Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Extraction of Polyethylene and Polypropylene Microplastic from Agriculture Soil

Researchers examined methods for extracting polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics from agricultural soil, investigating how microplastic concentrations affect soil properties and crop productivity while evaluating density separation and other extraction protocols to improve detection and quantification of plastic pollution in agroecosystems.

2024 International Journal of Scientific Research in Science and Technology
Article Tier 2

A modified methodology for extraction and quantification of microplastics in soil

Researchers developed and validated an improved methodology for extracting and quantifying microplastics from soil samples using optimized density separation with different salt solutions. The method achieved high recovery rates for various polymer types and particle sizes while minimizing organic matter interference. The study provides a standardized and reproducible analytical approach that could help address inconsistencies in how microplastics are measured across different soil studies.

2024 NanoImpact 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Extraction and Identification of a Wide Range of Microplastic Polymers in Soil and Compost

Researchers compared and optimized two microplastic extraction methods for soil and compost, finding that density separation combined with chemical digestion was effective across a wide range of polymer types, providing a more reliable protocol for terrestrial microplastic analysis.

2021 Polymers 37 citations
Article Tier 2

Developing a systematic method for extraction of microplastics in soils

A systematic comparison of microplastic extraction methods for soils tested hydrogen peroxide, potassium hydroxide, and Fenton's reagent for organic matter removal alongside density separation, finding that method performance varied strongly with soil organic matter content and particle size distribution.

2021 Analytical Methods 183 citations
Article Tier 2

Advances in the analysis of relevant microplastic types in agricultural soils

Researchers developed an optimized soil purification protocol for extracting and identifying microplastic particles from agricultural soils, systematically testing and combining multiple extraction and purification steps to improve the accuracy of polymer identification across different soil types.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

A Method to Replace NaCl as a Flotation Solution for Extracting MPs in Soil: A Case Study of the Jiaxing Agricultural Soil from China

Researchers tested alternative flotation solutions to replace NaCl for extracting microplastics from agricultural soils in Jiaxing, China, comparing solutions for their effectiveness and potential to minimize chemical interference with downstream analysis of microplastic samples.

2023 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Advances in the analysis of relevant microplastic types in agricultural soils

Researchers developed and validated an improved soil purification protocol for extracting microplastics from agricultural soils, based on systematic testing across different soil types to efficiently isolate plastic particles for polymer identification. The method built on prior work by Moller et al. (2022) and addressed the challenge that soil remains one of the most difficult matrices for microplastic analysis.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Extraction from Agricultural Soils Using Canola Oil and Unsaturated Sodium Chloride Solution and Evaluation by Incineration Method

Researchers developed and validated a simple, low-cost method for extracting microplastics from agricultural soils using canola oil and sodium chloride density separation, combined with incineration-based quantification, offering a practical approach for soil microplastic analysis in resource-limited settings.

2022 Soil Systems 22 citations
Article Tier 2

An efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly protocol for extracting microplastics from soil samples

Researchers developed an efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly protocol for extracting microplastics from soil samples, addressing the lack of standardized methods and evaluating extraction performance across different soil matrices.

2025 Omorika - Repository of the Faculty of Forestry, Belgrade
Article Tier 2

Comparison of Oil Extraction and Density Extraction Method to Extract Microplastics for Typical Agricultural Soils in China

This study compared two methods for extracting microplastics from agricultural soils across China: an oil-based method and a traditional density-based method using salt water. Researchers found the oil extraction approach was more effective overall, especially for denser plastics like PET, while soil chemistry, particularly iron and aluminum content, could reduce extraction efficiency for both methods.

2024 Agronomy 7 citations
Review Tier 2

Extraction and identification methods of microplastics and nanoplastics in agricultural soil: A review

This review assessed extraction and identification methods for microplastics and nanoplastics in agricultural soils, comparing density separation, chemical digestion, and spectroscopic identification approaches, and recommending method standardization to enable cross-study comparisons of soil MP contamination.

2021 Journal of Environmental Management 164 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in complex soil matrix: Recovery, identification and removal using micro nano techniques

Researchers reviewed current methods for finding and removing microplastics from complex soil samples, noting that no single technique works well for all particle types, and proposed a step-by-step approach combining density separation, chemical purification, and photocatalytic degradation to better detect and eliminate soil microplastics.

