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Comparative effects of conventional and biodegradable microplastics on greenhouse gas emissions from Loess Plateau orchard soils
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Scientists found that "biodegradable" plastic bits in orchard soil actually caused a bigger short-term spike in greenhouse gas emissions than regular plastic pollution, by changing soil microbes. This suggests eco-friendly plastics may trade one problem (long-lasting waste) for another (climate impact), a tradeoff worth understanding as biodegradable plastics become more common in farming.
As China's primary apple-producing region, the Loess Plateau exhibits substantial microplastics (MPs) accumulation in orchard soils due to intensive agricultural plastic use. However, the impacts of MPs on orchard soil ecosystems in this region remains poorly understood. A 60-day laboratory incubation experiment was conducted to assess the effects of biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) and conventional polyethylene (PE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) on greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions from Loess Plateau orchard soils, different MPs types were added to the soil at a concentration of 0.5% (w/w). The PLA significantly increased cumulative CO2 emissions by 190.7% and N2O emissions 12.3% compared to the control (CK), in contrast, both PE and PET reduced cumulative CO2 emissions (by 12.4% and 15.8%, respectively) and N2O emissions (by 49.1% and 36.5%, respectively). Regarding the microbial community, PLA decreased bacterial diversity and altered the community structure, significantly increasing the relative abundances of Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria, and the Ascomycota, conversely, PE and PET had minimal impact. Partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-PM) revealed that MPs influenced microbial community structures through direct and indirect effects (soil physicochemical properties), thereby regulating CO2 and N2O emissions. Furthermore, Mantel tests and redundancy analysis (RDA) revealed that microbial activity is the primary regulator of regulating CO2 and N2O emissions. This study demonstrates that the biodegradability of PLA, while advantageous in reducing persistent plastic pollution, poses a greater risk of increasing immediate GHG emissions from Loess Plateau orchard soils compared to conventional MPs, which contribute to long-term soil contamination.
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