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REVIEW PAPER
The Source, Distribution Characteristics,
and Migration Behavior of Microplastic Pollution
in Soil Environment in China: A Review
1
College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
2
Key Laboratory of Karst Geological Resources and Environment, Ministry of Education,
Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
Submission date: 2023-11-02
Final revision date: 2024-01-17
Acceptance date: 2024-06-29
Online publication date: 2024-12-30
Publication date: 2025-06-06
Corresponding author
Zhenming Zhang
College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2025;34(4):4527-4539
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Pollution from microplastics (plastics<5 mm, MPs) has been recognized relatively recently as one
of the most urgent and pervasive global environmental problems of the 21st century. MPs are organic
particles that are typically characterized by small sizes (μm range), complex molecular structures,
prolonged environmental persistence, and strong sorption onto other organic contaminants. The main
sources of MPs in the soil environment include plastic film planting, sewage irrigation, and organic
fertilizer or sludge applications. These agronomic practices are meant to enhance crop productivity for
a hungry world. Ironically, misuse of the same practices can adversely impact human and ecosystem
health. Soil MPs do not only change the physical and chemical properties of soil, but also have
ecological effects on soil flora, fauna, and microbial communities. Furthermore, MPs can serve as
additional carriers of pollutants in soil environments. This paper is a review of current knowledge about
the occurrence, abundance, and distribution of MPs in Chinese soils, with brief mentions of parallel
global viewpoints on the topics. Mechanistic aspects of migration behavior, factors that influence such
behaviors, and prospects for remediating adverse impacts of MPs in soils are reviewed.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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| eISSN: | 2083-5906 |
| ISSN: | 1230-1485 |
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