Microplastic Interactions in the Agroecosystems: Methodological Advances and Limitations in Quantifying Microplastics from Agricultural Soil

Overview

Journal Environ Geochem Health

Specialties Chemistry
Environmental Health

Date 2024 Feb 17

PMID 38367078

Authors

Pazhamthavalathil Anil Athulya

Yojana Waychal

Andres Rodriguez-Seijo

Sandhya Devalla

C George Priya Doss

Natarajan Chandrasekaran

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The instantaneous growth of the world population is intensifying the pressure on the agricultural sector. On the other hand, the critical climate changes and increasing load of pollutants in the soil are imposing formidable challenges on agroecosystems, affecting productivity and quality of the crops. Microplastics are among the most prevalent pollutants that have already invaded all terrestrial and aquatic zones. The increasing microplastic concentration in soil critically impacts crop plants growth and yield. The current review elaborates on the behaviors of microplastics in soil and their impact on soil quality and plant growth. The study shows that microplastics alter the soil's biophysical properties, including water-holding capacity, bulk density, aeration, texture, and microbial composition. In addition, microplastics interact with multiple pollutants, such as polyaromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals, making them more bioavailable to crop plants. The study also provides a detailed insight into the current techniques available for the isolation and identification of soil microplastics, providing solutions to some of the critical challenges faced and highlighting the research gaps. In our study, we have taken a holistic, comprehensive approach by analysing and comparing various interconnected aspects to provide a deeper understanding of all research perspectives on microplastics in agroecosystems.

References

Abbasi S, Moore F, Keshavarzi B, Hopke P, Naidu R, Rahman M . PET-microplastics as a vector for heavy metals in a simulated plant rhizosphere zone. Sci Total Environ. 2020; 744:140984. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140984. View

Akhbarizadeh R, Moore F, Keshavarzi B . Investigating a probable relationship between microplastics and potentially toxic elements in fish muscles from northeast of Persian Gulf. Environ Pollut. 2017; 232:154-163. DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2017.09.028. View

Araujo C, Nolasco M, Ribeiro A, Ribeiro-Claro P . Identification of microplastics using Raman spectroscopy: Latest developments and future prospects. Water Res. 2018; 142:426-440. DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2018.05.060. View

Bao R, Cheng Z, Hou Y, Xie C, Pu J, Peng L . Secondary microplastics formation and colonized microorganisms on the surface of conventional and degradable plastic granules during long-term UV aging in various environmental media. J Hazard Mater. 2022; 439:129686. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129686. View

Beiras R, Verdejo E, Campoy-Lopez P, Vidal-Linan L . Aquatic toxicity of chemically defined microplastics can be explained by functional additives. J Hazard Mater. 2021; 406:124338. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.124338. View

Benson N, Bassey D, Palanisami T . COVID pollution: impact of COVID-19 pandemic on global plastic waste footprint. Heliyon. 2021; 7(2):e06343. PMC: 7896824. DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06343. View

Blocker L, Watson C, Wichern F . Living in the plastic age - Different short-term microbial response to microplastics addition to arable soils with contrasting soil organic matter content and farm management legacy. Environ Pollut. 2020; 267:115468. DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115468. View

Boots B, Russell C, Green D . Effects of Microplastics in Soil Ecosystems: Above and Below Ground. Environ Sci Technol. 2019; 53(19):11496-11506. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b03304. View

Bradney L, Wijesekara H, Palansooriya K, Obadamudalige N, Bolan N, Ok Y . Particulate plastics as a vector for toxic trace-element uptake by aquatic and terrestrial organisms and human health risk. Environ Int. 2019; 131:104937. DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.104937. View

10.

Browne M, Dissanayake A, Galloway T, Lowe D, Thompson R . Ingested microscopic plastic translocates to the circulatory system of the mussel, Mytilus edulis (L). Environ Sci Technol. 2008; 42(13):5026-31. DOI: 10.1021/es800249a. View

11.

Budimir S, Setala O, Lehtiniemi M . Effective and easy to use extraction method shows low numbers of microplastics in offshore planktivorous fish from the northern Baltic Sea. Mar Pollut Bull. 2018; 127:586-592. DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.12.054. View

12.

Catrouillet C, Davranche M, Khatib I, Fauny C, Wahl A, Gigault J . Metals in microplastics: determining which are additive, adsorbed, and bioavailable. Environ Sci Process Impacts. 2021; 23(4):553-558. DOI: 10.1039/d1em00017a. View

13.

Chen F, Aqeel M, Khalid N, Nazir A, Irshad M, Akbar M . Interactive effects of polystyrene microplastics and Pb on growth and phytochemicals in mung bean (Vigna radiata L.). J Hazard Mater. 2023; 449:130966. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.130966. View

14.

Chen X, Wang J, Xie Y, Ma Y, Zhang J, Wei H . Physiological response and oxidative stress of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) under single and combined toxicity of polystyrene microplastics and cadmium. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2022; 245:114080. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.114080. View

15.

Zhan C, Yuan J, Chen X, Zhang X, Fathollahi-Fard A, Wang C . A hybrid approach for low-carbon transportation system analysis: integrating CRITIC-DEMATEL and deep learning features. Int J Environ Sci Technol (Tehran). 2023; :1-14. PMC: 10250180. DOI: 10.1007/s13762-023-04995-6. View

16.

Claessens M, Van Cauwenberghe L, Vandegehuchte M, Janssen C . New techniques for the detection of microplastics in sediments and field collected organisms. Mar Pollut Bull. 2013; 70(1-2):227-33. DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2013.03.009. View

17.

Cole S, Vassar R . The role of amyloid precursor protein processing by BACE1, the beta-secretase, in Alzheimer disease pathophysiology. J Biol Chem. 2008; 283(44):29621-5. PMC: 2662048. DOI: 10.1074/jbc.R800015200. View

18.

Connors K, Dyer S, Belanger S . Advancing the quality of environmental microplastic research. Environ Toxicol Chem. 2017; 36(7):1697-1703. DOI: 10.1002/etc.3829. View

19.

Cooper D, Corcoran P . Effects of mechanical and chemical processes on the degradation of plastic beach debris on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. Mar Pollut Bull. 2010; 60(5):650-4. DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2009.12.026. View

20.

Coppock R, Cole M, Lindeque P, Queiros A, Galloway T . A small-scale, portable method for extracting microplastics from marine sediments. Environ Pollut. 2017; 230:829-837. DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2017.07.017. View