Changes in soil microbial functions involved in the carbon cycle response to conventional and biodegradable microplastics

Impacts of microplastics on terrestrial soil carbon dynamics

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This synthesis shows that microplastics disrupt soil organic carbon sequestration through multiple mechanisms, including leaching dissolved organic matter, altering microbial carbon pump efficiency, and creating hotspots that modify mineral-organic matter interactions within soil aggregates. As microplastics accumulate in agricultural soils globally, their interference with carbon storage could undermine both climate mitigation efforts and the soil ecosystem services that support food production.

Deciphering the Dual Mechanisms of Soil Carbon Disturbance by Biodegradable and Conventional Microplastics: A Global Synthesis of Multi-Pathway Responses

Effects of Conventional and Biodegradable Microplastics on Soil Physicochemical Properties and Microorganisms

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A four-month soil incubation experiment compared conventional polyethylene (PE) and biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics, finding both alter soil organic carbon, nitrogen availability, enzyme activity, and microbial community composition — with PLA causing distinct effects due to its degradability. The finding that biodegradable plastics still significantly disrupt soil microbiology challenges assumptions about their environmental safety and suggests replacing conventional plastics with PLA does not eliminate ecological harm.

Distinct Influence of Conventional and Biodegradable Microplastics on Soil Microorganisms and Nitrogen Cycling: Emphasizing the Effect of Biodegradable Polylactic Acid

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A one-month soil experiment comparing polyethylene, PVC, and biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics found that smaller particles and PLA had the greatest disruptive effects on bacterial diversity, nitrogen cycling, and enzyme activity, inhibiting nitrification while enhancing denitrification. The finding that biodegradable plastics can be equally or more disruptive to soil microbiomes than conventional plastics complicates assumptions that they represent a safe environmental alternative.

Source, Environmental Behavior and Ecological Impact of Biodegradable Microplastics in Soil Ecosystems: A Review

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This review finds that biodegradable plastics do not fully break down as commonly assumed—they fragment into microplastics that alter soil chemistry, disrupt microbial communities, harm soil organisms, and amplify the toxicity of co-occurring pollutants. The widespread adoption of biodegradable plastics as an environmental solution may be creating a new category of soil microplastic contamination with its own distinct ecological risks.