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Degradable microplastics induce more soil organic carbon loss via priming effects: a viewpoint
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This viewpoint argues that degradable microplastics, despite being marketed as eco-friendly, may paradoxically accelerate soil organic carbon loss by triggering priming effects that stimulate microbial activity consuming native soil carbon stocks. This finding complicates assumptions about biodegradable plastics as a safe alternative, with implications for soil health, food security, and the long-term carbon cycle.
As a substitute for traditional plastics, degradable plastics produced from plant materials may be a potential supplement to soil organic carbon (SOC) due to equal treatment by soil microorganisms with plant residues. However, the degradable microplastics may simultaneously raise SOC loss via the priming effects due to their high microbial availability and strong nitrogen deficiency. Therefore, this double-edged sword effect needs to be further clarified for a better understanding of the feedback relationship between the spiralling degradable microplastics and soil carbon pools.
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Microplastics mineralization accelerates soil organic carbon decomposition by positive priming effects: A meta-analysis
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A meta-analysis of studies found that microplastics in soil mineralize at 0.114% per day and simultaneously trigger a 33.6% acceleration in soil organic carbon decomposition through positive priming effects driven by microbial co-metabolism and nitrogen mining. This finding reveals that widespread microplastic contamination is actively disrupting terrestrial carbon cycles, with significant implications for climate feedback loops and long-term soil health.
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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.
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Pot experiments with corn showed that both conventional polyethylene and biodegradable PLA microplastics reduced the accumulation of microbial carbon in soil aggregates, disrupting how organic matter builds up in the ground. Because microplastic-derived carbon can be miscounted as soil organic carbon, these findings suggest we may be overestimating soil health in contaminated agricultural fields.
Soil Aggregates and Organic Carbon Transformation in Response to Microplastics Pollution
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Researchers synthesized 131 studies on microplastics in agricultural soils and found that microplastics destabilize soil aggregates, accelerate organic carbon mineralization, and stimulate microbial activity in ways that collectively degrade soil structure and increase carbon loss to the atmosphere.
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