Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Effect of polystyrene on di-butyl phthalate (DBP) bioavailability and DBP-induced phytotoxicity in lettuce

Researchers investigated how polystyrene microplastics of different sizes affect the bioavailability of the plasticizer di-butyl phthalate and its toxicity to lettuce plants. They found that smaller nanoscale polystyrene particles increased DBP uptake by the plants, while larger particles reduced it by adsorbing the chemical. The study demonstrates that microplastics can act as carriers for harmful chemicals in agricultural soils, with particle size determining whether they amplify or reduce pollutant exposure to crops.

2020 Environmental Pollution 149 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanistic understanding on the uptake of micro-nano plastics by plants and its phytoremediation.

This review summarized the mechanisms by which micro-nano plastics are taken up by plants through roots and leaves, and evaluated the potential for phytoremediation as a strategy to reduce plastic contamination in soil, identifying key plant species and genetic factors that influence uptake.

2024 Environmental science and pollution research international
Article Tier 2

Transport Dynamicsand Physiological Responses ofPolystyrene Nanoplastics in Pakchoi: Implications for Food Safetyand Environmental Health

Researchers tracked the transport and physiological responses of polystyrene nanoplastics in pakchoi (bok choy) plants, finding that nanoplastics were absorbed through roots and translocated to shoots where they disrupted chlorophyll production and reduced plant growth.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene micro and nanoplastics attenuated the bioavailability and toxic effects of Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) on soybean (Glycine max) sprouts

Researchers studied how polystyrene micro and nanoplastics interact with the industrial pollutant PFOS in hydroponic soybean sprouts. They found that plastics actually adsorbed the PFOS and reduced its toxicity by making it less bioavailable, though nanoparticle uptake into plant tissue increased. The study offers new insights into how plastic particles can alter the behavior and risk of other environmental contaminants in agricultural systems.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 52 citations
Article Tier 2

Transport Dynamics and Physiological Responses of Polystyrene Nanoplastics in Pakchoi: Implications for Food Safety and Environmental Health

Researchers tracked fluorescently labeled nanoplastics as they traveled through pakchoi (a leafy green vegetable), entering through the roots, moving up through the plant's water-transport system, and accumulating in the leaves. The nanoplastics caused oxidative damage and disrupted plant hormones, demonstrating a clear pathway by which plastic pollution in soil could enter the human food supply through everyday vegetables.

2025 Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Natural Aging IntensifiesMicroplastic Phytotoxicityin Brassica chinensis

Researchers compared pristine and artificially aged polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics applied to pak choi (Brassica chinensis) in soil over 45 days. Aged MPs with oxidised surfaces caused stronger phytotoxicity than pristine MPs, reducing plant biomass and disrupting soil enzyme activity, demonstrating that environmental weathering worsens MP impacts on crops.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

A Critical Review of Polystyrene Microplastics in Soil–Plant Systems: Absorption, Phytotoxicity and Future Perspectives

This review compiled evidence on how polystyrene microplastics behave in soil-plant systems, covering their effects on soil microbial communities, plant root uptake, and crop phytotoxicity. The authors document that PS-MPs alter soil biochemistry and enter plant tissues, raising concerns about their accumulation in the food chain.

2025 Land Degradation and Development
Article Tier 2

Co-exposure of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) decreased the submicron plastic stress in soil–plant system

This study investigated how submicron plastic particles and the plasticizer DEHP interact in soil-lettuce systems, unexpectedly finding that DEHP reduced plastic uptake into lettuce roots and alleviated—rather than exacerbated—the phytotoxic effects of the plastics.

2025 Refubium (Universitätsbibliothek der Freien Universität Berlin)
Article Tier 2

Microplastics lag the leaching of phenanthrene in soil and reduce its bioavailability to wheat

Researchers found that polystyrene, polyethylene, and PVC microplastics delayed the downward leaching of phenanthrene through soil by adsorbing the contaminant, reducing its bioavailability to wheat, with adsorption capacity following the order PS > PE > PVC.

2021 Environmental Pollution 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro- and nano-plastics pollution and its potential remediation pathway by phytoremediation.

This review proposed phytoremediation as a viable approach for removing micro- and nano-plastics from contaminated environments, reviewing evidence that plants can take up particles through roots and translocate them to shoots, and discussing the potential for hyperaccumulating species to be used in soil and water decontamination.

2023 Planta
Article Tier 2

Effects of micro- and nano-plastics on accumulation and toxicity of pyrene in water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica Forsk)

Micro- and nano-plastics of various concentrations and sizes promoted the uptake and accumulation of the PAH pyrene in water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica), with higher concentrations and smaller MP sizes causing the greatest enhancement. The findings suggest MPs increase the food chain transfer of hydrophobic organic pollutants through edible aquatic crops.

