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Higher concentrations of microplastics in runoff from biosolid-amended croplands than manure-amended croplands
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Researchers compared microplastic runoff from farm plots treated with municipal biosolids (treated sewage sludge) versus manure, finding that biosolid-treated fields released significantly more microplastics into nearby waterways during rainfall events. The study is among the first to quantify how land-applied biosolids — a common agricultural practice — contribute to nonpoint source microplastic pollution in surface water.
Abstract Land-applied municipal biosolids, produced from municipal wastewater treatment sludge, contributes to microplastics contamination in agroecosystems. The impacts of biosolids on microplastic concentrations in agricultural soil have been previously investigated, however, the potential for microplastics transport from biosolid-amended croplands has not been previously quantified. In this study, manure and biosolids were applied to field plots, runoff was collected following natural precipitation events and the potential of bacterial biofilm to grow on different microplastic morphologies was investigated. Higher concentrations of microplastics were detected in runoff from plots with land-applied biosolid in comparison with manure-amended and control plots. Fibers and fragments were the most frequently detected plastic morphologies in runoff, correlated with their decreased surface roughness. The potential of biosolids to contribute to microplastic contamination to U.S. surface waters was quantified which is among the first to quantify the potential for nonpoint source microplastic contamination of surface waters adjacent to agricultural production areas.
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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.
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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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.
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.
Agricultural soils and microplastics: Are biosolids the problem?
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Researchers found that agricultural soils in Southeast England contained high microplastic concentrations regardless of whether they received biosolid treatment (874 vs. 664 MP/kg), suggesting that biosolids are not the sole source and that other inputs like agricultural plastic and littering also contribute significantly.
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