2024 Micro and Nano Engineering 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Separation and Measurement of Microplastics in Paddy Soil

Researchers tested sodium iodide, zinc chloride, and deionized water for separating microplastics from paddy soil and found sodium iodide most effective, recovering particles ranging from 1 to 111 µm in size at abundances up to 5,800 pieces per kilogram of soil. Standardizing extraction methods like this is a prerequisite for generating reliable, comparable data on how widely microplastics have spread into agricultural soil and food crops.

2024 Journal of Environmental Protection 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Identification and characterization of extracted microplastics from agricultural soil near industrial area: FTIR and X‐ray diffraction method

Researchers extracted and characterized microplastics from agricultural soil near a plastics manufacturing site, finding a range of polymer types and shapes and demonstrating an effective isolation protocol using density flotation with saturated NaCl.

2023 Environmental Quality Management 22 citations
Article Tier 2

An optimized density-based approach for extracting microplastics from soil and sediment samples

Researchers optimized a density-based extraction method for isolating microplastics from soil and sediment samples, testing different density solutions and separation steps to maximize recovery efficiency. The improved protocol reduces contamination risks and particle loss, enabling more accurate quantification of microplastics in terrestrial and freshwater sediment matrices.

2019 Environmental Pollution 215 citations
Article Tier 2

Upgraded Protocol for Microplastics’ Extraction from the Soil Matrix by Sucrose Density Gradient Centrifugation

Extracting microplastics from soil is technically difficult because soil contains dense organic matter and particles that look similar to plastic under analysis. This study refined a sucrose density gradient centrifugation method to more cleanly separate microplastics from soil, improving recovery rates while reducing contamination from non-plastic material. A reliable soil extraction protocol is essential for accurately measuring how much microplastic pollution has accumulated in agricultural and urban land.

2025 Soil Systems 1 citations
Article Tier 2

A simple method for the extraction and identification of light density microplastics from soil

This study developed and validated a simple method for extracting and identifying low-density microplastics from sediment samples, offering a practical and cost-effective approach for environmental monitoring.

2017 The Science of The Total Environment 525 citations
Article Tier 2

A Method for the Extraction and Analysis of Microplastics from Tropical Agricultural Soils in Southeastern Brazil

Researchers developed and validated a method for extracting and analyzing microplastics from tropical agricultural soils, adapting density separation and filtration protocols to account for the high organic matter and clay content typical of tropical soil matrices.

2025 Soil Systems 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Optimized microplastic analysis based on size fractionation, density separation and μ-FTIR

Researchers optimized a multi-step method for extracting and identifying microplastics from soil and sediment, combining grain size separation, density flotation, and infrared microscopy. The validated method achieved high recovery rates for eight common plastic polymers, contributing to more reliable monitoring of soil microplastic contamination.

2020 Water Science & Technology 59 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in soils: A comparative review on extraction, identification and quantification methods

This review compares the various methods scientists use to extract, identify, and measure microplastics in soil, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each approach. Soil is a particularly challenging material to work with because its organic matter and complex structure can interfere with accurate microplastic detection. The authors recommend combining multiple techniques and minimizing harsh chemical steps that could accidentally destroy the very plastic particles being measured.

2025 Journal of Environmental Management 22 citations
Review Tier 2

Finding Microplastics in Soils: A Review of Analytical Methods

This review critically evaluates published methods for finding microplastics in soil — including density separation, chemical digestion, and spectroscopic identification — and proposes a standardized analytical framework suitable for the complex soil matrix.

2020 Environmental Science & Technology 521 citations
Article Tier 2

A rapid staged protocol for efficient recovery of microplastics from soil and sediment matrices based on hydrophobic separation

Researchers developed a four-stage microplastic extraction device using a hydrophobic separation principle and tested three extracting solutions for recovering MPs from loam soil, sandy sediment, and muddy sediment matrices. Corn oil-in-NaCl solutions combined with aeration achieved the highest MP recovery rates across all three matrix types, offering a rapid alternative to existing digestion-based methods.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 18 citations
Article Tier 2

An effective method for the rapid detection of microplastics in soil

A rapid and practical method was developed for detecting and identifying microplastics in soil, addressing the need for faster alternatives to existing time-consuming techniques. The method uses a combination of sieving and staining approaches to accelerate microplastic extraction and identification from soil samples.

2020 Chemosphere 53 citations
Article Tier 2

A method for extracting soil microplastics through circulation of sodium bromide solutions

A sodium bromide solution circulation method was developed and validated for extracting microplastics from soil samples, offering a practical and efficient alternative to other density separation techniques. The method's high recovery efficiency and relatively low cost make it suitable for large-scale soil monitoring programs studying microplastic contamination in agricultural and natural soils.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 184 citations