2022 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 17 citations
Article Tier 2

The role of microplastics in the process of laccase-assisted phytoremediation of phenanthrene-contaminated soil

Researchers investigated how polystyrene microplastics affect laccase-assisted phytoremediation of phenanthrene-contaminated soil, finding that microplastics altered the bioavailability of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and influenced removal efficiency. The results highlight complex interactions between co-occurring microplastic and organic pollutant contamination in agricultural soils.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 22 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Micro(nano)plastic pollution in terrestrial ecosystem: emphasis on impacts of polystyrene on soil biota, plants, animals, and humans

Polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics can bioaccumulate through the food chain from soil organisms to plants to animals, raising human health concerns through food consumption. Agricultural soils showed significant contamination, with PS particles causing documented toxic effects on soil biota, plant uptake and growth, and animal health.

2022 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 68 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics alter soil enzyme activities and microbial community structure without negatively affecting plant growth in an agroecosystem

Researchers tested how three types of microplastics (polystyrene, polyethylene, and PVC) affected plant growth, soil enzymes, and microbial communities in an agricultural setting. The study found that while microplastics suppressed several soil enzyme activities and altered carbon cycling, they did not negatively affect plant growth and in some cases actually enhanced above-ground and below-ground plant productivity.

2023 Chemosphere 128 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental microbial community stabilization and plant growth enhancement by combined carbon nanomaterials and nitrification inhibitor in soil contaminated with polyvinyl chloride

This study tested whether carbon nanomaterials combined with the nitrification inhibitor DMPP could protect soil microbial communities and plant growth from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) microplastic toxicity. The combined treatment restored microbial community stability and improved plant nitrogen uptake in PVC-contaminated soil.

2025 Applied and Environmental Microbiology
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics facilitate the chemical journey of phthalates through vegetable and aggravate phytotoxicity

This study showed that polystyrene microplastics in soil can absorb and carry phthalates (harmful chemicals used in plastics) into vegetable crops, increasing the amount of these toxic chemicals in the edible parts of the plants. The combination of microplastics and phthalates together was more damaging to plant health than either pollutant alone. This is concerning for human health because it means microplastics could be increasing our exposure to toxic chemicals through the vegetables we eat.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Bisphenol S degradation in soil and the dynamics of microbial community associated with degradation

Bisphenol S degraded rapidly in soil (up to 98.9% removal within 32 days) but the presence of polystyrene microplastics altered the composition of BPS-degrading microbial communities. BPS exposure reduced overall soil microbial diversity while enriching Proteobacteria capable of aromatic compound degradation, suggesting MPs affect the microbial ecology of organic contaminant breakdown.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal Methods of Plastic Waste and Interactions of Micro- and Nano-Plastics with Plants

This review examined methods for removing plastic waste from the environment and the interactions of micro- and nanoplastics with plants, including uptake mechanisms, bioaccumulation, and the capacity of plastics to adsorb organic pollutants and heavy metals.

2023 European Journal of Advanced Chemistry Research 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Strategies to Mitigate Microplastic (MP) and Nanoplastic (NP) Pollution in Soil

This review covers pathways by which microplastics and nanoplastics enter soil via mulching, compost, and atmospheric deposition, their adsorption of pesticides, PAHs, and heavy metals, and mitigation strategies including bioaugmentation and phytoremediation.

2024 Advances in environmental engineering and green technologies book series
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

Uptake and bioaccumulation of microplastics by plants: Exploring impacts and remediation potential in terrestrial and aquatic environment

This review examined how plants take up and accumulate microplastics from contaminated soil, finding that plastics can disrupt soil microbial communities, reduce nutrient availability, and impair plant growth. The uptake of microplastics by edible crops raises concerns about food chain transfer to humans, since the particles can carry toxic pollutants like persistent organic compounds and heavy metals.

2025 Chemosphere 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Can RhizosphereEffects Mitigate the Threat from Nanoplasticsand Plastic Additives to Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)?

Researchers used a root-box system to examine how nanoplastics and the plasticizer DEHP interact in the rhizosphere of tomato plants, finding that DEHP dominated the plastic pollution risk to plants and that nanoplastic co-exposure did not mitigate DEHP toxicity to soil microorganisms but increased it for food safety.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Physiological and transcriptional responses of Dictyosphaerium sp. under co-exposure of a typical microplastic and nonylphenol

Polystyrene microplastics were found to mitigate the toxicity of the endocrine-disrupting chemical nonylphenol to the green alga Dictyosphaerium sp., likely by adsorbing NP and reducing its bioavailable concentration, with transcriptomic analysis revealing altered stress response gene expression.

2021 Environmental Research 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution: Phytotoxicity, environmental risks, and phytoremediation strategies

This review examines how microplastics harm plants through oxidative stress, interference with photosynthesis, and DNA damage, and explores whether plants could be used to clean up microplastic pollution. Plants can absorb tiny microplastics through their roots and leaves, and the plastics accumulate along the food chain, making health risk assessment difficult. The authors discuss phytoremediation strategies where specific plants could help remove microplastics from contaminated soil.

2023 Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology 42 citations