Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Advances and prospects of biochar in improving soil fertility, biochemical quality, and environmental applications

This review examines how biochar, a charcoal-like material made from organic waste, can improve soil health and clean up pollutants including microplastics. Biochar's ability to absorb and trap contaminants makes it a promising tool for reducing microplastic pollution in agricultural soil. The findings suggest biochar could help limit the amount of microplastics that enter the food chain through crops grown in contaminated soil.

2023 Frontiers in Environmental Science 127 citations
Article Tier 2

Applications of biochar in the remediation of soil microplastic pollution: A review

Researchers reviewed the use of biochar as a tool for remediating microplastic-contaminated soil. The study found that biochar application shows promise for addressing soil microplastic pollution by altering soil properties in ways that can reduce microplastic mobility and mitigate their negative effects on soil structure, plant growth, and biogeochemical cycling.

2025 Soil Science Society of America Journal 1 citations
Article Tier 2

How biochar works, and when it doesn't: A review of mechanisms controlling soil and plant responses to biochar

This comprehensive review synthesizes 20 years of research on biochar, a charcoal-like material made from organic waste that can improve soil health and reduce pollution. Biochar can reduce plant uptake of heavy metals by 17-39% and increase nutrient availability, making it potentially useful for cleaning up microplastic-contaminated soils. While not directly about microplastics, the findings are relevant because biochar could help mitigate the effects of soil pollutants that microplastics carry and concentrate.

2021 GCB Bioenergy 872 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined effect of biochar and soil moisture on soil chemical properties and microbial community composition in microplastic‐contaminated agricultural soil

Biochar was applied to microplastic-contaminated agricultural soil under different moisture conditions, with results showing that biochar improved soil chemical properties and shifted microbial communities in ways that partially offset microplastic-induced degradation. The study suggests biochar as a practical soil amendment to mitigate microplastic impacts in farming systems.

2022 Soil Use and Management 49 citations
Article Tier 2

Biochar alters chemical and microbial properties of microplastic-contaminated soil

Researchers found that biochar amendments improved chemical and microbial properties of microplastic-contaminated soil, with effects varying by biochar type and water conditions, suggesting biochar as a potential remediation tool for plastic-polluted agricultural soils.

2022 Environmental Research 108 citations
Article Tier 2

Biochar as a Green Sorbent for Remediation of Polluted Soils and Associated Toxicity Risks: A Critical Review

This review examines biochar, a charcoal-like material made from organic waste, as a tool for cleaning up soil contaminated with heavy metals and organic pollutants. While biochar can effectively trap contaminants, the production process itself can create toxic byproducts like PAHs that may harm soil life. The research is relevant to microplastic pollution because biochar is being explored as a potential method to bind and reduce microplastic contamination in agricultural soils.

2023 Separations 75 citations
Article Tier 2

The Removal and Mitigation Effects of Biochar on Microplastics in Water and Soils: Application and Mechanism Analysis

This review examines how biochar can be used to both remove microplastics from water and mitigate their harmful effects in soils. Researchers found that woody biochar was the most effective type for adsorbing microplastics, while also helping to restore soil enzyme activities and microbial communities disrupted by plastic contamination. The study calls for further research into optimizing biochar applications and understanding the long-term environmental implications of biochar-microplastic interactions.

2024 Sustainability 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Research status, trends, and mechanisms of biochar adsorption for wastewater treatment: a scientometric review

This review analyzes over 2,600 scientific publications on using biochar, a charcoal-like material, to treat polluted water by absorbing contaminants including heavy metals and organic pollutants. While not focused specifically on microplastics, biochar-based treatments are also being explored for removing microplastics from water. The review highlights that improving these affordable filtration materials could help reduce human exposure to multiple water contaminants, including microplastics.

2024 Environmental Sciences Europe 96 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring the potential of biochar for the remediation of microbial communities and element cycling in microplastic-contaminated soil

Scientists found that adding biochar (a charcoal-like material made from plant waste) to soil contaminated with microplastics helped restore healthy microbial communities and nutrient cycling. The biochar reversed negative effects that microplastics had on soil chemistry, including nitrogen and phosphorus availability. This suggests biochar could be a practical tool for repairing farmland damaged by microplastic pollution.

2024 Chemosphere 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Biochar mitigates microplastic‐induced destabilization of soil organic carbon via molecular recalcitrance and microbial process regulation

Biochar amendments to soil were shown to offset the destabilizing effects that microplastics have on soil aggregate structure. The finding suggests that biochar could be a practical soil amendment to counteract microplastic-driven soil degradation in contaminated agricultural lands.

