Non-biodegradable microplastics in soils: A brief review and challenge

Zhang, Shaoliang; Wang, Jiuqi; Yan, Pengke; Hao, Xingyu; Xu, Bing; Wang, Wan; Aurangzeib, Muhammad

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.124525

Cited by 141 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 85 publications

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“…Though primarily studied in aquatic systems, microplastics (plastic particles <5 mm in diameter) are now known to contaminate soils across the globe ( Bläsing and Amelung 2018 , He et al 2018 , Jacques and Prosser 2021 , Zhang et al 2021 ). Significant effort has been devoted to unearthing microplastics’ effects on soil organisms and broader ecology ( Accinelli et al 2020 , Barreto et al 2020 , Lozano et al 2021 , Mueller et al 2020 , Yan et al 2021 ) as well as the overall risk they pose to soil biota ( Jacques and Prosser 2021 ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil Invertebrates Generate Microplastics From Polystyrene Foam Debris

Helmberger

Miesel

Tiemann

et al. 2022

Journal of Insect Science

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To fully understand microplastics' impact on soil ecosystems, one must recognize soil organisms as not just passively enduring their negative effects, but potentially contributing to microplastics' formation, distribution, and dynamics in soil. We investigated the ability of four soil invertebrates, the cricket Acheta domesticus L. (Orthoptera: Gryllidae), the isopod Oniscus asellus L. (Isopoda: Oniscidae), larvae of the beetle Zophobas morio Fabricius (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), and the snail Cornu aspersum Müller (Stylommatophora: Helicidae) to fragment macroscopic pieces of weathered or pristine polystyrene (PS) foam. We placed invertebrates into arenas with single PS foam pieces for 24 h, then collected and assessed the microplastic content of each invertebrate's fecal material, its cadaver, and the sand substrate of its arena via hydrogen peroxide digestion, filtration, and fluorescent staining. All taxa excreted PS particles, though snails only to a tiny extent. Beetle larvae produced significantly more microplastics than snails, and crickets and isopods fragmented the weathered PS foam pieces more than the pristine pieces, which they left untouched. A follow-up experiment with pristine PS foam assessed the effect of different treatments mimicking exposure to the elements on fragmentation by isopods. PS foam pieces soaked in a soil suspension were significantly more fragmented than untreated pieces or pieces exposed to UV light alone. These findings indicate that soil invertebrates may represent a source of microplastics to the environment in places polluted with PS foam trash, and that the condition of macroplastic debris likely affects its palatability to these organisms.

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil Invertebrates Generate Microplastics From Polystyrene Foam Debris

Helmberger

Miesel

Tiemann

et al. 2022

Journal of Insect Science

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“…In recent years, studies on the effects of pollutants on soil invertebrates have focused largely on pesticides (Gunstone et al 2021; Pelosi et al 2014) and heavy metals (Li et al 2020; Liu et al 2020; Nikolaeva et al 2019). Currently, other pollutants such as microplastic or airborne particulate matter deriving from industrial and urban sources are increasingly drawing attention from scientists due to their ubiquity and amounts released into the environment (Horton et al 2017; Machado et al 2018; Rillig and Lehmann 2020; Wu et al 2019; Zhang et al 2021a; Zhang et al 2021b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of fitness effects in the earthworm Eisenia fetida after exposure to single or multiple anthropogenic pollutants

Holzinger

Mair

Luecker

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Terrestrial ecosystems are exposed to many anthropogenic pollutants. Non-target effects of pesticides and fertilizers have put agricultural intensification in the focus as a driver for biodiversity loss. However, other pollutants, such as heavy metals, particulate matter, or microplastic also enter the environment, e.g. via traffic and industrial activities in urban areas. As soil acts as a potential sink for such pollutants, soil invertebrates like earthworms may be particularly affected by them. Under natural conditions soil invertebrates will likely be confronted with combinations of pollutants simultaneously, which may result in stronger negative effects if pollutants act synergistically. Within this work we study how multiple pollutants affect the soil-dwelling, substrate feeding earthworm Eisenia fetida. We compared the effects of the single stressors, polystyrene microplastic fragments, polystyrene fibers, brake dust and soot, with the combined effect of these pollutants when applied as a mixture. Endpoints measured were survival, growth, reproductive fitness, and changes in three oxidative stress markers. We found that among single pollutant treatments, brake dust imposed the strongest negative effects on earthworms in all measured endpoints including increased mortality rates. Sub-lethal effects were found for all pollutants. Exposing earthworms to all four pollutants simultaneously led to effects on mortality and oxidative stress markers that were smaller than expected by the respective null models. These antagonistic effects are likely a result of the adsorption of toxic substances found in brake dust to the other pollutants. With this study we show that effects of combinations of pollutants cannot necessarily be predicted from their individual effects and that combined effects will likely depend on identity and concentration of the pollutants.

