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Identification of microplastics extracted from field soils amended with municipal biosolids
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Researchers developed a method for extracting and identifying microplastics from agricultural soils that had been treated with municipal biosolids, a common fertilizer derived from wastewater treatment. They found a variety of plastic polymer types in the soil, confirming that biosolid application is a pathway for microplastic contamination of farmland. The study provides a reliable technique for tracking how microplastics cycle through agricultural environments.
Microplastic particles in arable soil are expected to impact the environment and potentially human health. The application of municipal biosolids (MBs) to agricultural land presents a further dilemma in that biosolids act as a fertilizer for crop growth, and a disposal pathway for wastewater treatment plants. They are also a direct path for emerging contaminants, such as microplastics to enter the terrestrial environment. Reliable methods are needed to identify and quantify microplastics, found in agricultural soils to determine how microplastics are being cycled in the terrestrial environment. In this study, we developed a method for extracting microplastics from soil, and characterized their composition and identity for particles sized 5 μm to 2 mm. Method development was initially completed using natural soils spiked with microplastics and MBs, followed by the analyses of soil sampled from an agricultural field where MBs were recently applied at a rate of 13 tons dw/ha. The procedures that used the spiked samples showed that microplastics can be reliably extracted from soil in a laboratory setting, and identified and semi-quantified by thermogravimetric analysis combined with Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (TGA-FTIR). However, when the same methods were applied to the soil samples collected from the agricultural field, reproducibility became a challenge, as the number and type of microplastics changed even within the same soils (i.e., collected the same day from the same exact location). The variation in reproducibility observed between laboratory and field samples underscores the significant heterogeneity present in the environment. This heterogeneity, in turn, affects the identification and quantity of microplastics detected, a phenomenon observed even when comparing different fields within a single treatment regimen.
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Biosolid amendments as drivers for microplastic pollution in soil: Measurements and insight from multiple analytical methods in an agricultural field study
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Farms sometimes spread "biosolids" (treated sewage sludge) on fields as fertilizer, and this study measured microplastic particles in soil that had received these applications over a decade compared to untreated farmland. Using detailed chemical testing, researchers confirmed that soil treated with sludge contained identifiable plastic contamination, supporting concerns that this common farming practice can be a source of microplastics building up in agricultural land. Since these plastics can end up in the crops we eat and potentially in our food and water supply, understanding where they come from is an important step toward reducing our overall exposure.
Biosolid amendments as drivers for microplastic pollution in soil: Measurements and insight from multiple analytical methods in an agricultural field study
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Scientists analyzed farm soil that had been treated with sewage sludge (a common fertilizer made from treated wastewater) years earlier, comparing it to untreated soil to identify tiny plastic particles left behind. This research provides detailed tools and data for detecting these microplastics, helping build the scientific groundwork needed to understand how farm fertilizing practices may contribute to plastic pollution in the food we grow.
Biosolid amendments as drivers for microplastic pollution in soil: Measurements and insight from multiple analytical methods in an agricultural field study
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Farms often spread "biosolids" (treated sewage sludge and animal waste) on fields as fertilizer, but this study shows that practice can also introduce microplastic pollution into agricultural soil, with fields that received sludge showing different plastic contamination than untreated fields. Since crops grow in this soil and microplastics can potentially work their way into our food and water, this raises questions about how common farming practices might be a hidden source of plastic exposure in our diets.
Comparing the microplastic content in biosolid-amended and non-amended agricultural soils
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Researchers compared microplastic content in biosolid-amended agricultural soils versus non-amended control soils, examining eleven amended and nine non-amended sites to quantify the contribution of biosolid application to soil microplastic loads. The study found higher microplastic concentrations in biosolid-amended soils, confirming that biosolid application is a significant pathway for microplastic introduction into agricultural land.
Investigation and analysis of microplastics in sewage sludge and biosolids: A case study from one wastewater treatment works in the UK
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Researchers investigated microplastic contamination in sewage sludge and biosolids at a UK wastewater treatment plant and found significant quantities of microplastics persisting through the treatment process. Since millions of tonnes of biosolids are applied to farmland annually in the UK, this represents a major pathway for microplastic pollution entering agricultural soils. The study highlights the need for better monitoring and treatment methods to reduce microplastic transfer from wastewater to the terrestrial environment.
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