Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Effects of soil properties and land use patterns on the distribution of microplastics: A case study in southwest China

Researchers surveyed microplastic contamination in soils across different land use types in Guizhou Province, southwest China. The study found that soil properties and land use patterns significantly influence microplastic abundance and distribution, with agricultural and urban soils generally showing higher contamination levels than less intensively managed areas.

2024 Journal of Environmental Management 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Characterization of Microplastics and Associated Heavy Metals in Urban Soils Affected by Anthropogenic Littering: Distribution, Spatial Variation, and Influence of Soil Properties

Researchers sampled soils across residential, commercial, and industrial land-use types in urban areas and found microplastics in every location, with polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyamide as the dominant polymer types, at concentrations up to 850,000 particles per kilogram. Heavy metals were also associated with the plastic particles, meaning microplastics in urban soil may serve as combined carriers of chemical toxicants. The findings highlight urban soil as a major but underappreciated reservoir of microplastic pollution.

2023 Soil and Sediment Contamination An International Journal 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in urban soils of Nanjing in eastern China: Occurrence, relationships, and sources

Researchers surveyed microplastics in urban green space soils across Nanjing, China, finding an average abundance of 461 particles per kilogram with fibers and fragments as the dominant forms. Source analysis linked microplastic patterns to nearby delivery and recycling activity points, suggesting that urban logistics infrastructure is an underrecognized microplastic source.

2022 Chemosphere 55 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Urban Soils From Different Land Use Activities of Cyberjaya (Malaysia): Exploring Occurrence, Relationships, Sources and Pollution Level

Researchers surveyed urban soils across five different land uses in Cyberjaya, Malaysia, and found microplastics in all of them, with construction areas showing the highest concentrations. The types of plastic particles varied by location, suggesting that the sources and characteristics of soil microplastic contamination depend on what activities take place in that area.

2024 Land Degradation and Development 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Co-occurrence of light microplastics and phthalate esters in soils of China

Researchers investigated the co-occurrence of light microplastics and phthalate esters in Chinese soils, finding both pollutants present in all sampled agricultural and urban soils with significant correlations suggesting shared sources of plastic-derived contamination.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of land-use patterns on soil microplastics: Distribution characteristics and driving factors in southern China’s Pearl River Delta

A study across different land-use types in China's Pearl River Delta found that agricultural land had higher soil microplastic concentrations than urban or forested areas, with land-use history and plastic mulch film use as the dominant factors controlling MP distribution and polymer composition.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in urban green-belt soil in Shihezi City, China

Researchers found microplastic concentrations ranging from 287 to 3,227 particles per kilogram in urban green-belt soils in Shihezi City, China, with fibers dominating and polystyrene and polyethylene as the primary polymer types, pointing to atmospheric deposition and road runoff as key sources.

2022 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Are microplastics correlated to phthalates in facility agriculture soil?

A study of agricultural soils from facility greenhouses and open fields in two Chinese vegetable-growing regions found MP concentrations of 380–3,786 pieces/kg and phthalate ester (PAE) levels of 0.30–1.58 mg/kg, with greenhouse soils significantly higher in MPs but not consistently in PAEs.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 151 citations
Article Tier 2

Vertical distribution and characteristics of soil microplastics under different land use patterns: A case study of Shouguang City, China

Researchers systematically investigated microplastic distribution across seven land use types and three soil depth layers in Shouguang City, China. The study found that greenhouse and polytunnel agricultural soils had the highest microplastic abundance, dominated by polyethylene and polypropylene film fragments, with concentrations decreasing with depth but still reaching 11-19% of total levels in the deepest layer at 40-60 centimeters.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 49 citations
Article Tier 2

Characterization of microplastics and the association of heavy metals with microplastics in suburban soil of central China

Microplastics in suburban soils of central China were characterized across three land-use types, with woodland containing the highest concentrations (4.1×10³ particles/kg) and 81.7% of particles under 100 μm, while XRF analysis confirmed heavy metals were enriched on plastic surfaces compared to surrounding soil. The study confirms that smaller microplastics are the dominant form and can act as carriers for heavy metal contamination in urban-adjacent soils.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 572 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic diversity, risks and soil impacts: A multi-metric assessment across land-use systems

Researchers surveyed microplastic abundance, polymer diversity, and ecological risk across seven land-use types in India's Brahmaputra Valley, finding that built-up areas had the highest particle counts while forest soils paradoxically showed the greatest polymer hazard scores due to high-risk polymers, and that land-use type shapes both the quantity and composition of soil microplastic contamination.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic and mesoplastic pollution in farmland soils in suburbs of Shanghai, China

Vegetable farmland soils from 20 sites in Shanghai suburbs were analyzed for micro- and mesoplastics, finding microplastic concentrations of 78 items/kg in shallow (0–3 cm) and 62.5 items/kg in deep (3–6 cm) soils, and identifying PE and PP as dominant polymers. The study documents microplastic contamination in peri-urban farmland soils surrounding one of China's most densely populated cities.

2018 Environmental Pollution 1233 citations
Article Tier 2

Temporal and spatial distribution of microplastics in green infrastructures: Rain gardens

Researchers measured temporal and spatial distribution of microplastics in green areas including parks and urban forests, finding particles across all sampled sites with concentration patterns influenced by proximity to roads, human activity, and atmospheric deposition. The results indicate that even urban green spaces are not free from microplastic contamination.

2024 Chemosphere 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Urban Microplastic Pollution Revealed by a Large-Scale Wetland Soil Survey

Researchers conducted a large-scale survey of wetland soils across an urban area and found an average of 379 microplastic particles per kilogram, with abundance closely linked to proximity to the city's economic center. Polypropylene was the most common polymer type, and fiber and fragment shapes dominated the samples. The study found that atmospheric particle pollution and heavy metal concentrations in soil were strongly correlated with microplastic levels, suggesting shared urban pollution sources.

2023 Environmental Science & Technology 65 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of land use on the distribution of soil microplastics in the Lihe River watershed, China

Researchers surveyed microplastic contamination across five different land use types in a Chinese river watershed. They found that urban soils had the highest microplastic levels, followed by agricultural areas, with woodland having the lowest, and that population density strongly correlated with microplastic diversity. The study suggests that human activity intensity and plastic waste disposal are the main drivers of soil microplastic pollution at the watershed scale.

2023 Chemosphere 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Significant influence of land use types and anthropogenic activities on the distribution of microplastics in soil: A case from a typical mining-agricultural city

Scientists surveyed microplastic pollution across five types of land in a Chinese mining-agricultural city and found the highest levels in greenhouse farmland, with nearly 3,738 particles per kilogram of soil. Agricultural plastic waste, irrigation water, and fertilizers were identified as the main sources of contamination. The study shows that farming practices are major contributors to microplastic buildup in the soil that produces our food.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 54 citations
Article Tier 2

Accumulation of soil microplastics and phthalate esters in nine typical Chinese croplands using plastic mulch film

Researchers conducted a harmonized analysis of microplastics and phthalate esters in agricultural soils from nine mulched crop regions across six Chinese provinces, finding microplastic abundances ranging from 2.4 million to higher concentrations in the 0–30 cm soil layer, with phthalate co-contamination.

2025 Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Effects of agricultural land types on microplastic abundance: A nationwide meta-analysis in China

Meta-analysis of 321 observations across Chinese agricultural soils found that vegetable-growing soils had the highest microplastic contamination, followed by orchards, cropland, and grassland. Agricultural film mulch significantly increased soil microplastic levels, especially in orchards, while higher population density and economic activity correlated with increased contamination across all land types.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Pollution in Residential Soils

Researchers collected surface soil from three residential density zones in Surabaya, Indonesia, and characterized microplastics by abundance, shape, color, and polymer type. Microplastics were present in all samples, with concentrations higher in denser residential areas, likely reflecting greater per-capita plastic use and outdoor plastic degradation.

2025 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS
Article Tier 2

Macro- and micro-plastic accumulation in soils under different intensive farming systems: A case study in Quzhou county, the North China Plain

Soil samples from six farming systems in the North China Plain showed macroplastic abundances from 0.2 to 46.8 kg/ha and microplastic concentrations up to 3.7×10⁴ items/kg, with greenhouse and mulched vegetable fields showing the highest contamination.

2024 Environmental Pollution 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and distribution of microplastics in coastal plain soils under three land-use types

Microplastic abundance and polymer composition were characterized in farmland, plantation, and orchard/secondary forest soils from 33 sites on the east China coastal plain. Farmland soils had significantly higher microplastic abundances than forest soils, with agricultural plastic mulching identified as the primary source of the dominant polyethylene film fragments.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 70 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in soil: a case-study from the Raffaele Viviani public park in Naples, Italy

This field study characterized microplastic contamination in soil samples from a public park in Naples, Italy, finding diverse polymer types at concentrations indicating that urban green spaces accumulate significant microplastic loads from atmospheric deposition and visitor activity.

2024
Article Tier 2

Distinct microplastic distributions in soils of different land-use types: A case study of Chinese farmlands

Microplastic distribution across six types of farmland land use was surveyed from soils in five Chinese provinces to determine how agricultural practices shape soil microplastic contamination. The study found that microplastic abundance varied significantly by land-use type, with plastic mulch film use and irrigation practices as key contributing factors.

2020 Environmental Pollution 278 citations
Article Tier 2

Abundance and characteristics of microplastics in soils with different agricultural practices: Importance of sources with internal origin and environmental fate

Microplastic abundance and characteristics were examined in soils representing four agricultural practice types in Chinese farmland to evaluate the influence of land use on plastic particle accumulation. Microplastic concentrations and polymer types varied by agricultural practice, with plastic mulch film use and irrigation water source as key drivers of farmland soil contamination.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 282 citations