Effect of microplastics on CO₂ emission from Yellow River Delta wetland

Abstract

As natural carbon sinks, coastal wetlands are of great significance to alleviate global climate change. However, due to environmental pollution, the soil carbon sequestration capacity of coastal wetlands is decreasing, and then the emission of CO2 is accelerated. The Yellow River Delta is one of the largest deltas in China. Economic development and human activities have led to the input of large quantities of microplastics. Microplastics can alter soil properties, causing the emission of CO2 to be affected. However, the impact of common microplastics in coastal wetlands on CO2 generation and emission is not clear. In this study, tread particles (TP) and polypropylene (PP) particles were applied to coastal wetland soil to study their effects on greenhouse gas CO2 emissions. The results showed that the cumulative emission of CO2 increased by 32.7% - 49.5% and 13.9% - 24.6% respectively compared with CK 14 days after the addition of TP and PP. The promoting effect of TP was stronger than that of PP. The results provided theoretical and basic data support for the evaluation of greenhouse gas emissions and atmospheric environmental effects of Yellow River Delta wetlands under microplastics pollution.