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20 resultsShowing papers similar to Association of microplastics with water-stable aggregates formed under laboratory conditions
ClearMicroplastics sequestered in the soil affect the turnover and stability of soil aggregates: A review
This review examines how microplastics trapped in soil affect the structure and stability of soil clumps (aggregates) that are essential for healthy farming. Microplastics create weak points in soil structure and alter its physical and chemical properties, which can reduce soil's ability to hold water and support plant growth. Since healthy soil aggregates are the foundation of productive farmland, microplastic contamination could threaten food production over the long term.
Small-size polyethylene and polylactic microplastic alterations on soil aggregate formation with soil sterilization
Researchers tested how small polyethylene and polylactic acid microplastics affect the formation of soil clumps, called aggregates, which are important for healthy soil structure. The microplastics changed aggregate stability through physical interactions rather than by harming soil microbes. This matters because soil structure affects how well crops grow, and widespread microplastic contamination in agricultural fields could subtly alter soil quality.
Size- and concentration-dependent effects of microplastics on soil aggregate formation and properties
This study tested how polyethylene microplastics of different sizes and amounts affect soil structure, finding that smaller particles cause more damage. As microplastics break down into smaller pieces over time, they increasingly disrupt soil aggregates, reduce water stability, and alter soil density. This matters for human health because degraded soil affects food production and can change how contaminants move through the environment.
The association of microplastics with water-stable aggregates formed under controlled conditions
Researchers compiled data examining how microplastics associate with water-stable soil aggregates formed under controlled laboratory conditions, providing a dataset supporting the linked publication on microplastic-soil aggregate interactions.
Microplastic effects on soil aggregation in sterilized and non-sterilized soils
Researchers tested how microplastics affect soil aggregate stability in both sterilized and non-sterilized soils, finding that microbial activity mediates much of the structural impact and that plastic type influences aggregation differently depending on soil biology.
Aging microplastics and coupling of “microplastic-electric fields” can affect soil water-stable aggregates’ stability
Researchers investigated how aged microplastics from polystyrene and polypropylene affect the stability of soil aggregates, which are important for soil health. The study found that weathered microplastics can break down the structure of water-stable soil aggregates, and that the combination of microplastics with electric fields further destabilizes soil, suggesting long-term consequences for soil quality.
The association of microplastics with water-stable aggregates formed under controlled conditions
Researchers compiled data from a controlled study examining the association between microplastics and water-stable soil aggregates, providing the underlying dataset for the linked publication on microplastic-aggregate interactions.
Soil Solution Promotes Nanoplastic Aggregation via Eco-corona Formation and Hetero-aggregation
Scientists found that tiny plastic particles in soil clump together into bigger chunks when they interact with natural soil chemicals and microbes. This clumping could affect how these plastic particles move through soil and potentially into our food and water supply. Understanding how plastic pollution behaves in soil helps us better predict human exposure to these particles.
Influence of microplastics on soil aggregate formation: Insights into biological binding agents
A laboratory experiment found that polyethylene microplastics in different shapes (granules, fibers, and films) and aging states significantly alter how soil particles clump together into aggregates, with effects depending on the plastic's shape and the soil's organic matter content. Disruption of soil aggregation by microplastics matters because aggregate structure controls water retention, aeration, and microbial habitat — all fundamental to healthy, productive soils.
Microplastic Effects on Soil Aggregation in Sterilized and Non‐Sterilized Soils
Researchers tested how microplastics affect soil aggregation in both sterilized and biologically active soils, finding that microplastic effects on aggregate stability were strongly mediated by the presence of soil microorganisms. Biologically active soils showed different responses than sterile soils, highlighting the role of the soil microbiome.
Microplastics Influence Dissolved Organic Matter Transformation Mediated by Microbiomes in Soil Aggregates
Researchers conducted a 450-day experiment to study how microplastics alter the transformation of dissolved organic matter within soil aggregates, a process critical for soil stability and fertility. They found that microplastics destabilized organic matter in larger soil clumps while increasing its chemical complexity in smaller ones, with biodegradable plastics having the strongest effects. These changes were driven by shifts in microbial communities, suggesting that microplastic pollution could fundamentally alter how carbon cycles through agricultural soils.
Polymer-specific impacts of microplastics on mineral retention and soil stability
A laboratory study tested six common plastic polymers in soil and found polymer-specific effects on mineral retention and soil aggregate stability, with some MPs reducing soil structure while others had minimal impact, depending on polymer chemistry and surface interactions with soil particles.
Soil aggregation alterations under soil microplastic and biochar addition and aging process
An eight-month experiment found that polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics disrupted soil structure by breaking apart soil clumps, and this damage worsened as the plastics aged over time. Surprisingly, adding biochar, which is often proposed as a soil improvement, actually made some of the microplastic damage worse for certain soil aggregate sizes. This research shows that microplastic contamination in agricultural soil can degrade soil health in ways that may be difficult to reverse.
Microplastics Can Change Soil Properties and Affect Plant Performance
Researchers tested six different types of microplastics in soil and found that they altered key soil properties including water-holding capacity, bulk density, and microbial activity. These changes in soil structure had cascading effects on plant growth, with some microplastic types reducing above-ground biomass. The study demonstrates that microplastics can fundamentally change how soil functions, with consequences for plant health and ecosystem stability.
Microplastics Can Inhibit Organic Carbon Mineralization by Influencing Soil Aggregate Distribution and Microbial Community Structure in Cultivated Soil: Evidence from a One-Year Pot Experiment
Researchers conducted a one-year pot experiment to study how different types and concentrations of microplastics affect soil carbon cycling and aggregate stability. They found that microplastics significantly altered soil aggregate size distribution and decreased organic carbon mineralization rates regardless of polymer type. The study suggests that microplastic contamination may slow the natural breakdown of organic carbon in agricultural soils by changing soil structure and microbial communities.
Effects of the oversized microplastic pollution layer on soil aggregates and organic carbon at different soil depths
Researchers examined how oversized microplastic pollution layers in soil affect aggregate stability and organic carbon at different depths, finding that plastic films disrupted soil aggregate formation and altered carbon distribution, with effects varying by soil depth and plastic concentration.
Microplastics alter soil structure and microbial community composition
Researchers found that both conventional polyethylene and biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics break down soil structure in similar ways, increasing the proportion of smaller soil clumps while reducing larger, more stable ones. The microplastics also significantly altered soil bacterial communities, with effects varying by particle size. This matters because changes to soil health can affect the food we grow and the broader ecosystem services that soil provides.
Impact of Microplastics on Soil Health: Soil-Water Retention, Shrinkage and Holding Properties
A review of research on microplastics in soil found that plastic particles can alter water retention, shrinkage, and structural properties in ways that could reduce agricultural productivity. Because microplastics are as prevalent in soils as in oceans, their terrestrial impacts warrant much greater research attention.
Microplastics DisruptSoil Aggregate Stability andAssociated Nutrient Dynamics in Mulched Salt-Affected AgriculturalSoils
Researchers investigated how microplastic accumulation and aging affects soil aggregate stability and nutrient dynamics in mulched salt-affected agricultural soils, finding that microplastics disrupt aggregate structure and interfere with nutrient storage and cycling processes critical to soil quality.
Microplastics DisruptSoil Aggregate Stability andAssociated Nutrient Dynamics in Mulched Salt-Affected AgriculturalSoils
Researchers investigated how microplastic accumulation and aging affects soil aggregate stability and nutrient dynamics in mulched salt-affected agricultural soils, finding that microplastics disrupt aggregate structure and interfere with nutrient storage and cycling processes critical to soil quality.