Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Impact of microplastic pollution in terrestrial ecosystem on index and engineering properties of sandy soil: An experimental investigation

Researchers tested how different concentrations of three common plastic types affect the physical and engineering properties of sandy soil. They found that increasing microplastic contamination significantly altered soil characteristics including liquid limit, plasticity, compaction, and shear strength. The findings suggest that microplastic pollution in the ground could potentially compromise the structural stability of soil used in construction and land management.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Geotechnical Implications of Microplastics: A Review of Their Effects on Soil Mechanical Parameters

This review compiled and analyzed findings from previous studies on how microplastics affect soil mechanical parameters — including compressibility, permeability, shear strength, settlement, and slope stability — concluding that microplastic contamination can substantially alter geotechnical soil behavior with implications for engineering and construction.

2025 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Impact of microplastics on strength parameters of clayey, Sandy, silty soil: A comparative assessment

Researchers conducted a comparative study examining how three types of microplastics at different concentrations affect the strength properties of sandy, silty, and clayey soils over a 30-day period. They found that LDPE, HDPE, and PVC contamination at environmentally relevant levels altered key soil properties including moisture content, density, and shear strength. The study highlights that microplastic pollution could compromise soil structural integrity, with implications for construction and geotechnical engineering.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Geotechnical Implications of Microplastics: A Review of Their Effects on Soil Mechanical Parameters

This review compiled and analyzed findings from previous studies on how microplastics affect soil mechanical parameters — including compressibility, permeability, shear strength, settlement, and slope stability — concluding that microplastic contamination can substantially alter geotechnical soil behavior with implications for engineering and construction.

2025 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in soils: an environmental geotechnics perspective

This geotechnical engineering perspective reviewed microplastic contamination in soils and the terrestrial subsurface, examining how MPs alter soil mechanical properties — including shear strength, hydraulic conductivity, and compressibility — and arguing that geotechnical impacts have been underappreciated in environmental assessments.

2021 Environmental Geotechnics 108 citations
Article Tier 2

Water retention and hydraulic properties of a natural soil subjected to microplastic contaminations and leachate exposures

Researchers studied how microplastic contamination affects the water-holding and flow properties of compacted soil, a scenario relevant to engineering applications like landfill liners. They found that microplastics altered the soil's ability to retain water and changed both saturated and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity, with effects varying by particle size and leachate age. The study suggests that microplastic-contaminated soils may behave differently than expected in engineered structures.

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

Microplastic Contamination in Soils: A Review from Geotechnical Engineering View

Researchers reviewed microplastic contamination in soils from a geotechnical engineering perspective, examining how plastic degradation leads to widespread soil contamination. They identified landfills and various geotechnical applications such as tire chip fills and polystyrene lightweight fills as potential sources of microplastic pollution in soils. The review highlights the need for geotechnical engineers to consider the long-term effects of microplastic contamination on soil properties and groundwater quality.

2021 Polymers 71 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of low-density polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, and high-density polyethylene micro-plastic contamination on the index and engineering properties of clayey soil- an experimental study

Researchers examined how low-density polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, and high-density polyethylene microplastics affect the index and engineering properties of clayey soil, finding that microplastic contamination alters soil behavior relevant to geotechnical engineering.

2022 Environmental Research 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastic contamination on the hydraulic, water retention, and desiccation crack properties of a natural clay exposed to leachate

Researchers examined how microplastic contamination affects the physical properties of natural clay soil exposed to landfill leachate. They found that microplastics significantly increased the soil's water permeability, reduced its water retention capacity, and altered desiccation cracking patterns. The findings suggest that microplastic pollution could compromise the integrity of clay barriers used in landfill liners and other engineering applications.

2023 Journal of Environmental Management 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on the hydraulic properties and pore characteristics of compacted soil

Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics affect the hydraulic properties and pore structure of compacted soil, finding that higher microplastic concentrations disrupted pore size distribution and reduced saturated hydraulic conductivity while altering water retention capacity.

2025 Soil and Tillage Research 4 citations
Article Tier 2

How Do Microplastics Affect Physical Properties of Silt Loam Soil under Wetting–Drying Cycles?

