Recent Advances on Multilevel Effects of Micro(Nano)Plastics and Coexisting Pollutants on Terrestrial Soil-Plants System

Yue, Yuanhao; Li, Xiaohui; Wei, Zhenggui; Zhang, Tongyu; Wang, Huanli; Huang, Xi; Tang, Shijie

doi:10.3390/su15054504

Cited by 10 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…In addition to the medium (water, air, soil), the presence of plastic in a terrestrial (e.g., coastal) area also depends on land uses, e.g., if it is an industrial, urban, or fishing area [12]. Plastics then interact with other parameters, such as different pollutants like heavy metals in soil [13], weather conditions, microorganisms [14], vegetation [15], and so on (Figure 1). Other important parameters in the context of interactions are the type of plastic, its shape, size [16], surface properties (e.g., roughness) [17] and other mechanical properties, and physical properties as well as chemical, such as additives; plastics contain many elements that are not chemically attached to the polymer matrix, such as unreacted monomers, residual processing aids, and additives [18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plastics in Agricultural and Urban Soils: Interactions with Plants, Micro-Organisms, Inorganic and Organic Pollutants: An Overview of Polyethylene (PE) Litter

Tziourrou,

Golia

2024

Soil Systems

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Over the last few decades, different types of plastics have been found in different soil types with documented or potential negative effects on the environment, the flora and fauna inhabiting the soils, and subsequently human health. This article is a global review of the consequences of the interactions of plastics with soil, plants, soil microbes, and organic or inorganic pollutants depending on land use. It focuses on the various types of polyethylene, a widely used material with a strong presence in both agricultural and urban soils. Although the chemical formula (C2H4)n remains the same in its various classifications, the chemical behavior of polyethylene in soil varies and directly depends on its density, branching, crystallinity, and relative molecular mass, resulting in many and various differences in the properties but also in the behavior of the two main forms of polyethylene, low and high density. However, beyond the chemical composition of plastics, the climatic conditions that apply in both urban and rural areas determine the degree of corrosion as well as their shape and size, also affecting the chemical reactions that directly or indirectly affect them. In agricultural soils, plants and the microbiome present mainly in the rhizosphere seem to dramatically influence the behavior of plastics, where the interaction of all these parameters leads to changes in the availability of nutrients (phosphorus and potassium), the percentage of organic matter and the nitrogen cycle. In urban soils, the increase in temperature and decrease in humidity are the main parameters that determine the adsorption of heavy metals and organic pollutants on the surface of plastics. Although the presence of plastics is considered inevitable, perhaps a more thorough study of them will lead to a reduction in the risks of pollution in urban and rural environments. This research provides a promising perspective on the potential contribution of MP PEs to the sustainable management of soil systems.

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