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Root Exudates Alter the Adsorption and Desorption Capacities of Aged MPs for Cd2+
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A lab study tested how substances released from plant roots affect how aged microplastics (polystyrene and polylactic acid) bind and release cadmium, a heavy metal, in soil. Citric acid from roots reduced cadmium binding to the plastics but sharply increased its release, while other root substances had different or weaker effects.
Microplastics (MPs) and Cd widely coexist in the soil environment. However, how root exudates (REs) affect the interactions between MPs and Cd2+ remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the effects of simulated and real REs on the adsorption of Cd2+ by and desorption of Cd2+ from aged MPs (polystyrene, PS; polylactic acid, PLA). Results showed that simulated single root exudate (SSRE) significantly decreased the adsorption capacities of the two aged MPs for Cd2+, especially citric acid (CA). Simulated mixed REs (SMREs) and real mixed REs (RMREs) showed inhibitory trends, where the Cd2+ adsorption capacity of MPs declined as RE concentrations increased. With regard to Cd2+ desorption, CA dramatically boosted desorption rates by 228% for aged PS-MPs and 489% for aged PLA-MPs compared with the control group. In contrast, individual serine and glucose reduced Cd2+ desorption efficiency. SMREs and RMREs generally facilitated Cd2+ desorption, except at high RMRE concentrations, but these promoting effects did not show a linear correlation with RE concentrations. Cd2+ adsorption by the two aged MPs in the presence of SSRE was well fitted by the quasi-secondary kinetic model. These findings highlight that the environmental fate of heavy metals in rhizosphere soil containing MPs deserves greater research attention.
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