Abundance and characteristics of microplastics in soils with different agricultural practices: Importance of sources with internal origin and environmental fate

Kim, Seung-Kyu; Kim, Jisu; Lee, Hwang; Lee, Hee-Jee

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.123997

Cited by 153 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…Plastic waste in the soil environment, whether it is large or small, will undergo size changes over time. While full mineralization of MPs has been considered to be extremely slow, , the fragmentation is much more common in nature, although this process also occurs slowly. − The formation of secondary MPs from larger plastic debris ( i.e. , referred to as fragmentation or downsizing) involves various weathering processes, including mechanical abrasion, photochemical transformation, chemical oxidation, and biodegradation …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling the Conditional Fragmentation-Induced Microplastic Distribution

Wang

Zhang

et al. 2021

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Microplastics (MPs) are drawing increasing attention from the international community due to their potential threats to the ecosystem and human health. Although their occurrence and spatial distribution have been extensively studied in recent years, the relationship between their abundance and sizes remains unclear. Moreover, the underlying mechanisms dominating their size distribution have rarely been explored. In the present study, we developed a novel conditional fragmentation model to describe MP size distribution in the soil environment. It is proposed that the distribution of MPs is not a coincidence but controlled by conditional aging. The applicability of this model was tested using data collected from different land use settings in Beijing, China. A distinct downsizing phenomenon from fibers, films, and fragments to granules is observed. Undisturbed land use types accumulated larger sized MPs with higher stability, while human interference accelerated the fragmentation of MPs. Both morphological analysis and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (TOF-SIMS) observations provided direct evidence for the conditional fragmentation process. Furthermore, the model has proven to be suitable for describing the size distribution of MPs from various sources (including atmospheric deposition, transportation, and agriculture) and aging processes (such as mechanical abrasion, chemical oxidation, and photochemical transformation). It is proposed that this model can be used for various purposes in MP-related studies, especially source identification, transport modeling, and risk assessment.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling the Conditional Fragmentation-Induced Microplastic Distribution

Wang

Zhang

et al. 2021

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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“…The MP counts in the first centimeters of the soil where above-ground-dwelling invertebrates are exposed to plastic mulches varies significantly according to the management and time of use of plastic mulch in agricultural areas [60]. In this work, more MPs were found at a depth of 0-2 cm in the AwPM (1075 particles kg −1 ± 180.90) system than Liu et al [61] found in agricultural lands showing an abundance of microplastics of 78.00 ± 12.91 particles kg −1 in the soil at a depth of 0-3 cm.…”

Section: Michalková Et Al [56]mentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphospecies Abundance of Above-Ground Invertebrates in Agricultural Systems under Glyphosate and Microplastics in South-Eastern Mexico

et al. 2021

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Soil invertebrates are important for diverse soil ecosystem services, which are jeopardized by pesticides and microplastics. In the present study, we aimed to assess above-ground invertebrates’ morphospecies abundance in the presence of glyphosate (GLY), its main metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), and microplastics (MPs). Three land-use systems were analyzed: agricultural systems with and without plastic mulch and pesticides (AwPM, AwoPM) and natural unmanaged farming systems (UF). Soil GLY, AMPA, MP concentrations and above-ground invertebrates were quantified. GLY concentrations were also assessed inside invertebrate tissues. GLY, AMPA and the highest concentration of GLY in invertebrates’ tissue were found only in AwoPM at 0.14–0.45 mg kg−1, 0.12–0.94 mg kg−1 and 0.03–0.26 mg kg−1, respectively. MPs were present as follows: AwPM system (100%, 400–2000 particles kg−1) > AwoPM (70.8%, 200–1000 particles kg−1) > UF (37.5%, 200–400 particles kg−1). No significant correlations were found between soil MPs, GLY and AMPA. There was a significant correlation between MPs and morphospecies from the order Entomobrymorpha (Collembola, R = 0.61, p < 0.05). Limnophila, Mesogastropoda (Gastropoda) and Siphonaptera morphospecies were only present in the UF system. GLY in invertebrate tissue was inversely correlated with soil GLY (R = −0.73, p < 0.05) and AMPA (R = −0.59, p < 0.05). Further investigations are required to understand these phenomena.

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“…Topsoil previously covered with plastic revealed plastic counts of 60 up to 1000 particles kg −1 correlating with the 5-24 years of continuous plastic coverage (Huang et al, 2020). PE and PP are typically found the most (Harms et al, 2021;Kim et al, 2021). However, there are still studies which neither state particle sizes and analysis cutoffs nor assess the polymer composition of the retrieved particles (for example Beriot et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are agricultural plastic covers a source of plastic debris in soil? A first screening study

Steinmetz

Löffler

Eichhöfer

et al. 2022

SOIL

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Abstract. Agricultural plastic covers made from polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) provide increased yields and an improved crop quality. However, such covers are suspected of partially breaking down into smaller debris and thereby contributing to soil pollution with microplastics. To scrutinize this, we randomly sampled 240 topsoil cores (0–5 cm) from eight fields which were covered with fleeces, perforated foils, and plastic mulches for less than 2 years. Samples from the field periphery (50 m perimeter) served as a reference. Visual plastic debris > 2 mm was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Smaller, soil-associated plastic debris was dispersed from 50 g of fine soil (≤ 2 mm) using sodium hexametaphosphate solution and density-separated with saturated NaCl solution. The collected PE, PP, and polystyrene (PS) debris was selectively dissolved in a mixture of 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene and p-xylene at 150 ∘C and quantified by pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). We counted six PE and PS fragments > 2 mm in two out of eight fields. By contrast, Py-GC/MS detected PE, PP, and PS contents in the fine soil of six fields (6 % of all samples). In three fields, PE levels of 3–35 mg kg−1 were potentially associated with the use of thinner and less durable perforated foils (40 µm thickness). This was slightly more pronounced at field edges where the plastic covers are turned and weighed down. By contrast, 50 µm thick PE films were not shown to emit any plastic debris. PP contents of 5–10 mg kg−1 were restricted to single observations in the field centers of three sites. At one site, we found expanded PS particles > 2 mm that concurred with elevated PS levels (8–19 mg kg−1) in the fine soil. Both PP and PS were distributed indistinctly across sites so that their source remained unresolved. In addition, the extent to which plastic contents of up to 7 mg kg−1 in the field periphery of some sites were attributed to wind drift from the covered fields or from external sources needs to be investigated in future studies. Our results suggest that the short-term use of thicker and more durable plastic covers should be preferred over thinner or perforated films to limit plastic emissions and accumulation in soil.

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Abundance and characteristics of microplastics in soils with different agricultural practices: Importance of sources with internal origin and environmental fate

Cited by 153 publications

References 59 publications

Modeling the Conditional Fragmentation-Induced Microplastic Distribution

Modeling the Conditional Fragmentation-Induced Microplastic Distribution

Morphospecies Abundance of Above-Ground Invertebrates in Agricultural Systems under Glyphosate and Microplastics in South-Eastern Mexico

Are agricultural plastic covers a source of plastic debris in soil? A first screening study

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