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Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) biodegradable microplastics accelerated the decomposition of amino sugar in soil
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Biodegradable PBAT microplastics (from agricultural films) were found to accelerate the breakdown of amino sugars — nitrogen-containing compounds that form part of soil organic matter — in two different soils, with the effect depending on how much nitrogen was already available in the soil. The finding is significant because it shows that even biodegradable plastics disrupt the nitrogen cycle in agricultural soils, potentially affecting crop nutrient availability and soil carbon storage in farmlands where these materials are widely used.
Abstract Biodegradable microplastics (BMPs) are reported to have a priming effect on soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition. However, their impact on the turnover of specific SOM components, especially nitrogen (N)-containing ones, remains unclear. Given the wide use of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) in agricultural films and the crucial role of amino sugar N-acetylglucosamine (NAG) in microbial necromass, the effects of PBAT BMPs on NAG decomposition in soil were investigated. We found that PBAT accelerated the decomposition of NAG, with specific effects varying considerably in the two soils examined (Yingtan soil and Nanjing soil). Microbial biomass and metagenomic sequencing analyses revealed that, in Yingtan soil with low available N (6 mg kg -1 ), PBAT promoted the incorporation of NAG into living microbial biomass, and increased the abundance of NAG phosphorylation and isomerization genes ( amgK and glmM ). In Nanjing soil with high available N (127 mg kg -1 ), chitin synthase gene ( CHS1 ) abundance decreased and there was no significant change in microbial biomass, indicating the extra NAG decomposed in PBAT-treated soils might mainly enter the glycolysis pathway to generate energy rather than synthesizing new cells. Potential PBAT degraders enriched were also NAG degraders, suggesting carbon-rich PBAT selected for microbes that could obtain N from amino sugars.
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Review: Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) biodegradable microplastics accelerated the decomposition of amino sugar in soil — R1/PR2
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Researchers found that poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) biodegradable microplastics accelerate the decomposition of amino sugars — nitrogen-containing soil organic matter components — through a priming effect on soil organic matter turnover. The findings suggest that even biodegradable microplastics can disrupt soil nitrogen cycling with implications for agricultural soil health.
Soil C-N and microbial community were altered by polybutylene adipate terephthalate microplastics
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Researchers investigated how biodegradable polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) microplastics affect soil carbon, nitrogen, and microbial communities in soils planted with soybean and maize. The study found that PBAT microplastics significantly altered dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen levels, increased microbial biomass, and shifted bacterial and fungal community composition, suggesting that even biodegradable microplastics may disrupt soil nutrient cycling in plant-specific ways.
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"Biodegradable" plastic doesn't break down the same way everywhere, this study found that soil type (like its acidity and nitrogen levels) strongly affects how fast a common compostable plastic (PBAT) gets broken down by soil microbes. Notably, when this plastic breaks into tiny microplastic fragments, it disrupts soil microbial communities more than intact plastic film does, which matters because healthy soil microbes are essential for growing the food we eat and for naturally filtering out pollutants like microplastics before they spread further into the environment.
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Author comment: Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) biodegradable microplastics accelerated the decomposition of amino sugar in soil — R1/PR1
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Biodegradable plastics used in farm films (like PBAT) are meant to be an eco-friendly alternative to regular plastic, but this study found they can speed up the breakdown of nitrogen-rich compounds in soil that come from dead microbes, essentially disrupting the soil's natural nutrient cycle. The effect depended on how much nitrogen was already in the soil, with low-nitrogen soils seeing microbes "steal" nitrogen from these compounds to grow. This matters because healthy soil nitrogen cycling supports crop growth and soil fertility, so widespread use of these "biodegradable"
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