Researchers investigated how microplastics of different sizes and types affect the physical properties of silt loam soil under repeated wetting and drying cycles. The study found that microplastics altered soil water retention and structural stability during these cycles, with effects varying based on particle size and polymer type, indicating that microplastic contamination could influence agricultural soil behavior.

2023 Agronomy 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Can Microplastic Pollution Change Soil-Water Dynamics? Results from Controlled Laboratory Experiments

Researchers conducted controlled laboratory experiments examining how microplastic shape and concentration affect soil water-holding capacity and evaporation in fine sand, finding through statistical and non-parametric analyses that microplastic pollution at environmentally relevant concentrations significantly altered both hydrological parameters.

2022 Water 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Strain-Dependent Effects of Microplastic Contamination on the Strength and Modulus of Kaolin Clay

When wildfires burn plastic materials near cities, they create tiny plastic particles called microplastics that settle into soil with the ash. Scientists found that when these microplastics mix with clay soil, they change how strong and stiff the soil is, which could affect building foundations and construction safety. This matters because wildfires are becoming more common, potentially making contaminated soil a bigger problem for communities rebuilding after fires.

2026
Article Tier 2

Concentration‐ and Size‐Dependent Influences of Microplastics on Soil Hydraulic Properties and Water Flow

Researchers investigated how microplastic concentration and particle size affect soil hydraulic properties and water flow. They found that microplastic contamination reduced saturated conductivity by up to 50% and inhibited water infiltration, with higher concentrations and larger particle sizes leading to weaker soil water-holding capacity.

2025 European Journal of Soil Science 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Behaviour and transport of microplastics under saturated flow conditions in sediments and soils

Researchers investigated the behaviour and transport of microplastics under saturated flow conditions in sediments and soils, examining how particle properties influence movement through porous media. The study aimed to improve understanding of subsurface microplastic fate and transport relevant to both soil and groundwater contamination.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Indirect Effects of Microplastic-Contaminated Soils on Adjacent Soil Layers: Vertical Changes in Soil Physical Structure and Water Flow

Laboratory experiments showed that microplastic contamination in upper soil layers indirectly altered the physical structure and water flow of adjacent uncontaminated lower soil layers, suggesting that microplastics can affect soil hydrology beyond their immediate zone of contamination.

2021 Frontiers in Environmental Science 61 citations
Article Tier 2

Vertical migration of microplastics in porous media: Multiple controlling factors under wet-dry cycling

Researchers studied how microplastics move vertically through sandy soil during cycles of wetting and drying, testing four common plastic types at various particle sizes. They found that smaller, more hydrophobic particles migrated deeper, and that frequent wet-dry cycles and the presence of dissolved organic matter accelerated downward movement. The findings suggest that microplastics in agricultural soils could potentially reach groundwater, posing risks to underground water quality.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 161 citations
Article Tier 2

Overlooked yet critical pathways for microplastics input to soil and groundwater system: Transport mechanisms and simulation predictions in landfill environments

Researchers systematically investigated how microplastics travel through landfill soils into groundwater, examining the effects of particle density, size, polymer type, temperature, and salinity on transport. The study used column experiments and computational modeling to reveal that landfill conditions create overlooked but critical pathways for microplastic contamination of soil and groundwater systems.

2025 Water Research 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of microplastic contamination on the rheology properties of sediments in a eutrophic shallow lake

Researchers assessed the impact of microplastic contamination on the rheological properties of sediments in a eutrophic shallow lake, examining how plastic particles alter erosion resistance and sediment mechanics. Results indicated that microplastic accumulation measurably changes the physical behavior of lake sediments.

2024 Environmental Pollution 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Transport Mechanisms of Microplastics in Clean Sand under Cyclic Hydraulic Gradients

This laboratory study used column experiments to investigate how microplastics migrate through clean sand under cyclic hydraulic gradients — simulating conditions like flood-and-dry cycles or tidal fluctuations. The results showed that repeated changes in water flow direction caused microplastics to become trapped and remobilized in complex patterns, with pore-network changes playing a key role. Understanding how microplastics move through soils under climate-change-intensified weather extremes is crucial for predicting how these particles spread into groundwater and deeper sediment layers.

2025 Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering 1 citations