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Microplastics in soils during the COVID-19 pandemic: Sources, migration and transformations, and remediation technologies
Summary
This review examines how the COVID-19 pandemic increased global plastic production by 5-10%, leading to more microplastic contamination in soils. The paper covers how microplastics enter soil, how they transform and migrate through it, and the remediation technologies available to address the problem. Understanding soil microplastic pollution matters because it can affect crops and ultimately enter the human food supply.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a notable upsurge of 5-10 % in global plastic production, which could have potential implications on the soil quality through increased microplastics (MPs) content. The elevated levels of MPs in the soil poses a significant threat to both the environment and human health, hence necessitating the remediation of MPs in the environment. Despite the significant attention given to MPs remediation in aqueous environments, less consideration has been given to MPs remediation in the soil. Consequently, this review highlights the major sources of MPs in the soil, their migration and transformation behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic, and emphasizes the importance of utilizing remediation technologies such as phytoremediation, thermal treatment, microbial degradation, and photodegradation for MPs in the soil. Furthermore, this review provides a prospective outlook on potential future remediation methods for MPs in the soil. Although the COVID-19 pandemic is nearing its end, the long-term impact of MPs on the soil remains, making this review a valuable reference for the remediation of MPs in the post-pandemic soil.