Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Possible effects on plants due to microplastics in soils from wastewater effluent reuse or sewage sludge application

This book chapter reviews potential effects of microplastics on plants when microplastic-containing wastewater or sewage sludge is applied to agricultural land. The research addresses how land application of treated sewage can introduce microplastics into soil where they may affect crop growth and food safety.

2020 IWA Publishing eBooks
Article Tier 2

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.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

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.

2020 Environmental Pollution 747 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2024 International Journal of Research in Agronomy 2 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2023 Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology 10 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2020 Environmental Pollution 170 citations
Review Tier 2

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.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 64 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics pollution modulating soil biological health – A review

This review summarizes how microplastics enter agricultural soil through recycled water, fertilizer made from sewage, and plastic mulch, and how they affect the organisms that keep soil healthy. Microplastics can carry chemical additives and environmental pollutants that harm soil bacteria, fungi, and invertebrates. These disruptions to soil health could affect crop growth and food quality, creating an indirect pathway for microplastics to impact human nutrition.

2025 Soil Use and Management 8 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2023 ACS symposium series 2 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2021 Environmental Pollution 171 citations
Article Tier 2

What Do We Know About the Effects of Microplastics on Soil?

This review examines the effects of microplastics on soil ecosystems, covering how mulching, wastewater irrigation, sludge application, and atmospheric deposition introduce microplastics to soil, where they alter physicochemical properties, affect microbial communities, and carry co-pollutants.

2023 3 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2024 ChemEngineering 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Analysis and Effects of Microplastics in the Agricultural Soils

This review summarizes current knowledge about microplastic contamination in agricultural soils, including how it gets there (mulch films, sewage sludge, irrigation) and what effects it has on soil health. The authors highlight the lack of standardized methods for sampling and testing soil, which limits understanding of the true extent of the problem.

2021 Proceedings of the World Congress on New Technologies
Article Tier 2

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.

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

Microplastics in agricultural soils: sources, impacts, and mitigation strategies

This review summarizes how microplastics enter agricultural soils through wastewater irrigation, plastic mulch breakdown, and atmospheric deposition, where they alter soil structure, microbial communities, and water retention. The particles can also carry heavy metals and organic pollutants into the food chain, threatening both crop productivity and human health, making it important to reduce plastic use in farming and improve waste management.

2025 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 12 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2024 Environmental Pollution and Management 7 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2021 The Science of the total environment
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Agricultural Soils

This review covers the presence of microplastics in agricultural soils, examining how plastic mulches, irrigation water, sewage sludge, and atmospheric deposition contribute to farmland contamination. It discusses effects on soil organisms and the risk of microplastics entering the food chain through crops.

2019 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Evidence of microplastic accumulation in agricultural soils from sewage sludge disposal

Agricultural soils from 31 fields with different sludge application histories were analyzed for microplastics, finding significant accumulation in fields with repeated sludge applications and a positive correlation between application frequency and plastic particle counts. The study provides direct field evidence that sewage sludge fertilization is a major pathway for microplastic accumulation in agricultural soil.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 1333 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2019 IWA Publishing eBooks 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on soil environment and land plant growth: a review

This review examines how microplastics affect soil quality and plant growth through both direct toxicity and indirect changes to soil properties. Researchers found that microplastics can accumulate in plant tissues after entering the soil and may transfer through the food chain. The study highlights that soil microplastic contamination is a growing ecological concern that remains understudied compared to marine environments.

2025 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Can microplastics mediate soil properties, plant growth and carbon/nitrogen turnover in the terrestrial ecosystem?

This review assessed evidence for microplastic effects on soil properties, plant growth, and carbon and nitrogen cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. Microplastics were found to alter soil structure, water retention, microbial activity, and nutrient cycling, with cascading effects on plant growth and soil organic matter turnover.

2022 Ecosystem Health and Sustainability 51 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2023 Environmental Technology & Innovation 98 citations
Review Tier 2

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.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment 8 citations