The plastic-soil interface: Unveiling nanoplastic formation and its role in metal(loid) transport in contaminated soils

Plastic contamination is found in every Earth’s compartments including soils. While the alteration of plastics into nanoplastics has been extensively studied in marine environment, the occurrence of nanoplastics in soil systems has been overlooked. Addressing the issue of plastic degradation and nanoplastic occurrence in soils is primordial given their intrinsic toxicity and the ability of toxic metal(loid)s to bind nanoplastics with associated potential environmental hazards. In this proposal, we will study for the first time undisturbed plastics in soils which aged under environmental conditions. Using nanoscale X-ray fluorescence at ID16B beamline, we seek to (1) characterize the nanoplastics that were released from plastic fragments during weathering in soils; and (2) identify the nanominerals found at plastic interface and deduce how they could govern metal(loid)s mobility in soils.