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Microbial degradation of bioplastic (PHBV) is limited by nutrient availability at high microplastic loadings
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Researchers found that the degradation of the biodegradable plastic PHBV in soil becomes limited by nutrient availability when microplastic concentrations are high. Using pyrolysis GC-MS to quantify degradation, they observed that soil hydrophobicity increased while plant growth and soil microbial biomass decreased at higher microplastic loadings. The study suggests that even biodegradable plastics can negatively affect soil health when present in large quantities.
Degradation of PHBV in soil, quantified with pyrolysis GC-MS, was nutrient limited at increasing microplastic concentrations. Hydrophobicity increased while plant and soil microbial biomass decreased at higher soil microplastic concentrations.
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Bioplastic (PHBV) addition to soil alters microbial community structure and negatively affects plant-microbial metabolic functioning in maize
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Correction: Microbial degradation of bioplastic (PHBV) is limited by nutrient availability at high microplastic loadings
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This study presents a correction to previously published research on microbial degradation of the bioplastic PHBV (polyhydroxybutyrate-co-valerate), which found that nutrient availability limits biodegradation rates at high microplastic loadings.
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