Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.5
2.5
Journals
Applied Sciences
Special Issues
New Insights into Microplastics in the Environment
applsci-logo
Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Applied Sciences Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

New Insights into Microplastics in the Environment

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 February 2026 | Viewed by 1692

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Marco Carnevale Miino

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, University of Insubria, Via J.H. Dunant 3, 21100 Varese, Italy
Interests: sustainable and circular wastewater treatment plants; carbon footprint of wastewater treatment plants; resources reuse/recovery; emerging contaminants in water and sludge; microplastics; sludge minimization; advanced oxidation processes; blue-green infrastructures; life cycle assessment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Elena Rada

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences–DiSTA, University of Insubria, 21100 Varese, Italy
Interests: circular economy, sustainable development goals, resources; renewable energy; environmental sustainability; environmental impact assessment; pollution; waste management; wastewater management; human health; sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, microplastics (MPs) are gaining interest due to the extent of the problem and their negative effects on wildlife and human health. In this context, wastewater treatment plants play a key role in managing the presence of MPs in wastewater and their potential spread in the environment. All environmental matrices (water, air, and soil) are affected, and a comprehensive knowledge of all aspects related to this emerging contaminant is fundamental to face the current challenge of limiting MPs’ impact on ecosystems.

This Special Issue aims to collect up-to-date papers exploring the latest advances in (i) the detection of MPs, (ii) the release and modelling of their transportation, (iii) technical solutions for preventing their spread in the environment, (iv) evaluations of the impact of MPs on ecosystems, and (v) MPs’ valorisation or disposal. This Special Issue covers the presence of MPs in all the environmental matrices (water, air, and soil).

Authors are invited to submit papers focusing on this area. Research papers, communications presenting preliminary but significant results, and review or systematic review articles are welcome. Perspective/opinion papers can also be submitted.

Dr. Marco Carnevale Miino
Dr. Elena Rada
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • microplastics
  • wastewater treatment
  • emerging contaminants
  • laundry wastewater
  • microplastics valorisation
  • microplastics disposal

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

16 pages, 2329 KB  
Article
The Effect of Applying Model Nanoplastic Particles to Soil on the Composition of Its Microbial Community
by Evgeny Abakumov, Anastasiia Kimeklis, Grigory Gladkov, Timur Nizamutdinov, Ivan Kushnov, Anastasia Vainberg and Evgeny Andronov
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(18), 9937; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15189937 - 11 Sep 2025
Viewed by 434
Abstract
Soil microorganisms play pivotal roles in biogeochemical cycling and plant growth promotion, directly impacting crop productivity and ecosystem stability. While assessing their responses to emerging contaminants like micro/NPs is critically important, research remains challenging due to highly variable effects contingent upon (1) soil [...] Read more.
Soil microorganisms play pivotal roles in biogeochemical cycling and plant growth promotion, directly impacting crop productivity and ecosystem stability. While assessing their responses to emerging contaminants like micro/NPs is critically important, research remains challenging due to highly variable effects contingent upon (1) soil physicochemical properties and (2) plastic characteristics (type, size, morphology, concentration, and other parameters). A one-month laboratory incubation experiment using 0.55 µm polystyrene latex nanoplastics (NPs) allowed us to investigate the microbial communities in soils in the southern taiga zone (near Saint Petersburg, Russia) react to the addition of polystyrene NPs. It was found that sandy Podzols were more resistant to the addition of NPs than loamy Retisols and Fluvisols. The most responsive components of the soil microbiome were those that were initially more abundant. These include representatives of the following phyla: Pseudomonadota, Bacillota, Actinomycetota and Planctomycetota. The alpha diversity parameters of the microbial community, expressed in the number of operational taxonomic units and bio-diversity indices (Shannon and Simpson), decreased under the influence of NPs. The dynamics of alpha diversity of the microbial community were the least pronounced in Podzol soil. Beta-diversity parameters changed the most in Hortic Retisol, slightly less in Fluvisol, and not at all in Podzol. Thus, it was found that agricultural soils were most affected by NPs (in terms of microbial community dynamics) compared to the region’s two zonal soils. Studies carried out indicate that, in the future, a threshold for the harmfulness of NPs in relation to soils should be developed, taking into account the differentiation of soils as standardized objects in terms of particle size distribution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights into Microplastics in the Environment)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 15425 KB  
Article
An Evaluation of the Quantitative Concentration of Microplastic in Dendrobaena veneta and Lumbricus terrestris Tissues from Laboratory and Environmental Cultures
by Marek Klimasz, Andrzej Kacprzak and Anna Grobelak
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(4), 2027; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15042027 - 14 Feb 2025
Viewed by 802
Abstract
Earthworms play a key role in maintaining a healthy soil ecosystem by providing organic matter cycling and influencing the soil’s structure and physicochemical properties. In addition, they have also become the subject of research in the context of soil contamination by plastic particles [...] Read more.
Earthworms play a key role in maintaining a healthy soil ecosystem by providing organic matter cycling and influencing the soil’s structure and physicochemical properties. In addition, they have also become the subject of research in the context of soil contamination by plastic particles or microplastics. In this article, two species of earthworms, Dendrobaena veneta and Lumbricus terrestris, were subjected to the influence of a mixed fraction of microplastics at different concentrations and studied to determine the possible correlation in tissue accumulation and to illustrate the possible structural changes in plastics under the influence of earthworm digestive enzymes. Using FTIR spectrometry and plastic fluorescence, the polymer content of the earthworm tissues was determined, and significant differences in the accumulation of plastic particles in the cultured earthworm tissues at the micro- and macroscales were documented. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights into Microplastics in the Environment)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop