health risks, as co-ingestion of microplastics and cadmium increases cadmium bioaccessibility and tissue damage.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 46 citations
Article Tier 2

Polypropylene microplastics affect the distribution and bioavailability of cadmium by changing soil components during soil aging

A 180-day soil aging experiment with polypropylene microplastics at 2-10% concentration showed that microplastics altered the distribution of cadmium between soil particle-associated organic matter, organo-mineral complexes, and mineral fractions. Higher microplastic concentrations shifted cadmium toward more stable organo-mineral associations, reducing its bioavailability over time.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 73 citations
Article Tier 2

Under flooding conditions, controlled-release fertiliser coated microplastics affect the growth and accumulation of cadmium in rice by increasing the fluidity of cadmium and interfering with metabolic pathways

Researchers studied the combined effects of polyurethane controlled-release fertilizer-coated microplastics and cadmium on rice growth under flooding conditions, finding that microplastics increased cadmium mobility in soil and disrupted plant metabolic pathways. The results highlight that microplastic contamination in paddy systems can worsen heavy metal accumulation in rice under flooding.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 25 citations
Article Tier 2

[Characteristics and Mechanism of Cd Release and Transport in Soil Contaminated with PE-Cd].

Researchers investigated how polyethylene (PE) microplastics affect the sorption and transport of cadmium (Cd) in soil, examining the characteristics and mechanisms of Cd release under PE contamination. Their findings reveal that microplastics alter soil physicochemical properties and sorption capacity, influencing heavy metal mobility and distribution in terrestrial ecosystems.

2024 PubMed 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics alter cadmium accumulation in different soil-plant systems: Revealing the crucial roles of soil bacteria and metabolism

A study found that microplastics in soil can change how much cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, is absorbed by food crops, with the effects varying depending on soil type and the amount of plastic present. By altering soil chemistry and bacterial communities, microplastics reshape how pollutants move through farmland and into the food we eat.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of biodegradable microplastics and Cd co-pollution on Cd bioavailability and plastisphere in soil-plant system

Researchers examined how biodegradable microplastics interact with cadmium contamination in agricultural soil where lettuce is grown. They found that the biodegradable plastics indirectly increased cadmium availability to plants by lowering soil pH and changing soil chemistry. The study suggests that even eco-friendly biodegradable plastics may worsen heavy metal contamination risks in farming soils.

2024 Chemosphere 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in soils with contrasting texture, organic carbon and mineralogy: changes in cadmium adsorption forms and their mobility in soil columns

This study investigated how high-density polyethylene microplastics alter the behavior of cadmium — a toxic heavy metal — in soils with different textures, organic carbon contents, and mineral compositions. Using soil column experiments, researchers found that microplastics changed how cadmium binds to soil particles and how easily it leaches downward, with effects varying depending on the soil type and microplastic particle size. Since cadmium is a known carcinogen and agricultural soils commonly contain both microplastics and heavy metals, understanding their interactions is critical for food safety.

2025 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

New insights into the decrease in Cd2+ bioavailability in sediments by microplastics: Role of geochemical properties

Researchers investigated how polyethylene terephthalate microplastics alter the geochemical properties of sediments in ways that reduce the bioavailability of cadmium. PET microplastics shifted cadmium from the readily exchangeable fraction to the organically bound fraction, and the associated changes in microbial activity and organic carbon explained much of the reduction in cadmium bioavailability.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Response of occurrence in microplastics and its adsorped cadmium capacity to simulated agricultural environmental scenarios in sludge-amended soil

Researchers found that UV irradiation of microplastics in sludge-amended soil most significantly increased their capacity to adsorb cadmium, due to surface changes including increased surface area, new crystal formation, and altered functional groups, raising concerns about heavy metal mobilization in agricultural soils.

2023 Environmental Research 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Changes in the spectroscopic response of soil organic matters by PBAT microplastics regulated the Cd adsorption behaviors in different soils

Researchers conducted a 60-day incubation experiment using PBAT microplastics at different sizes and doses in farmland and woodland soils to examine how MPs alter dissolved organic matter (DOM) and cadmium adsorption behavior. PBAT modified DOM composition and fluorescence properties in soil-type-dependent ways, and these DOM changes in turn regulated how much cadmium the soils could adsorb.

2025 Environmental Geochemistry and Health 4 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

Dual Effects of PVC Microplastics on Cd Mobility in Red Soil: Enhanced Aqueous Concentration Versus Reduced Soil Bioavailability

Microplastics in farmland soils don't just stay put — they can change how toxic metals like cadmium move through the soil and into groundwater. This study found that PVC microplastics dramatically altered cadmium's behavior in red clay soils, doubling the amount of cadmium leaching into soil water while reducing the form available for plant uptake — a paradoxical finding that means lower risk to crops but higher risk of cadmium reaching streams and wells. The results underscore that microplastic pollution and heavy metal contamination in agricultural soils must be assessed together, not in isolation.

2025 Land Degradation and Development 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of polypropylene microplastics on the distribution of cadmium, enzyme activities, and bacterial community in black soil at the aggregate level

Researchers found that adding polypropylene microplastics to soil contaminated with cadmium (a toxic heavy metal) changed how the metal distributed across different soil particle sizes and shifted bacterial communities. The microplastics increased cadmium availability in some soil fractions, potentially making it easier for plants to absorb this toxic metal. This suggests that microplastic-contaminated farmland may pose greater heavy metal exposure risks for crops and, ultimately, for people who eat them.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Metal type and aggregate microenvironment govern the response sequence of speciation transformation of different heavy metals to microplastics in soil

A five-month soil incubation experiment showed that polyethylene microplastics shifted heavy metals like zinc and cadmium from bioavailable forms toward organic-bound forms in soil aggregates, reducing their immediate availability to plants and organisms. The effect varied by metal type and aggregate size, suggesting microplastics can alter the environmental behavior of multiple co-contaminants simultaneously.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 160 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics in soil on the regulation of cadmium bioavailability by biochar

Researchers investigated how biochar amendments affect cadmium bioavailability in soils co-contaminated with microplastics, finding that the presence of microplastics altered cadmium mobility and complicated biochar's remediation effectiveness in ways that depend on the specific MP type present.

2025 Environmental Geochemistry and Health 2 citations