Effects of Microplastics on Agriculture:  A Mini-review

Tang, Kuok Ho Daniel

doi:10.9734/ajee/2020/v13i130170

Cited by 30 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 28 publications

(53 reference statements)

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“…The sources of MPs in these cases are diverse [ 8 ], however, often the food sources come into contact with the microplastic in the environment, which is before the actual processing of the food. Typical examples would be the ingestion of microplastics by fish [ 9 , 10 ] or the exposure of vegetables to microplastics on agricultural land [ 11 ]. When fish ingest microplastics, the microplastics, if remaining in the fish, mostly reside in the stomach/intestines, which, especially in the case of larger fish, will be cut away, and for the most part will not constitute food for human consumption.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastic Contamination of Chicken Meat and Fish through Plastic Cutting Boards

Habib

Kindi

Salem

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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Microplastic contamination was found in fish and chicken bought on the market, in food stores and in chain supermarkets in the Middle East with the contamination ranging from 0.03 ± 0.04 to 1.19 ± 0.72 particles per gram of meat in chicken and from 0.014 ± 0.024 to 2.6 ± 2.8 particles per gram in fish. Only one fish was found to be free of microplastic. The source of the microplastic was established to be the polythene-based plastic cutting board the food was cut on. More microplastic contamination was found in food cut from the bone than in cut fillets when the fillets themselves were prepared on surfaces other than plastic. Washing the fish and chicken before food preparation decreased but did not completely remove the microplastic contamination. The fate of the microplastic in grilled fish was studied. The mechanical properties of typical plastic cutting boards commercially used in the markets were investigated in the form of tensile, hardness, and wear tests. Overall, the plastic cutting boards showed similar wear rates.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastic Contamination of Chicken Meat and Fish through Plastic Cutting Boards

Habib

Kindi

Salem

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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“…Indeed, while MPs are widespread throughout aquatic environments, there is insufficient understanding of the influential factors of MP ingestion by higher fish predators [15]. In addition to better understanding the role of MPs in aquatic environments, numerous studies have been devoted to exploring the severe environmental consequences of MPs, including damages caused to ecosystems and to human health [16][17][18]. In marine environments, MPs are characterized as persistent organic pollutants of increased surface area, thus, their transportation occurs by their adsorption by living organisms.…”

Section: Microplastics In Marine Environmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating the Human Impacts and the Environmental Consequences of Microplastics Disposal into Water Resources

Kyriakopoulos

Kapsalis

2022

Sustainability

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During the last decades, one of the most contentious environmental issues has been the investigation of the fate of microplastics (MPs) and detrimental consequences in natural and water resources worldwide. In this respect, it is critical research firstly to track the ways in which MPs are determined as key anthropogenic pollutants in terms of ecological risk and secondly to plan feasible policies under which the role of science and society in tackling this global issue in the future should be prioritized. In this study, a systematic theoretical, technical, and planning analysis was developed in alignment with a Scopus search deployed in the second half of the year 2021 and covering a wide chronological range (from 1970s onwards) and thematic contexts of analysis by using keywords and key phrases organized into two groups. The document results were graphically represented, revealing the main scientific focus of studies. Subsequently, our study investigated the quantitative assessment methods of MPs in marine environments, denoting the range of standard procedures applied for collecting and analyzing samples of water, bottom sediments, and coastal deposits. The technological part of the study includes the presentation of the relevant analytical techniques applied for MPs tracking and monitoring in water resources, determining the wide spectrum of plastic compounds traced. Of particular interest was the determination of environmental depletion and human implications caused, even by extremely low concentrations of MPs, for marine biota, posing potential risks to marine ecosystems, biodiversity, and food availability. Finally, the research proposed the challenges of actions needed to support scientific, industry, policy, and civil society communities to curb the ongoing flow of MPs and the toxic chemicals they contain into water resources, while rethinking the ways of plastics consumption by humanity.

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“…Most of the microplastics are removed through sedimentation processes in the primary and secondary treatments which generate the raw and activated sludge respectively [15]. As only a fraction of the activated sludge is recycled, most of the sludge is bound for disposal, thus reintroducing the microplastics back to the environment [16]. Prior to disposal, the sludge is treated to reduce the weight and volume, hence the transportation and disposal costs.…”

Section: Figure 1 Amounts Of Plastic Waste and Primary Microplastics ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Norway and Ireland are known to utilize 82% and 63% of the biosolids generated from WWTPs, whereas the Netherlands and Korea incinerated 99% and 55% of the biosolids, respectively [18]. The contamination of agricultural soil with microplastics leads to the contamination of crops and agricultural products, and the entry of microplastics into food chains [2,16]. It was estimated that sludge reutilization had resulted in the entry of 3,500 microplastic particles per kg of agricultural soil [23].…”

Section: Figure 5 Relationship Between the Abundance Of Microplastics...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Abundance of Microplastics in Wastewater Treatment Sludge

Tang

2022

J. Hum. Earth Future

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Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have been regarded as feasible interceptors of microplastics, which have now contaminated all spheres of the environment. The microplastics removed from WWTPs are frequently trapped in the sludge produced. This article aims to examine the abundance of microplastics in the sludge of WWTPs in different regions by reviewing the relevant scholarly papers published between 2016 to 2022. The papers were retrieved from three databases, namely Web of Science, Scopus, and ScienceDirect. WWTPs receive influents containing microplastics whose abundance differs significantly in relation to the population density, urbanization level, and land use of the areas served. Depending on the water treatment strategies and the efficiencies of the WWTPs, a large proportion of the microplastics in the influents is trapped in the sludge, giving a common sludge-to-influent abundance ratio of 0.02 to 0.77, though a ratio of 3.4 has been reported for recycled activated sludge. Sludge treatment affects the final abundance of microplastics therein. However, a relationship between the abundance of microplastics in influents and that in sludge cannot be established. The reutilization of sludge as fertilizer introduces microplastics back into the environment and significantly compromises the potential of WWTPs as interceptors and sinks of microplastics. This review calls for strategies and technologies to reduce, if not remove microplastics in the sludge of WWTPs. It suggests that future research could take this path to optimize the role of WWTPs as sinks of microplastics. Doi: 10.28991/HEF-2022-03-01-010 Full Text: PDF

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Effects of Microplastics on Agriculture: A Mini-review

Cited by 30 publications

References 28 publications

Microplastic Contamination of Chicken Meat and Fish through Plastic Cutting Boards

Microplastic Contamination of Chicken Meat and Fish through Plastic Cutting Boards

Investigating the Human Impacts and the Environmental Consequences of Microplastics Disposal into Water Resources

Abundance of Microplastics in Wastewater Treatment Sludge

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