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Time-Resolved Investigation of the Priming Effect of Biodegradable Plastics on Soil Organic Matter Using Radiocarbon Analysis
Summary
Scientists found that "biodegradable" plastics breaking down in soil don't just disappear harmlessly, they can actually speed up the breakdown of natural soil carbon that's been stored there for a long time, releasing it as CO2. This matters because soil is one of the planet's biggest carbon storage systems, and disrupting it could affect climate change, plus it raises questions about whether these eco-friendly plastic alternatives are truly better for the environment than we assumed.
As biodegradable plastics become more commonly integrated to the modern economy, soil contamination by biodegradable microplastics (MPs) has raised concerns owing to their potential to alter soil organic matter (SOM), an important carbon reservoir, through priming effects. Priming effects refer t...