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Biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics pose greater field nitrous oxide emission risks than conventional polyethylene by reshaping microbial production-reduction pathways in a wheat-maize rotation system.
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In a field experiment with wheat and maize crops, soil mixed with biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics released 39 to 61% more nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas, than untreated soil, by altering microbial processes. Conventional polyethylene microplastics caused smaller, less consistent changes, suggesting biodegradable plastics are not automatically safer for soil.
Microplastic contamination in agroecosystems is increasing, yet the field-scale effects of biodegradable microplastics on soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions remain unclear. We conducted a wheat-maize rotation field experiment to compare conventional polyethylene microplastics (PE-MPs) and biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics (PLA-MPs) at three application levels. Measurements included N2O fluxes, soil physicochemical properties, N-transformation enzyme activities, potential nitrification and denitrification rates, functional gene abundances, N2O/(N2O+N2) product ratios, 15N-18O-based N2O production pathways. Two-way ANOVA showed that microplastic type was the most consistent determinant of key responses, whereas concentration and interaction effects varied among indicators and seasons. PE-MPs caused weak and variable changes in soil N cycling and cumulative N2O emissions. In contrast, PLA-MPs increased cumulative N2O emissions by 38.9-61.1%, increased dissolved organic carbon, lowered pH, suppressed ammonia monooxygenase activity and nitrification, and stimulated nitrite reductase activity, potential denitrification, and nirK/nirS abundances. Increased N2O/(N2O+N2) and (nirK+nirS)/nosZ ratios indicated a stronger imbalance between N2O production and nosZ-mediated reduction. Dual-isotope tracing further showed that microplastics reduced nitrifier nitrification and shifted N2O production toward nitrifier denitrification, coupled nitrification-denitrification, and heterotrophic denitrification, with the strongest shift under PLA-MPs. These results demonstrate PLA-MPs pose greater N2O emission risks than PE-MPs, biodegradability does not necessarily imply environmental safety.
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