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Impact of Wastewater on the Soil–Plant–Atmosphere Interface: Challenges and Remediation Approaches
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This review examines the wide-ranging impacts of using wastewater for agricultural irrigation, covering effects on soil health, crop safety, and greenhouse gas emissions. Among the many concerns discussed, microplastics and antibiotic-resistant bacteria emerging from wastewater reuse are flagged as growing threats requiring better monitoring and policy responses. For readers interested in microplastics, the paper highlights how irrigation with wastewater is one of the pathways by which plastic particles enter farmland soils and ultimately the food chain.
Wastewater reuse in agriculture has emerged as both a necessity and an opportunity in the face of global freshwater scarcity.While its use can improve water availability and reduce dependency on synthetic fertilizers, wastewater-especially when untreated-poses significant challenges across the soil-plant-atmosphere interface (SPAI).This review explores the complex interactions and consequences of wastewater irrigation, examining impacts on soil structure, microbial communities, nutrient balance, and heavy metal accumulation.It further analyzes physiological stress responses in crops, food safety concerns, and disruptions to evapotranspiration, greenhouse gas emissions, and plant-microbe signaling.The article reviews a range of remediation strategies, from low-cost treatment technologies (e.g., constructed wetlands, biochar filtration) to soil amendments, crop rotation, and precision irrigation.Emphasis is placed on integrated, context-specific approaches that combine technical, agronomic, and institutional solutions.Long-term sustainability of wastewater reuse depends on effective monitoring, risk mitigation, and adaptive policies that address emerging threats like microplastics and antibiotic resistance.The review concludes by identifying research priorities focused on system-level feedbacks within the SPAI and advocates for wastewater reuse strategies aligned with circular economy, food safety, and climate-smart agriculture goals.
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Microplastics in Irrigation Systems: A Growing Threat to Agriculture Soil and Crop Plant
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This review examines how microplastics enter agricultural soil through irrigation water, where they can degrade soil quality and harm plant growth. Microplastics from wastewater, plastic mulch, and contaminated water sources accumulate in farmland and can be taken up by crops. The study highlights a growing concern that irrigated agriculture may be a major pathway for microplastics to enter the human food supply.
Occurrence and environmental consequences of microplastics and nanoplastics from agricultural reuse of wastewater and biosolids in the soil ecosystem: A review
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This review examines how wastewater and sewage sludge used in agriculture introduce microplastics and nanoplastics into farm soil, where they can persist and accumulate over time. Municipal wastewater can contain thousands of plastic particles per liter, and treated sewage sludge used as fertilizer can contain over 30,000 particles per liter. These practices create a long-term buildup of plastic contamination in agricultural soil that can affect crops, groundwater, and ultimately human food and water supplies.
Microplastics in wastewaters and their potential effects on aquatic and terrestrial biota
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This review of over 200 studies found that microplastics from wastewater are contaminating both aquatic and land environments, especially when treated wastewater or sewage sludge is used for irrigation. The microplastics can harm fish, soil organisms, plants, and microbial communities, and they serve as carriers for other toxic pollutants. The findings highlight that wastewater is a major pathway through which microplastics reach farmland and, ultimately, human food and drinking water.
Microplastics in agricultural soils: sources, impacts, and mitigation strategies
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This review summarizes how microplastics enter agricultural soils through wastewater irrigation, plastic mulch breakdown, and atmospheric deposition, where they alter soil structure, microbial communities, and water retention. The particles can also carry heavy metals and organic pollutants into the food chain, threatening both crop productivity and human health, making it important to reduce plastic use in farming and improve waste management.
From Plastic Waste to Soil Contaminants: Microplastics and Their Influence on Soil Processes and Plant–Microbe Interactions
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This review summarizes existing research on microplastics in soil, showing they build up through farming practices like plastic mulching and wastewater use. It reports that microplastics disrupt soil microbes, nutrient cycling, plant health, and can promote plant pathogens, while noting gaps in long-term field studies on soil, plants, and food security.
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