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“…Worldwide, the production is expected to reach 590 million Mt in 2050, whereas recycling was less than 9% in the current scenario ( Thompson et al, 2009 ; Zhang et al, 2020a ; Statista, 2021 ). Some publications indicate that plastics, especially microplastics (MPs, particle size <5 mm) from plastics degradation, can cause adverse effects on biota in both the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems worldwide ( Zhang et al, 2019b , 2021 ). Thus, plastic pollution, especially those related to the critical level of MP, is regarded as one of the most vital environmental issues raised in recent decades ( Zhang et al, 2019b , 2021 ; Wang et al, 2022 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some publications indicate that plastics, especially microplastics (MPs, particle size <5 mm) from plastics degradation, can cause adverse effects on biota in both the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems worldwide ( Zhang et al, 2019b , 2021 ). Thus, plastic pollution, especially those related to the critical level of MP, is regarded as one of the most vital environmental issues raised in recent decades ( Zhang et al, 2019b , 2021 ; Wang et al, 2022 ). Since the terrestrial system is a significant source of MP for oceans, recently, several researchers have focused on the degradation, migration, and distribution of MP in soils ( Zhang et al, 2019a , 2020a ; Wang et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crops Change the Morphology, Abundance, and Mass of Microplastics in Mollisols of Northeast China

et al. 2022

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Degradation of microplastics (MPs) by both physicochemical and biological processes in the natural environment is determined by the enzymes inside the soil, and which was severely influenced by crop growth and straw amendment (SA). However, it is still unclear how crop growth and SA influence degradation of MPs in soils. In this study, both catalase and sucrase were measured, and the stereomicroscope combined with microscopic infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to detect the morphology and quantity of low-density polyethylene microplastic (LDPE-MP) and low-density polypropylene microplastic (LDPP-MP), after crop growth (maize and soybean, with and without SA, 1 and 2% MP) in an outdoor pot experiment, in the Mollisols. The results showed that the growth of the crops changed the morphology, functional groups (e.g., methylene, carbonyl), total mass, and abundance ratio of MPs of different sizes. These were possibly caused by enzymes that were significantly influenced by crop types, abundance, and types of MPs in the soils. Maize growth decreased the mass of LDPE-MP and LDPP-MP by 28.7 and 32.7%, respectively, and 2% (w/w) of LDPP-MP addition in soil decreased mass of 9%, which was higher than that in 1% (w/w) LDPP-MP addition in soil. Soybean growth with SA decreased the mass of LDPE-MP and LDPP-MP by 36.6 and 20.7%, respectively, than the control treatment (CK). Compared with CK, both crop growth and SA changed the abundance of MPs of different sizes and decreased the mean size of MPs. The LDPE-MP could be more easily degraded by enzymes in the soils compared to LDPP-MP when the MP size was smaller with surface roughness. Generally, both maize and soybean growth can accelerate MP change in soils, and MP change process was mainly determined by SA, MP types, and the dose effect of MP.

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Non-biodegradable microplastics in soils: A brief review and challenge

Cited by 141 publications

References 85 publications

Soil Invertebrates Generate Microplastics From Polystyrene Foam Debris

Soil Invertebrates Generate Microplastics From Polystyrene Foam Debris

Comparison of fitness effects in the earthworm Eisenia fetida after exposure to single or multiple anthropogenic pollutants

Crops Change the Morphology, Abundance, and Mass of Microplastics in Mollisols of Northeast China

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