Effective uptake of submicrometre plastics by crop plants via a crack-entry mode

Abstract

Approximately 330 million tons of plastic were produced worldwide in 2015, and this figure continues to increase 1 . As a result, the contamination of our environment with plastics of all sizes is becoming one of the most widespread and long-lasting anthropogenic changes to the biosphere of our planet 2 . Microplastics (MPs) are generally defined as plastic particles in the size range of 100 nm to 5 mm, including submicrometre (100 nm to 1 μm) and micrometre (1 μm to 5 mm) plastics, and nanoplastics ranging from 1 nm to 100 nm (ref. 3 ). Furthermore, MPs are separated into primary MPs, which are originally manufactured in a particularly small size for specific applications, and secondary MPs, originating from the fragmentation of larger plastic debris by external forces 3 . Scientific research on MPs pollution is rapidly advancing. However, studies to date have focused almost exclusively on aquatic systems, especially the oceans 4-6 . The oceans represent the ultimate sink for most MPs, but the terrestrial environment is a major recipient of plastics of all sizes, owing to the large amounts of anthropogenic wastes derived from sewage sludges, organic fertilizers, plastic mulching, wastewater irrigation and other sources such as atmospheric particulate deposition [7][8][9] . On the basis of emissions data, it is estimated that 110,000 and 730,000 tons of MPs are added annually to farmlands in Europe and North America, respectively 10 . These figures exceed the estimated annual global burden of MPs in ocean surface waters of 93,000-236,000 tons 11 . Hence, there is a great need to understand and quantify the distribution, fate and transformation of MPs in the terrestrial compartment.Very little information exists on the accumulation and effects of MPs on soil biota 12,13 . Plants comprise a basic living component of terrestrial ecosystems and are an important source of human food.

Microplastic effects on carbon cycling processes in soils

“…However, if MP particles undergo further fragmentation, they can form even smaller particles, eventually potentially reaching nanoparticle size (<100 nm), which can differ in behavior and effect from MP. For example, it is possible that NP particles are taken up into plants [ 41 ], a finding obtained using hydroponic growth conditions that may not be directly transferable to soils [ 42 ]. NP particles cannot be readily quantified in soils at the moment, but they would still also represent carbon.…”

Edible Plant Oil: Global Status, Health Issues, and Perspectives

“…In addition, with the extensive use of plastic products, micro-plastics have been detected in various ecological environments around the world, which has aroused widespread concern. It has been proved that microplastics could been absorbed by plants and affected their growth, which posed a potential risk to our food safety ( Li et al, 2020 ; Sun et al, 2020 ). Microplastics may enter the human body through oil-bearing plants and pose a threat to human health, and this risk will be exacerbated due to the adsorption properties of microplastics to heavy metal ions ( Mao et al, 2020 ; Yu et al, 2020 ).…”

Carbon dioxide copolymers: Emerging sustainable materials for versatile applications

“…Moreover, the growth of disposed plastics is tremendously increasing in the past decades. Since most plastics exhibit excellent durability beneficial for use, their after‐use accumulation may persist for hundreds of years, causing irreversible environmental damage to the land and ocean 4–8 . Therefore, from the perspective of sustainability and environmental protection, biobased and biodegradable polymers have been developed as alternatives, to release the stress on the exploit of petroleum and solve the pollution problems from waste plastics 9–11 .…”

“…Since most plastics exhibit excellent durability beneficial for use, their after-use accumulation may persist for hundreds of years, causing irreversible environmental damage to the land and ocean. [4][5][6][7][8] Therefore, from the perspective of sustainability and environmental protection, biobased and biodegradable polymers have been developed as alternatives, to release the stress on the exploit of petroleum and solve the pollution problems from waste plastics. [9][10][11] In the recent findings, some novel materials synthesized from biobased monomers can serve as the both, demonstrating full recyclability process.…”