Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL MICROPLASTICS ON PHYTOREMEDIATION OF Cu, Mn and Sr  FROM SERBIAN URBAN SOILS

Researchers investigated the prevalence of microplastics in soils from four Serbian cities and evaluated how microplastic contamination affects the uptake of copper, manganese, and strontium by the bioindicator plant Capsella bursa-pastoris, assessing implications for phytoremediation of urban contaminated soils.

2025 Metallurgical & Materials Engineering Congress of South-East Europe
Article Tier 2

Distribution of microplastics in (sub)urban soils of Serbia and Cd, As, and Pb uptake by Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Medik

Researchers surveyed urban and suburban soils in Serbia and found widespread microplastic contamination that influenced how plants absorb heavy metals like cadmium, arsenic, and lead. The presence of microplastics in soil altered the availability of these toxic metals to the medicinal plant shepherd's purse. The study highlights that microplastics can change how other pollutants move through the soil-plant system, potentially affecting both ecosystem and human health.

2024 Chemosphere 5 citations
Article Tier 2

The Effect of Microplastics-Plants on the Bioavailability of Copper and Zinc in the Soil of a Sewage Irrigation Area

Researchers examined how different concentrations of microplastics affect the bioavailability of copper and zinc in sewage-irrigated soils, finding that microplastics can alter heavy metal mobility and plant uptake, with implications for food safety in contaminated agricultural areas.

2023 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 9 citations
Article Tier 2

The role of microplastic pollution in the modification of the physicochemical properties of arable soil and uptake of potential toxic elements by plants

Researchers conducted a series of studies analyzing how microplastic pollution modifies the physicochemical properties of arable soil and affects the uptake of potentially toxic heavy metals by plants, beginning with a comprehensive literature review of microplastic interactions with plant physiology, metals, pesticides, and pathogens.

2025 Prace Naukowe Uniwersytetu Ekonomicznego we Wrocławiu
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene-nickel interactions in soil: Implications for metal mobility, plant uptake, and human health

Researchers grew medicinal plants (Capsella bursa-pastoris) in soil contaminated with polystyrene microplastics and nickel and found that microplastics increased nickel mobility and bioavailability by shifting metal speciation toward more extractable soil fractions, raising human health risks through plant uptake.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Meta-analysis of impacts of microplastics on plant heavy metal(loid) accumulation

A meta-analysis of 3,226 observations found that microplastics promoted plant uptake of cadmium (11%), lead (30%), and copper (47.1%) in shoots, but decreased arsenic accumulation by 22.6%. Microplastics increased available soil concentrations of these metal cations while lowering soil pH, with machine learning revealing that soil pH and total heavy metal concentration are the primary drivers of plant metal accumulation.

2024 Environmental Pollution 61 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of microplastics on bioaccumulation of heavy metals in rape (Brassica napus L.)

Researchers found that microplastics influenced the bioaccumulation of copper and lead in rapeseed plants, with effects varying by microplastic concentration and heavy metal type, revealing how plastic pollution may alter contaminant uptake in crops.

2021 Chemosphere 165 citations
Article Tier 2

Influencing mechanisms of microplastics existence on soil heavy metals accumulated by plants

This review summarizes existing research on how microplastics in soil affect the uptake of heavy metals by plants. Microplastics can change soil chemistry and microbial communities in ways that alter how much toxic metals plants absorb through their roots. This is concerning for human health because microplastic-contaminated agricultural soil could lead to crops that contain higher levels of dangerous heavy metals.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 55 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of Different Microplastic Forms on pH and Mobility of Cu2+ and Pb2+ in Soil

Researchers investigated how different microplastic forms influence soil pH and the mobility of copper and lead ions, finding that microplastics' surface properties and electrostatic interactions can modify heavy metal sorption and alter the soil microenvironment.

2022 Molecules 92 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic-Mediated Heavy Metal Uptake in Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.): Implications for Food Safety and Agricultural Sustainability

Researchers grew lettuce in contaminated soil mixed with different types of microplastics, including fibers, glitter, and fragments from bags and bottles. They found that microplastics altered how heavy metals like lead, cadmium, and copper moved through the soil and into the plants, sometimes increasing uptake of toxic metals in roots while decreasing others in leaves. The results raise concerns about food safety in agricultural areas where both microplastic and heavy metal contamination overlap.

2025 Molecules 3 citations
Article Tier 2

ИСТОЧНИКИ И ПУТИ ТРАНСЛОКАЦИИ МИКРОПЛАСТИКА В ПОЧВЕ И РАСТЕНИЯХ

This review examines sources and translocation pathways of microplastics in soil and plants across agricultural and other terrestrial ecosystems, discussing how microplastics sorb heavy metals and other pollutants and reviewing evidence for their bioaccumulation in agricultural products and implications for human health.

2022 Проблемы агрохимии и экологии
Article Tier 2

Antidote or Trojan horse for submerged macrophytes: Role of microplastics in copper toxicity in aquatic environments

Researchers investigated whether polyethylene microplastics act as an antidote or a Trojan horse for copper toxicity to submerged aquatic plants. The study found that microplastics reduced dissolved copper concentrations through adsorption but could then release copper-loaded particles that were taken up by plants. The results suggest that microplastics may initially reduce copper toxicity in water but ultimately serve as carriers that deliver copper directly into plant tissues.

2022 Water Research 53 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of soil microplastics: An overview on toxicity, effects on heavy metals adsorption, solid-phase extraction, and detection techniques

This review examined how microplastics in soil enter the food chain and pose human health risks, with particular attention to their role as carriers for heavy metals. Agricultural practices like plastic mulching and sewage sludge application were identified as major sources of soil MP contamination.

2025 Sustainable Environment
Article Tier 2

Impact of Co-Contaminants (Microplastics and Others) on Heavy Metal/Metalloid Toxicity and Accumulation in Plants

This review examines how microplastics act as co-contaminants alongside heavy metals and metalloids in agricultural soils, influencing their toxicity and uptake by plants. Researchers found that the presence of microplastics can alter how metals like cadmium, arsenic, and lead accumulate in plant tissues, with implications for crop safety and agricultural productivity.

2026 International Journal of Environment and Climate Change
Article Tier 2

Microbial synergies in phytoremediation: A comprehensive review

Not relevant to microplastics — this is a review of how soil microorganisms (bacteria, fungi) assist plants in removing pollutants like heavy metals and hydrocarbons through phytoremediation; while the study addresses environmental contamination broadly, it does not examine microplastic pollution or its effects.

2026 International Journal of Advanced Biochemistry Research
Article Tier 2

Quantification and Ecotoxicological Evolution of Microplastics in Soil Ecosystem

This review discusses methods for quantifying microplastics in soil and aquatic sediments and assesses their ecotoxicological effects on invertebrates, plants, and microbes, finding that MPs impair soil function and food web dynamics across concentration ranges commonly found in contaminated environments.

2025
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Mediterranean Agricultural Soils: Effects on Soil Properties, Metal Accumulation in Plants, and Implications for Sustainable Agroecosystems

Scientists found that tiny plastic particles in soil make it easier for toxic metals like lead and zinc to move into plants we might eat. Even small amounts of microplastics changed how metals behave in the soil, with some types of plastic causing up to 20% more metal absorption in plants. This matters because these contaminated plants could end up in our food supply, potentially increasing our exposure to harmful metals.

2026 Sustainability
Article Tier 2

Coexistence of microplastics and heavy metals in soil: Occurrence, transport, key interactions and effect on plants

This review examines how microplastics and heavy metals like lead, cadmium, and arsenic interact in soil, often creating combined toxic effects on plants that differ from either pollutant alone. These interactions are relevant to human health because contaminated crops can transfer both microplastics and heavy metals to people through the food supply.

2024 Environmental Research 57 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of micro and nanoplastics on plant-assisted bioremediation for contaminated soil recovery: A review

This review examines how the growing presence of micro- and nanoplastics in contaminated soils affects plant-assisted bioremediation, finding that microplastics disrupt the plant-microbe rhizosphere interactions that make phytoremediation effective for removing heavy metals and degrading organic pollutants.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment
Article Tier 2

Microplastics can affect soil properties and chemical speciation of metals in yellow-brown soil

Researchers added five polymer types (LLDPE, PA, PU, PS, LDPE) at various concentrations to yellow-brown soil and measured their effects on soil physicochemical properties and the speciation of cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc. MPs shifted heavy metal distribution toward more bioavailable fractions, suggesting that microplastic contamination can increase the extractability and potential toxicity of co-occurring metals in soil.

2022 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 79 citations
Article Tier 2

Uncovering the intricate relationship between plant nutrients and microplastics in agroecosystems

A study of wheat grown in soils with varying microplastic levels found complex interactions between MPs and plant macronutrients and micronutrients, with MPs altering nutrient uptake in ways that could affect crop productivity in contaminated agricultural soils.

2023 Chemosphere 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of nanoplastic debris on the stability and transport of metal oxide nanoparticles: role of varying soil solution chemistry

Researchers investigated how nanoplastic debris affects the stability and transport of copper oxide nanoparticles in soil solutions extracted from three soil types, finding that nanoplastic presence significantly reduced nanoparticle aggregation and sedimentation rates and dramatically increased nanoparticle mobility through soil columns, raising concerns about combined contamination enhancing metal nanoparticle spread in terrestrial environments.

2022 Chemosphere 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Insights into How Degradable Microplastics Enhance Cu2+ Mobility in Soil Through Interfacial Interaction

Degradable microplastics were found to enhance the mobility of copper ions in soil through interfacial chemical interactions, potentially spreading heavy metal contamination beyond its original source. The study highlights an unexpected way that biodegradable plastics can worsen co-contaminant risks in polluted soils.

2025 Toxics 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on the phytoremediation of Cd, Pb, and Zn contaminated soils by Solanum photeinocarpum and Lantana camara

Researchers found that polyethylene microplastics at different concentrations affected the phytoremediation efficiency of cadmium, lead, and zinc from contaminated soils by Solanum photeinocarpum and Lantana camara, with effects varying by microplastic dose and plant species.

2023 Environmental Research 56 citations