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Biochar alleviated the toxic effects of PVC microplastic in a soil-plant system by upregulating soil enzyme activities and microbial abundance
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Researchers tested whether adding biochar to soil could reduce the harmful effects of PVC microplastic contamination on plant growth and soil health. They found that biochar amendment increased plant biomass, restored soil enzyme activity, and boosted beneficial microbial populations that had been suppressed by the microplastics. The study suggests that biochar could serve as a practical tool for rehabilitating agricultural soils contaminated with plastic particles.
Plastics have become an emerging pollutant threatening the sustainability of agroecosystems and global food security. Biochar, a pro-ecosystem/negative carbon emission technology can be exploited as a circular approach for the conservation of plastics contaminated agricultural soils. However, relatively few studies have focused on the effects of biochar on plant growth and soil biochemical properties in a microplastic contaminated soil. This study investigated the effects of a cotton stalk (Gossypium hirsutum L.) biochar on plant growth, soil microbes, and enzyme activity in PVC microplastic (PVC-MPs) contaminated soil. Biochar amendment increased shoot dry matter production in PVC-MPs contaminated soil. However, PVC-MPs alone significantly reduced the soil urease and dehydrogenase activity, soil organic and microbial biomass carbon, bacterial/fungal community percentage, and their abundance (16S rRNA and 18S rRNA genes, respectively). Interestingly, biochar amendment with PVC-MPs significantly alleviated the hazardous effects. Principal component and redundancy analysis of the soil properties, bacterial 16S rRNA genes, and fungal ITS in the biochar-amended PVC-MPs treatments revealed that the observed traits formed an obvious cluster compared to non-biochar treatments. To sum up, this study indicated that PVC-MPs contamination was not benign, while biochar shielded the hazardous effects and sustained soil microbial functionality.
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Biochar Influences Polyethylene Microplastic-Contaminated Soil Properties and Enzyme Activities
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This study examined how biochar additions modify the properties of polyethylene microplastic-contaminated soil and affect plant growth, finding that biochar partially mitigated microplastic-induced soil degradation and improved plant performance. Biochar shows promise as a low-cost soil amendment to counteract microplastic impacts.
Exploring the potential of biochar for the remediation of microbial communities and element cycling in microplastic-contaminated soil
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Scientists found that adding biochar (a charcoal-like material made from plant waste) to soil contaminated with microplastics helped restore healthy microbial communities and nutrient cycling. The biochar reversed negative effects that microplastics had on soil chemistry, including nitrogen and phosphorus availability. This suggests biochar could be a practical tool for repairing farmland damaged by microplastic pollution.
Biochar alters chemical and microbial properties of microplastic-contaminated soil
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Researchers found that biochar amendments improved chemical and microbial properties of microplastic-contaminated soil, with effects varying by biochar type and water conditions, suggesting biochar as a potential remediation tool for plastic-polluted agricultural soils.
Biochar-mediated remediation of low-density polyethylene microplastic-polluted soil-plant systems: Role of phosphorus and protist community responses
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Researchers found that adding biochar (a charcoal-like soil additive) to soil contaminated with microplastics helped improve plant growth by restoring phosphorus cycling. The microplastics disrupted soil microbe communities, but biochar treatment shifted these communities in beneficial ways. This suggests biochar could be a practical tool for farming in soils contaminated with plastic pollution.
Biochar counteracts the negative effects of microplastics on physiological and biochemical characteristics and leaf metabolism in Zea mays L
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Researchers studied whether biochar could counteract the harmful effects of microplastics on maize plant growth and soil health. They found that adding biochar to microplastic-contaminated soil restored antioxidant enzyme balance, improved beneficial metabolic pathways in leaves, and increased bacterial community diversity. The study suggests biochar may help plants resist microplastic-induced stress by boosting glucose metabolism in root systems.
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