2025 Functional Ecology 1 citations
Review Tier 2

Advancing modified biochar for sustainable agriculture: a comprehensive review on characterization, analysis, and soil performance

This review covers how biochar, a carbon-rich material made from organic waste, can be modified to improve soil health and crop growth. While not directly about microplastics, modified biochar has been studied as a potential tool for absorbing and immobilizing microplastics in contaminated soil. Understanding how to optimize biochar properties could help develop strategies for reducing microplastic uptake by food crops.

2025 Biochar 42 citations
Article Tier 2

Addressing the Microplastic Dilemma in Soil and Sediment with Focus on Biochar-Based Remediation Techniques: Review

This review examines how biochar, a carbon-rich material made from organic waste, can be used to remediate microplastic-contaminated soils and sediments. Researchers found that biochar can adsorb microplastics and reduce their mobility, while also improving overall soil health and microbial activity. The study highlights biochar-based approaches as a cost-effective and environmentally friendly strategy for addressing microplastic pollution in terrestrial environments.

2023 Soil Systems 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Transport and retardation of microplastic in biochar

Researchers studied how biochar — a carbon material made from burned biomass — slows the movement of microplastics through soil and water systems. Biochar's ability to retard microplastic transport could help prevent plastic particles from spreading from contaminated agricultural land into waterways.

2023 Research Explorer (The University of Manchester) 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of incorporating biochar on soil quality and barley yield in microplastics-contaminated soils

This study tested whether adding biochar to microplastic-contaminated soil could improve soil quality and crop performance. Researchers found that biochar application helped offset some of the negative effects of microplastics on soil properties and boosted barley yields even under drought conditions. The results suggest biochar could be a practical tool for managing farmland affected by plastic pollution.

2024 Chemosphere 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorptive behavior of micro(nano)plastics through biochar: Co-existence, consequences, and challenges in contaminated ecosystems

This review examines how biochar can adsorb micro- and nanoplastics with over 90% removal efficiency in aqueous systems, while also discussing their combined effects on soil properties, microbial communities, and plant growth.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 138 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent advances in biochar-mediated mitigation of microplastics: A comprehensive review on removal mechanisms, toxicity alleviation strategies, and synergistic environmental impacts

Researchers comprehensively reviewed recent advances in using biochar to mitigate microplastic pollution, including removal mechanisms, toxicity alleviation strategies, and synergistic environmental impacts. The study found that biochar is a promising candidate for microplastic removal and toxicity reduction due to its high specific surface area and adsorptive properties.

2026 Environmental Pollution
Article Tier 2

Biochar applications in microplastic and nanoplastic removal: mechanisms and integrated approaches

This review explores how biochar, a charcoal-like material made from organic waste, can be used to filter microplastics and nanoplastics out of water. Researchers found that biochar works through several mechanisms and becomes even more effective when combined with other water treatment technologies. The study suggests biochar-based approaches could be a practical, low-cost strategy for tackling plastic pollution in water systems.

2024 Environmental Science Water Research & Technology 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Role of Biochar and Microbes in Remediation of Microplastics in Soil

This review examines how biochar and soil microbes can be combined to remediate microplastic-contaminated soils, synthesizing evidence for biochar's adsorption capacity and microbial degradation pathways that reduce microplastic persistence and toxicity.

2025 Journal of Innovative Solutions for Eco-Environmental Sustainability
Article Tier 2

Global microplastics pollution: a bibliometric analysis and review on research trends and hotspots in agroecosystems

Researchers conducted a bibliometric analysis of over 1,600 publications on microplastic pollution in agricultural ecosystems from 2012 to 2024, identifying China, the USA, Germany, and India as leading contributors. The analysis revealed emerging research hotspots including biochar remediation, biodegradable microplastics, and antibiotic resistance genes associated with plastic contamination. The study provides a comprehensive overview of how microplastics affect soil properties, microbial communities, and crop productivity, while identifying key knowledge gaps for future research.

2024 Environmental Geochemistry and Health 15 citations
Article Tier 2

A Bibliometric Analysis of Soil Pollution due to Microplastics

This bibliometric analysis reviewed the scientific literature on soil microplastic pollution to map research trends, key contributors, and knowledge gaps. The study found growing global research interest in this area and highlighted that microplastics entering the food chain through contaminated soil represents an underappreciated pathway to human exposure.

2020 Insecta mundi 2 citations