Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Conventional and biodegradable microplastics affected arsenic mobility and methylation in paddy soils through distinct chemical-microbial pathways

A 98-day paddy soil experiment found that conventional microplastics reduced arsenic in porewater but increased methylated arsenic fractions, while biodegradable microplastics increased both porewater arsenic and methylation, suggesting distinct chemical-microbial pathways affecting arsenic mobility and toxicity.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 9 citations
Article Tier 2

The role of microplastics in altering arsenic fractionation and microbial community structures in arsenic-contaminated riverine sediments

The addition of microplastics to arsenic-contaminated riverine sediments altered arsenic fractionation and shifted microbial community structures, with biodegradable plastics producing different effects compared to conventional polymers. The study demonstrates that microplastics can modify the environmental behavior of co-existing toxic metals in sediment ecosystems.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 66 citations
Article Tier 2

Soil pH has a stronger effect than arsenic content on shaping plastisphere bacterial communities in soil

Soil pH had a stronger influence than arsenic contamination on shaping the bacterial communities colonizing microplastic surfaces (plastisphere) in contaminated soils, highlighting pH as a key driver of plastisphere ecology.

2021 Environmental Pollution 72 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of microplastics and arsenic on nutrients and microorganisms in rice rhizosphere soil

Researchers investigated how polystyrene and polytetrafluoroethylene microplastics interact with arsenic contamination in rice rhizosphere soil. The study found that microplastics reduced arsenic bioavailability and altered microbial communities, while both pollutants together inhibited key soil enzyme activities and reduced available nitrogen and phosphorus, suggesting combined microplastic-arsenic pollution can impair nutrient cycling and crop growth.

2021 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 406 citations
Article Tier 2

Regulatory mechanism of microplastics on arsenic bioavailability in a subtropical estuary, China

Researchers investigated the regulatory mechanisms by which microplastics influence arsenic bioavailability in sediments of the Min River estuary, a subtropical estuary in China, finding that microplastic pollution alters the dynamics of bioavailable arsenic through interactions with sediment geochemistry and microbial communities.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment
Article Tier 2

Effects of nano- or microplastic exposure combined with arsenic on soil bacterial, fungal, and protistan communities

Researchers studied the combined and individual effects of arsenic and micro- or nanoplastics on soil bacterial, fungal, and protistan communities. The study found that combined pollution distinctly altered the composition of these microbial communities, with protistan communities being particularly sensitive, indicating that the co-occurrence of plastics and heavy metals in soil may have compounding ecological effects.

2021 Chemosphere 60 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastic stimulates metalloid leaching from historically contaminated soil via indirect displacement

Researchers found that negatively charged polystyrene nanoplastics unexpectedly enhanced arsenic leaching from historically contaminated soil by displacing arsenic from soil binding sites rather than through direct adsorption, challenging assumptions about nanoplastic contaminant co-transport.

2022 Water Research 30 citations
Article Tier 2

The effects of ageing process on the release of arsenic into soil pore water and related phytotoxicity assessed based on seed germination

Not relevant to microplastics — this paper investigates how arsenic contamination in soil changes over time and its toxic effects on plant seed germination.

2023 Soil Science Annual 2 citations
Article Tier 2

As(III) adsorption onto different-sized polystyrene microplastic particles and its mechanism

Researchers studied how arsenic adsorbs onto polystyrene microplastic particles of different sizes prepared by ball milling. They found that smaller particles with greater surface area adsorbed more arsenic, with hydrogen bonding and electrostatic attraction driving the process. The study indicates that microplastics in the environment could serve as carriers for arsenic contamination, with adsorption influenced by pH, temperature, and the presence of other ions.

