Double-edged sword effects of degradable microplastics as carbon-active inputs on soil net carbon balance: A critical perspective

Impacts of microplastics on terrestrial soil carbon dynamics

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This synthesis shows that microplastics disrupt soil organic carbon sequestration through multiple mechanisms, including leaching dissolved organic matter, altering microbial carbon pump efficiency, and creating hotspots that modify mineral-organic matter interactions within soil aggregates. As microplastics accumulate in agricultural soils globally, their interference with carbon storage could undermine both climate mitigation efforts and the soil ecosystem services that support food production.

Degradable microplastics induce more soil organic carbon loss via priming effects: a viewpoint

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This viewpoint argues that degradable microplastics, despite being marketed as eco-friendly, may paradoxically accelerate soil organic carbon loss by triggering priming effects that stimulate microbial activity consuming native soil carbon stocks. This finding complicates assumptions about biodegradable plastics as a safe alternative, with implications for soil health, food security, and the long-term carbon cycle.

Deciphering the Dual Mechanisms of Soil Carbon Disturbance by Biodegradable and Conventional Microplastics: A Global Synthesis of Multi-Pathway Responses

Differential effects of microplastics on soil organic carbon via lignin phenols and amino sugars in soil aggregates

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Pot experiments with corn showed that both conventional polyethylene and biodegradable PLA microplastics reduced the accumulation of microbial carbon in soil aggregates, disrupting how organic matter builds up in the ground. Because microplastic-derived carbon can be miscounted as soil organic carbon, these findings suggest we may be overestimating soil health in contaminated agricultural fields.

Microplastics affect key soil functions – water, carbon and nutrient storage – and soil microbiota via interactions between plastic degradability and soil aggregation