AI Article Synopsis

  • The study investigates the pollution of soil microplastics (MPs) in agricultural areas across China, highlighting the lack of systematic research on this issue.
  • Analysis of 6,694 samples from various regions reveals that MPs in soil can be identified by various colors, shapes, and types, with polyethylene being the most prevalent.
  • The findings suggest that natural environmental and socio-economic factors significantly influence the accumulation and characteristics of soil MPs, with the highest pollution levels observed in the South-central region of China.

Article Abstract

The potential threat of soil microplastics (MPs, particle sizes smaller than 5 mm) to the agricultural environment and food security production has become a hot issue, but there are few systematic studies on the characteristics and influencing factors of MP pollution in agricultural soil in China. Based on the data of soil MPs and related environmental factors (temperature, precipitation, soil pH, and organic carbon) and social and economic factors (permanent population, gross regional product per capita, gross industrial product per capita, and cultivated land area per capita) extracted from 6 694 samples from 85 published studies from 2020 to 2023, meta-analysis was performed. The characteristics of MPs pollution in agricultural soil and the key factors affecting the accumulation of MPs in soil in six administrative regions of China were analyzed. The results showed that soil MPs had six colors: (semi-) transparent, black, white, yellow, blue, green, and red. There were five kinds of shapes: fragment, fiber, film, particle, and foam. The particle size was between 0.01 and 5.0 mm. There were nine types of MPs: polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyester (PES), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), rayon (RY), polyacrylonitrile (PAN), and polyamide (PA). The abundance gradient of soil MPs in different regions was as follows: South-central region > Northwest region > Southwest region > East China region > North China region > Northeast region. The (semi-) transparent (27.6%), fragmented (32.2%), 0.01~0.5 mm (66.3%), and PE (37%) types of MPs had the highest detection rates. The characteristics of soil MPs are the result of natural environmental factors (temperature, precipitation, soil pH, organic carbon) and social factors (permanent population, gross regional product per capita, gross industrial product per capita, cultivated land area per capita).

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.13227/j.hjkx.202404092DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

soil mps
16
product capita
16
agricultural soil
12
soil
11
characteristics influencing
8
influencing factors
8
pollution agricultural
8
environmental factors
8
factors (temperature
8
(temperature precipitation
8

Similar Publications

Propyrisulfuron, a novel sulfonylurea herbicide, effectively suppresses intracellular acetolactate synthase activity for weed control, but its adsorption behavior in the soil environment remains unclear. To assess potential agroecosystem risks, the adsorption-desorption behavior and mechanism of propyrisulfuron in six typical agricultural soils of China were investigated using a batch equilibrium method, Density Functional Theory (DFT), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and Scanning Electron Microscopy equipped with Energy Dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX) techniques. It is indicated that the adsorption-desorption of propyrisulfuron in six soils reached equilibrium at 36 hours under the optimum water-to-soil ratio (WSr) of 5:1.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Co-occurrence of microplastics, PFASs, antibiotics, and antibiotic resistance genes in groundwater and their composite impacts on indigenous microbial communities: A field study.

Sci Total Environ

January 2025

State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 211135, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China. Electronic address:

There is a major gap in the occurrence of mixed emerging contaminants, which hinders our efforts in exploring their behaviors and transport in environmental media, as well as their toxicity to human and ecosystem. This study assessed the occurrence and their correlations of mixed contamination by microplastics (MPs), per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), antibiotics, and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in groundwater collected from a pharmaceutical and chemical industrial park. MPs, PFASs, antibiotics and ARGs were detected at all monitoring wells.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aging of Polystyrene Micro/Nanoplastics Enhances Cephalosporin Phototransformation via Structure-Sensitive Interfacial Hydrogen Bonding.

Environ Sci Technol

January 2025

State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, P. R. China.

Beyond their roles in adsorbing and transporting pollutants, microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs), particularly polystyrene variants (PS-M/NPs), have emerged as potential accelerators for the transformation of coexisting contaminants. This study uncovered a novel environmental phenomenon induced by aged PS-M/NPs and delved into the underlying mechanisms. Our findings revealed that the aged PS-M/NP particles significantly amplified the photodegradation of common cephalosporin antibiotics, and the extent of enhancement was tightly correlated to the molecular structures of cephalosporin antibiotics.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The presence of biodegradable microplastics (BMPs) alongside toxic metals in soil significantly threatens plant health. Current research mainly focuses on the effects of original BMPs. In contrast, the specific impacts of ultraviolet (UV)-aged BMPs and their interaction with Cadmium (Cd) on seed germination and growth are unclear.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Microplastics in soils: A comprehensive review.

Sci Total Environ

January 2025

Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China; Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China. Electronic address:

Microplastics (MPs) have become pervasive pollutants in terrestrial ecosystems, raising significant ecological risks and human health concerns. Despite growing attention, a comprehensive understanding of their quantification, sources, emissions, transport, degradation, and accumulation in soils remains incomplete. This review synthesizes the current knowledge on the anthropogenic activities contributing to soil MP contamination, both intentional and unintentional behaviors, spanning sectors including agriculture, domestic activities, transportation, construction, and industry.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!