2019 Chemosphere 331 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyethylene microplastics alter the microbial functional gene abundances and increase nitrous oxide emissions from paddy soils

Researchers found that polyethylene microplastics in paddy soils significantly increased nitrous oxide emissions by altering microbial community structure and functional gene abundances related to nitrogen cycling.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 189 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics shape microbial communities affecting soil organic matter decomposition in paddy soil

Researchers found that microplastics shape soil microbial communities in paddy soils in ways that affect organic matter decomposition, revealing how bacterial succession and carbon cycling are altered by microplastic presence in agricultural systems.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 181 citations
Article Tier 2

Arsenic adsorption by carboxylate and amino modified polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics: kinetics and mechanisms

Researchers found that functionalized polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics can adsorb arsenic from water, with carboxylate-modified particles showing higher capacity than amino-modified ones, and that salinity and humic acids inhibit adsorption, confirming microplastics can alter arsenic behavior in ecosystems.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of arsenic on the transport and attachment of microplastics in porous media

Researchers studied how arsenic, a common groundwater contaminant, affects the movement of microplastics through soil. They found that arsenic in water generally reduced how far microplastics traveled by promoting their attachment to soil particles, though this effect depended on arsenic concentration, water flow speed, and soil moisture levels. The findings help predict how microplastics and heavy metals may interact and spread together in underground water systems.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of different size polylactic acid on arsenic migration and rhizosphere microorganisms in soil-rice system

Researchers found that polylactic acid (PLA), a common biodegradable microplastic, increased the availability of toxic arsenic in rice paddies by changing soil chemistry and promoting bacteria that convert arsenic into more dangerous forms. Nano-sized PLA particles were particularly harmful, promoting arsenic uptake into rice plants, while larger particles actually blocked it. This study is important for food safety because it shows that even biodegradable plastics in agricultural soil can increase toxic contamination in rice, a staple food for billions of people.

2025 Environmental Pollution 9 citations
Article Tier 2

A novel mechanism study of microplastic and As co-contamination on indica rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Researchers used pot experiments and computational chemistry to study how polystyrene and polytetrafluoroethylene microplastics affect arsenic uptake in rice plants. They found that both types of microplastics interacted with rice root compounds and influenced how much arsenic the plants absorbed from contaminated soil. The study reveals a previously unknown mechanism by which microplastic pollution in agricultural soils could increase toxic metal accumulation in a major food crop.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 141 citations
Article Tier 2

Water-dependent effects of biodegradable microplastics on arsenic fractionation in soil: Insights from enzyme degradation and synchrotron-based X-ray analysis

This study examined water-dependent effects of biodegradable microplastics on arsenic fractionation in soil, finding that moisture regime significantly modifies how biodegradable plastic additions alter arsenic mobility and bioavailability.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanistic insight into interactive effect of microplastics and arsenic on growth of rice (Oryza sativa L.) and soil health indicators

Researchers tested how different types of microplastics interact with arsenic contamination in rice paddy soil, finding that biodegradable PLA microplastics actually increased arsenic uptake by rice plants by up to 39%. In contrast, conventional polyethylene microplastics slightly reduced arsenic absorption. This is an important finding because as agriculture shifts toward biodegradable plastics, they may inadvertently increase the transfer of toxic heavy metals from soil into food crops.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Responses of methane production and methanogenic pathways to polystyrene nanoplastics exposure in paddy soil

Researchers examined how polystyrene nanoplastics affect methane production in paddy soil, which is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. They found that nanoplastics altered the microbial communities responsible for methane generation and shifted the dominant pathways used to produce the gas. The study suggests that nanoplastic contamination in rice paddies could influence greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural land.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic mediated arsenic toxicity involves differential bioavailability of arsenic and modulated uptake in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Researchers examined how polyethylene and polylactic acid microplastics interact with arsenic contamination in rice paddies. They found that at low arsenic levels, microplastics actually reduced arsenic uptake by rice plants, but at high arsenic concentrations the combination produced synergistic toxic effects. The study reveals that the interaction between microplastics and heavy metals in agricultural soils is more complex than previously thought and depends heavily on contaminant concentration levels.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of polystyrene microplastics on the distribution behaviors and mechanisms of metalloid As(III) and As(V) on pipe scales in drinking water distribution systems

Researchers examined how polystyrene microplastics affect the distribution and adsorption mechanisms of arsenic species As(III) and As(V) onto pipe scales in drinking water distribution systems under varying water conditions. The study found that polystyrene microplastics competed with pipe scale surfaces for arsenic adsorption, altering the partitioning of metalloid contaminants and raising concerns about microplastic-mediated changes to drinking water quality.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials