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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Possible effects on plants due to microplastics in soils from wastewater effluent reuse or sewage sludge application
ClearPossible effects on plants due to microplastics in soils from wastewater effluent reuse or sewage sludge application
This chapter reviews the possible effects of microplastics in soils on plant health, with particular focus on soils irrigated with reclaimed wastewater or amended with sewage sludge — two major pathways for microplastic entry into agricultural land. Evidence suggests that microplastics can affect plant growth and may alter soil properties.
Extent and impact of microplastics on soil nutrients and biota: a trade-off assessment
This review examines the extent of microplastic inputs from sewage sludge applied to agricultural soils, synthesizing evidence on how sludge-derived microplastics affect soil nutrient availability, soil biota, plant performance, and crop productivity, concluding that the benefits of sludge as a soil amendment must be weighed against its role as a vector for microplastic contamination.
Microplastics in sewage sludge: Captured but released?
This book chapter reviews how wastewater treatment plants capture microplastics from sewage but then release them back into the environment through the application of sewage sludge to agricultural land. Treating sewage sludge as a microplastic disposal route transfers the pollution problem from water to soil.
Microplastics in Sewage Sludge: A review
This review examines the presence and fate of microplastics in sewage sludge from municipal wastewater treatment plants, a topic that has received less attention than microplastics in the water treatment line. The study highlights that agricultural application of sewage sludge is a primary source of microplastic contamination in soils, and provides a comprehensive overview of detection methods, concentrations, and the environmental implications of sludge-borne microplastics.
Microplastic contamination in sewage sludge: Abundance, characteristics, and impacts on the environment and human health
This review focuses on microplastics found in sewage sludge, which is often spread on agricultural land as fertilizer. The practice introduces microplastics directly into farm soil, where they can be taken up by crops or leach into groundwater. This creates a pathway for microplastics to reach human food and drinking water, raising concerns about the safety of using sewage sludge in agriculture.
Effects of microplastics on substance transformation, sludge characteristics, toxicological effect, and microbial communities in different biochemical sludge systems: A review
This review synthesizes evidence that microplastics impair the biological and physical processes in wastewater treatment sludge systems, inhibiting nutrient removal, disrupting microbial communities, and degrading sludge structure—with smaller particles and higher concentrations causing greater damage. Because sludge is widely applied to agricultural land, any microplastic-driven impairment of treatment efficiency also increases the risk of plastic particles and associated pollutants reaching soils and food crops.
Microplastics as pollutants in agricultural soils
This review examines how microplastics end up in agricultural soils through sewage sludge application, wastewater irrigation, plastic mulch films, and atmospheric deposition. Researchers found that microplastics interact with soil organisms and can alter soil structure and microbial communities, but standardized detection methods are still lacking. The study highlights the need for research on how microplastics move through soil, their effects on crop health, and global policies to address this growing agricultural concern.
Occurrence and environmental consequences of microplastics and nanoplastics from agricultural reuse of wastewater and biosolids in the soil ecosystem: A review
This review examines how wastewater and sewage sludge used in agriculture introduce microplastics and nanoplastics into farm soil, where they can persist and accumulate over time. Municipal wastewater can contain thousands of plastic particles per liter, and treated sewage sludge used as fertilizer can contain over 30,000 particles per liter. These practices create a long-term buildup of plastic contamination in agricultural soil that can affect crops, groundwater, and ultimately human food and water supplies.
Microplastics in Sludges and Soils: A Comprehensive Review on Distribution, Characteristics, and Effects
This review summarizes research on microplastics in sewage sludge and soil, noting that when contaminated sludge is used as fertilizer, it turns farmland into a major reservoir for microplastic pollution. The accumulated microplastics can alter soil properties, harm soil organisms, and potentially enter crops and groundwater, creating pathways for human exposure through food and drinking water.
Microplastics in an agricultural soil following repeated application of three types of sewage sludge: A field study
Researchers investigated microplastics in agricultural soil after repeated sewage sludge application, finding that sludge-amended soils contained significantly more small microplastic particles than unamended soils, with particle accumulation varying by sludge type.
The impact of microplastics on soil ecosystems: A review
This review examines how microplastics accumulate in soil from sources like sewage sludge, agricultural plastic mulch, and wastewater, and how they affect soil ecosystems. Evidence indicates that microplastics alter soil physical and chemical properties, disrupt microbial communities and enzyme activity, and can harm plant growth and soil organisms. The authors highlight that soil microplastic pollution has received far less research attention compared to aquatic environments, despite its potential consequences for agriculture and food safety.
The effect of sewage sludge containing microplastics on growth and fruit development of tomato plants
Sewage sludge containing microplastics was applied to soil and effects on tomato plant growth and fruit development were assessed. Microplastic exposure through sludge-amended soil altered vegetative growth and fruit maturation, suggesting that agricultural sludge application is a route by which microplastics affect food crops.
Micro (nano) plastic pollution: The ecological influence on soil-plant system and human health.
This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics affect soil health, plant growth, and food quality, finding that these particles accumulate in plant root systems and can reduce crop yields and alter nutritional content. Since contaminated soil and water are increasingly delivering microplastics to food crops, these findings are directly relevant to agricultural food safety.
Microplastics and plant health: a comprehensive review of sources, distribution, toxicity, and remediation
This review summarizes how microplastics enter soil from agricultural films, sewage sludge, textiles, and cosmetics, then get absorbed by plant roots and transported to edible parts, posing risks to food safety. Exposure to microplastics causes oxidative stress, genetic damage, and disrupts photosynthesis in plants, while also carrying heavy metals and pathogens deeper into the food chain.
Soil Contamination by Microplastics: Implications for Soil Health and Agro-Ecosystems
This book chapter reviewed how microplastics enter agricultural soils through plastic mulches, sewage sludge, and irrigation systems, and how they alter soil porosity, water retention, and nutrient cycling. The authors concluded that microplastic contamination poses significant and underappreciated long-term risks to agricultural ecosystem sustainability.
Fate of microplastics in sewage sludge and in agricultural soils
Researchers reviewed how microplastics accumulate in sewage sludge at wastewater treatment plants and then spread into agricultural soils when that sludge is applied as fertilizer, finding that sludge treatment processes can alter microplastic size and shape but do not eliminate them. The review calls for standardized methods to study how different sludge treatments affect microplastic properties and their downstream risks to soil health.
Microplastics in sewage sludge: Captured but released?
This book chapter examines how wastewater treatment plants capture microplastics from sewage but then concentrate them into sludge, which may subsequently be spread on agricultural land. The chapter highlights how treating wastewater can shift — rather than eliminate — microplastic contamination, moving it from water systems into terrestrial environments.
Microplastic: Evaluating the Impact on Soil-Microbes and Plant System
This review examines how microplastics affect soil microbial communities and plant systems in agricultural settings, documenting impacts on soil health, microbial diversity, and crop physiology. As microplastics accumulate in farmland soils through irrigation, sludge application, and plastic mulches, their effects on the soil ecosystem that underpins food production are a growing concern.
Existence and fate of microplastics in terrestrial environment: A global fretfulness and abatement strategies
This review covers the global spread of microplastics in soils, farmland, and other land environments, finding contamination from sources like sewage sludge, plastic mulch, and irrigation water. The study highlights that terrestrial microplastic pollution may actually be greater than marine pollution and poses risks to soil organisms, crop growth, and human health through the food chain.
Microplastics in Soils as a Source of Pollution and Environmental Risk
This book chapter reviews microplastics as a soil pollutant, covering sources, distribution, persistence, and ecological risks in terrestrial environments. Agricultural soils are particularly at risk due to plastic mulch film use, sewage sludge application, and atmospheric deposition.
[Microplastics in wastewater treatment: current status and future trends].
This review summarizes current research on microplastic occurrence, removal, and fate in wastewater treatment plants, noting that while plants capture most microplastics in activated sludge, significant numbers still escape into effluent. The sludge itself then becomes a major pathway for microplastics to enter agricultural soils when applied as fertilizer. Future treatment improvements and sludge management policies are needed to reduce these release pathways.
Impact of microplastics on terrestrial ecosystems: A plant-centric perspective
This review focuses on how microplastics affect plants and soil health in agricultural settings, an area that has received less attention than marine microplastic pollution. The researchers describe how microplastics can alter soil structure, disrupt microbial communities, and enter plant tissues through unique transport mechanisms. The study highlights that agricultural soils are a major sink for microplastics, with potential consequences for food safety and crop productivity.
Agricultural Soils Containing Micro/Nanoplastics and Related Risks
This review surveys micro- and nanoplastic contamination in agricultural soils globally, examining input sources including plastic mulch films, irrigation water, sewage sludge, and compost, and assessing the risks MPs pose to soil organisms, plant growth, and food safety.
Nanoplastics and Microplastics in Agricultural Systems: Effects on Plants and Implications for Human Consumption
This review summarizes existing research on how nanoplastics and microplastics enter agricultural soil through irrigation, plastic mulch, and sewage sludge, then accumulate in crops that people eat. The particles can also carry other harmful substances like pesticides and heavy metals into plants, raising concerns about long-term health effects from chronic dietary exposure.