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Microplastic Textile Fibers Accumulate in Sand and Are Potential Sources of Micro(nano)plastic Pollution
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Polyester and nylon microfibers were studied for their long-term behavior in sandy agricultural soils, finding that fibers persisted, accumulated, and were not effectively degraded under field conditions over extended periods. The results indicate textile microfibers in soils represent a long-lived reservoir of microplastic contamination with potential effects on soil structure and organisms.
Agricultural soils have been identified as sinks for microplastic fibers; however, little information is available on their long-term fate in these soils. In this study, polyester and nylon fibers were precisely cut to relevant environmental lengths, using novel methodology, and their behavior in sand columns was studied at environmental concentration. The longer fibers (>50 μm) accumulated in the upper layers of the sand, smaller fibers were slightly more mobile, and nylon showed marginally higher mobility than polyester. Previous studies have overlooked changes in microplastic morphology due to transport in soil. Our study is the first to show that fibers exhibited breakage, peeling, and thinning under flow conditions in soil, releasing smaller, more mobile fragments. Furthermore, the peelings exhibited different adsorption properties compared to the core fiber. This suggests that microplastic fibers can become a source of smaller micro(nano)plastics and potential vectors for certain molecules, risking continuous contamination of nearby soils, surfaces, and groundwater.
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This study found that polyester microplastic fibers changed soil physical properties — including aggregate stability and water infiltration — and significantly increased erosion vulnerability in two of three agricultural soil types tested. The results show that microplastic pollution in farmland soils can degrade their structural integrity, threatening long-term agricultural productivity.
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This review examines how synthetic textiles release plastic microfibers during production, use, and laundering, making them a major source of microplastic pollution. Researchers found that textile microfibers may account for up to 35% of primary microplastics entering marine environments and can persist for decades in soils. The study discusses factors affecting fiber release from fabrics and calls for better assessment methods to understand the environmental and potential health risks of this widespread contamination.
Impacts of Microplastics on the Soil Biophysical Environment
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Four common microplastic types (polyacrylic fibers, polyamide beads, polyester fibers, PE fragments) were added to loamy sand soil at environmentally relevant concentrations in a garden experiment and effects on soil-water relationships, structure, and microbial function were measured over 5 weeks. Results showed that microplastics altered water repellency, aggregate stability, and microbial activity in a plastic-type-dependent manner, confirming that microplastics can disrupt fundamental soil biophysical processes.
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