Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Aging of biodegradable microplastics and their effect on soil properties: Control from soil water

Researchers studied how biodegradable microplastics made from PLA and PBAT break down in different soil types under varying water conditions. They found that while these plastics aged more in dry and alternating wet-dry conditions, flooded conditions caused bigger changes to soil chemistry, including increased dissolved organic carbon. The study suggests that even biodegradable plastics can meaningfully alter soil properties, and the effects depend heavily on moisture conditions.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of complex pollution by microplastics and heavy metals on soil physicochemical properties and microbial communities under alternate wetting and drying conditions

Researchers examined how polystyrene microplastics interact with cadmium and copper in soil under alternating wet and dry conditions, comparing the effects of fresh versus aged microplastics. They found that aged microplastics had stronger effects on soil properties and microbial communities than fresh ones, and that the wetting-drying cycles amplified these changes. The study reveals that environmental aging of microplastics makes them more disruptive to soil ecosystems, especially when combined with heavy metal contamination.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 66 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodegradable microplastics aging processes accelerated by returning straw in paddy soil

Researchers examined how returning straw to flooded paddy soil accelerates the aging and degradation of biodegradable microplastics over a 180-day incubation period. They found that the straw return strategy altered microbial communities in ways that sped up the physical and chemical breakdown of the plastic particles. The study provides important context for understanding how common agricultural practices influence the environmental fate of biodegradable plastics in soil.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Research on the Effects of Aging Microplastics on Soil Nitrogen and Dissolved Organic Matter in Dryland Soil

Researchers examined the effects of aged microplastics at varying concentrations on nitrogen forms and dissolved organic matter (DOM) in dryland agricultural soil, finding that microplastic addition reduced ammonia nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, and total nitrogen while altering DOM composition, humic content, and soil organic matter stability.

2025 Advances in Environmental Protection
Article Tier 2

Mechanism of polyethylene and biodegradable microplastic aging effects on soil organic carbon fractions in different land-use types

Researchers compared how polyethylene and biodegradable microplastics at different stages of aging affect soil organic carbon fractions across various land-use types. The study found that both types of microplastics altered soil carbon dynamics, but the effects depended on the plastic type, its degree of aging, and the specific land-use context.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of polylactic acid microplastics on dissolved organic matter across soil types: Insights into molecular composition

Researchers investigated how biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics affect dissolved organic matter in three different types of paddy soil. They found that the microplastics altered the molecular composition of organic matter in soil-specific ways, with some soils showing increased humic substances and others showing more protein-like compounds. The study highlights that even biodegradable plastics can change soil chemistry, and the effects vary depending on soil type.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Water level regimes can regulate the influences of microplastic pollution on carbon loss in paddy soils: Insights from dissolved organic matter and carbon mineralization

Researchers examined how water level fluctuations in wetlands regulate the influence of microplastic pollution on carbon cycling, finding that alternating wet and dry conditions altered decomposition rates and greenhouse gas emissions in MP-contaminated wetland soils.

2025 Journal of Environmental Management 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Aging Dynamics of Polyvinyl Chloride Microplastics in Three Soils with Different Properties

Researchers tracked how PVC microplastics age and degrade over 12 months in three different soil types. They found that soil properties significantly influenced the aging process, with sandy soil promoting more surface oxidation and silty clay causing greater physical fragmentation into smaller particles. The study reveals that microplastics do not remain static in soil but undergo continuous chemical and physical changes that may affect their environmental impact over time.

