Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Examining Soil Microplastics: Prevalence and Consequences Across Varied Land Use Contexts

Scientists examined microplastic contamination in soil samples from different land use areas in Makassar City, Indonesia. They found microplastics present across all sites, with the types and concentrations varying based on how the land was used, whether for agriculture, residential, or commercial purposes. The study suggests that human activity patterns strongly influence the amount and kind of microplastic pollution found in urban and agricultural soils.

2024 Civil Engineering Journal 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Urban Soils From Different Land Use Activities of Cyberjaya (Malaysia): Exploring Occurrence, Relationships, Sources and Pollution Level

Researchers surveyed urban soils across five different land uses in Cyberjaya, Malaysia, and found microplastics in all of them, with construction areas showing the highest concentrations. The types of plastic particles varied by location, suggesting that the sources and characteristics of soil microplastic contamination depend on what activities take place in that area.

2024 Land Degradation and Development 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Characterization of Microplastics and Associated Heavy Metals in Urban Soils Affected by Anthropogenic Littering: Distribution, Spatial Variation, and Influence of Soil Properties

Researchers sampled soils across residential, commercial, and industrial land-use types in urban areas and found microplastics in every location, with polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyamide as the dominant polymer types, at concentrations up to 850,000 particles per kilogram. Heavy metals were also associated with the plastic particles, meaning microplastics in urban soil may serve as combined carriers of chemical toxicants. The findings highlight urban soil as a major but underappreciated reservoir of microplastic pollution.

2023 Soil and Sediment Contamination An International Journal 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in landfill soil: Emerging threats the environmental and public health

Researchers measured microplastic contamination in soil at a landfill near residential areas in Indonesia and found extremely high levels of over 60,000 particles per kilogram. The most common types were fragments of polyethylene, PVC, polystyrene, and polypropylene. The study raises public health concerns because landfills near populated areas can release microplastics into surrounding soil and water, creating exposure pathways for nearby communities.

2024 Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Abundance and Characteristics in The Soil Around the Jambi Talang Gulo Landfill

Researchers measured microplastic abundance and characterized particle types in soil surrounding the Talang Gulo landfill in Jambi, Indonesia, finding that the high volume of plastic waste at the facility contributes to elevated microplastic contamination in surrounding soils through environmental weathering and fragmentation.

2024 Bumi
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Abundance and Characteristics in The Soil Around the Jambi Talang Gulo Landfill

Researchers measured microplastic abundance and characterized particle types in soil surrounding the Talang Gulo landfill in Jambi, Indonesia, finding elevated microplastic concentrations in areas adjacent to the high-volume waste disposal facility due to fragmentation of plastic debris under environmental weathering.

2024 Bumi
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Sediments of East Surabaya, Indonesia: Regional Characteristics and Potential Risks

Microplastic occurrence and distribution were characterized for the first time in sediments from 16 sites along urban and mangrove coastal areas of East Surabaya, Indonesia. Microplastic abundances ranged from undetected to 598 items per kilogram, with higher contamination in urban areas and characteristics reflecting mixed local plastic waste sources.

2022 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Global concentrations of microplastic in soils, a review

This global review synthesized data from studies on microplastic concentrations in soils worldwide, finding contamination across diverse terrestrial environments with higher levels near urban areas and agricultural land. Terrestrial soils are estimated to contain far more microplastic than the world's oceans, making them a critical but understudied reservoir of plastic pollution.

2020 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic diversity, risks and soil impacts: A multi-metric assessment across land-use systems

Researchers surveyed microplastic abundance, polymer diversity, and ecological risk across seven land-use types in India's Brahmaputra Valley, finding that built-up areas had the highest particle counts while forest soils paradoxically showed the greatest polymer hazard scores due to high-risk polymers, and that land-use type shapes both the quantity and composition of soil microplastic contamination.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of Soil Microplastics and Their Relation to Soil and Terrain Attributes Under Different Land Uses

Researchers assessed microplastic contamination in tropical soils under different land uses including forest, grassland, and agricultural areas. They found that agricultural soils had the highest microplastic concentrations, likely due to the use of plastic-based materials in farming. The study reveals how land use practices and soil characteristics influence the distribution and accumulation of microplastics in tropical environments.

2025 AgriEngineering 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Urban Microplastic Pollution Revealed by a Large-Scale Wetland Soil Survey

Researchers conducted a large-scale survey of wetland soils across an urban area and found an average of 379 microplastic particles per kilogram, with abundance closely linked to proximity to the city's economic center. Polypropylene was the most common polymer type, and fiber and fragment shapes dominated the samples. The study found that atmospheric particle pollution and heavy metal concentrations in soil were strongly correlated with microplastic levels, suggesting shared urban pollution sources.

2023 Environmental Science & Technology 65 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution of Microplastics in an Urban Soil:The Case of a Medium-Sized Cityin the Central Valley of Chile

Researchers systematically sampled soils across an entire Chilean city and found microplastics at 95% of sampling sites, with plastic fibers making up 68% of the particles detected. The near-universal contamination signals that urban soils are a widespread and underappreciated reservoir of microplastic pollution.

2024 Polish Journal of Environmental Studies 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution and ecological risk of microplastics in soil at the Jatibarang landfill in Semarang, Indonesia

Researchers found up to 2,340 microplastic particles per kilogram of soil at the Jatibarang Landfill in Indonesia, with polypropylene being the most hazardous pollutant based on risk assessment scores. The study highlights that poorly managed landfills — especially those near residential areas — are significant sources of microplastic contamination in surrounding soils.

2024 Journal of Ecological Engineering
Article Tier 2

Prevalence of Microplastics in Coastal Area of Samae San, Thailand and Its Possible Source

Researchers examined microplastic abundance, morphology, and polymer composition across multiple environmental matrices in Samae San, Thailand, including soil near a dumping site, road dust, beach sand, and sediment, finding the highest concentration of 93,734.3 items per kilogram dry weight at the dumping site soil.

2024 Applied Environmental Research
Article Tier 2

Macro and microplastics in the soil: abundance, characterization, identification, and interactions under different land uses in an agricultural sub-basin

Researchers examined the abundance, characterization, identification, and interactions of macro- and microplastics in soils under different land uses within an agricultural sub-basin, assessing how land-use patterns influence plastic pollution distribution and potential interactions with the soil environment.

2025 LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas)
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in agricultural soils: Evidence from an industrial suburb of Bangladesh

Researchers sampled agricultural soils from the surface and subsurface layers at an industrial suburb of Bangladesh, finding microplastic abundances of 1,309 items/kg in surface soils with significant correlations to soil pH, electrical conductivity, and organic matter content.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances
Article Tier 2

Urban soil microplastic characterization across diverse land use types along the Anyangcheon stream in Seoul, Korea

Researchers characterized microplastic contamination in urban soils along the Anyangcheon stream in Seoul, South Korea, across three different land-use types. They found microplastics at all sampling locations, with variations in abundance and polymer composition between high schools, park playgrounds, and residential areas. The study provides new data on the spatial distribution of soil microplastics in densely populated urban settings and their potential relationship to nearby waterways.

2025 Environmental Geochemistry and Health 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Identification, characterization, and implications of microplastics in soil – A case study of Bhopal, central India

Researchers identified and characterized microplastics in soils from Bhopal, central India, documenting their occurrence, distribution, and polymer composition to assess the extent of soil contamination from poor plastic waste management practices.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 97 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of soil properties and land use patterns on the distribution of microplastics: A case study in southwest China

Researchers surveyed microplastic contamination in soils across different land use types in Guizhou Province, southwest China. The study found that soil properties and land use patterns significantly influence microplastic abundance and distribution, with agricultural and urban soils generally showing higher contamination levels than less intensively managed areas.

2024 Journal of Environmental Management 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Preliminary Investigation of Microplastic Pollution in Agricultural Soil in Dong Anh District, Hanoi City

Agricultural soil samples from five sites in suburban Hanoi, Vietnam contained 494 to 1031 microplastic particles per kilogram of dry soil, with PET as the dominant polymer (38%) and fragments as the most common shape. The study provides baseline contamination data for a rapidly urbanizing agricultural region of Southeast Asia where plastic use and waste mismanagement are both growing. Documenting microplastic levels in food-producing soils is a critical first step for assessing dietary exposure risks for local populations.

2023 VNU Journal of Science Earth and Environmental Sciences
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Pollution in Indonesia: The Contribution of Human Activity to the Abundance of Microplastics

This systematic review of Indonesian microplastic research found that coastal and marine sediments have the highest microplastic abundances, driven by widespread use of cheap single-use plastics and poor waste management across urban and rural areas.

2023 E3S Web of Conferences 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution and accumulation of macro-, meso-, and microplastics in soils of fisherman settlements, Sidoarjo, Indonesia

Researchers excavated soil from fishing settlement sites in Sidoarjo, Indonesia to a depth of 0.3 m and found distributed accumulations of macro-, meso-, and microplastics, with contamination levels reflecting intensive human activities and poor solid waste management in these coastal communities.

2025 IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science
Article Tier 2

Pollution Characteristics of Microplastics in Soils in Southeastern Suburbs of Baoding City, China

Researchers characterized microplastic pollution in soils from the southeastern suburbs of Beijing, finding widespread contamination across 12 sampling sites with fibers and fragments as the dominant forms, and highlighting agricultural activities and urban runoff as likely sources. The study contributes soil-ecosystem baseline data to a research area dominated by aquatic microplastic studies.

2020 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 96 citations
Article Tier 2

The influence of plastic mulch degradation on microplastic contamination in agricultural soils under different climatic conditions

Researchers studied how plastic mulch degradation generates microplastic contamination in Indonesian agricultural soils under humid (Bogor) and hot-dry (Lombok) climatic conditions, finding that environmental factors strongly influenced degradation rates and microplastic accumulation patterns.

2025 Sains Tanah - Journal of Soil Science and Agroclimatology