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Microplastics in liquid biofertilizers: An overlooked threat to agricultural soil?
Summary
Researchers quantified microplastic concentrations in liquid biofertilizers and estimated their contribution to agricultural soil loading, finding that fragment-dominated particles in the 5–50 μm range represent a measurable but minor input compared with sewage sludge, though repeated long-term application could cause gradual accumulation.
for sewage sludge-amended soils, indicating that MPs from biofertilizer represent only a minor fraction of total soil MPs contamination. Fragments dominated the MPs composition (98%), with most particles in the 5-50 μm size range. Polymer identification was achieved for 71% of particles, with paint-derived materials being most abundant (23%). Compared with other biosolids such as sewage sludge, biofertilizers represent a minor but measurable pathway for MPs inputs to agricultural soils. Nevertheless, the dominance of small-sized particles and long-term accumulation highlights the need to consider possible adverse effects of repeated biofertilizer application on soil ecosystems.