2024 Environmental Science & Technology 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution and weathering characteristics of microplastics in paddy soils following long-term mulching: A field study in Southwest China

Researchers investigated microplastic distribution in paddy soils following long-term plastic film mulching in Southwest China, finding that ten years of continuous mulching significantly increased filmy microplastic accumulation and that weathering altered the chemical properties of these particles.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 97 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

NewInsights into the Long-Term Leaching Process ofDissolved Organic Matter from Microplastics: Dynamic Formation andTransformation Mechanism

Researchers studied the long-term photoaging process and dissolved organic matter (DOM) release from conventional polystyrene and biodegradable PBAT microplastics, finding distinct molecular transformation pathways for each polymer type. Biodegradable PBAT released more labile DOM that altered aquatic carbon cycling differently than conventional PS-derived DOM.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Aging behavior of microplastics affected DOM in riparian sediments: From the characteristics to bioavailability

Researchers examined how aging of microplastics in riparian sediments affects dissolved organic matter characteristics and bioavailability, finding that accumulated and weathered microplastics alter carbon cycling functions in these critical river-land interface zones.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 105 citations
Article Tier 2

Retention and remobilization of aged polystyrene (PS) microplastics in a porous medium under wet-dry cycling

Researchers examined how photoaging affects the retention and remobilization of polystyrene microplastics in unsaturated porous media (sea sand) under multiple wet-dry cycling conditions, quantifying how aging-induced physicochemical changes alter MP transport dynamics in unsaturated soil zones.

2025 Frontiers in Environmental Science
Article Tier 2

Spatiotemporal heterogeneous effects of microplastics input on soil dissolved organic matter (DOM) under field conditions

Researchers conducted a long-term field experiment and found that microplastic inputs have spatiotemporally heterogeneous effects on soil dissolved organic matter (DOM), with implications for soil carbon dynamics under increasing terrestrial plastic contamination.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Soil nitrogen deficiency aggravated the aging of biodegradable microplastics in paddy soil under the input of organic substances with contrasting C/N ratios

A 150-day dark incubation experiment found that soil nitrogen deficiency aggravated the aging of polylactic acid biodegradable microplastics in paddy soil, with higher C/N ratio organic substance inputs accelerating PLA-MP degradation by altering soil pH and nutrient cycling.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Microplastics and Organic Fertilizer Regulation on Soil Dissolved Organic Matter Evolution

This study examined how microplastic addition to soil affects dissolved organic matter (DOM) evolution, focusing on the interactions between microplastics as carbon sources and organic fertilizer. Microplastics altered DOM composition and quantity, with effects on soil carbon cycling that varied by plastic type and organic fertilizer combination, suggesting complex interactions between plastic pollution and soil amendment practices.

2024 Toxics 6 citations
Article Tier 2

MicrobialPhysiologicalAdaptation to BiodegradableMicroplastics Drives the Transformation and Reactivity of DissolvedOrganic Matter in Soil

Researchers added virgin and aged polylactic acid and polyhydroxyalkanoate microplastics to agricultural soils and found that microbial physiological adaptation to biodegradable plastics significantly altered the transformation and reactivity of dissolved organic matter over a 56-day incubation period.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Photoaging process and mechanism of four commonly commercial microplastics

Researchers exposed four common commercial microplastic types to UV light to simulate photoaging on soil surfaces and studied changes in their properties and chemical leachates. The study found that PVC and polystyrene underwent more dramatic physical and chemical changes than polypropylene and polyethylene, with aging creating cracks that facilitated the release of dissolved organic matter and chemical additives. These findings suggest that aged microplastics may pose greater environmental risks to soil and groundwater than pristine ones due to increased leaching of complex organic compounds.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 110 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastic aging on its detectability and physico-chemical properties in loess and sandy soil

This study compared fresh microplastics to aged particles collected from soil and found that weathering significantly changes their physical and chemical properties, including making them more mobile. Aged microplastics may behave very differently in the environment than the pristine particles typically used in laboratory studies.

2023 1 citations
Article Tier 2

The weathering process of polyethylene microplastics in the paddy soil system: Does the coexistence of pyrochar or hydrochar matter?

Researchers conducted a 24-week paddy soil weathering experiment with polyethylene microplastics in the presence or absence of pyrochar or hydrochar, finding that weathering roughened and discolored PE particle surfaces, and that weathered PE microplastics showed altered sorption capacity toward cadmium, bisphenol A, and dimethyl phthalate compared to original particles.

2022 Environmental Pollution 12 citations