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Environmental risk of multi-year polythene film mulching and its green solution in arid irrigation region
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Researchers found that 19 years of polythene film mulching accumulated up to 2,900 microplastic particles per kilogram of soil along with elevated plasticizer concentrations, and demonstrated that biodegradable film alternatives could significantly reduce this environmental contamination.
Environmental risk of multi-year polythene film mulching (PM) was evaluated and investigated. The location observation following 19-year (2000-2018) PM in irrigated region indicated that the cumulative accumulation of soil microplastics was as high as 2900 ± 19.5 n kg. Microplastic accumulation was tightly associated with soil plasticizer concentration (Pearson's r = 0.728, p <0.05), and the concentration of dominant phthalic acid esters (PAEs) was up to 117.5-705 μg kg. As such, we conducted organic mulching substitute experiment (2019-2020) with non-mulching (CK), maize straw mulching (SM), living clover mulching (CM), PM, PM+SM and PM+CM respectively. The data showed that organic mulching (SM, CM) achieved similar productivity benefit as PM-involved treatments (p > 0.05). Critically, total concentration of PAEs decreased by 6.43% in SM relative to CK, and by 9.61% in PM+SM relative to PM respectively. High throughput sequencing indicated that the proportions of predominant bacteria and fungi were totally lower in PM than those of organic mulching, particularly Sphingomonadaceae and Stachybotryaceae. KEGG analyses indicated that organic mulching promoted the metabolisms of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, benzoic acid (probability>75%) and heterologous organism metabolism (p<0.001), due to improved microbial community assembly. Therefore, organic mulching efficiently accelerated microbial mineralization of PM pollutants, and may act as a green solution to displace PM.
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Microplastics in agricultural soils: Extraction and characterization after different periods of polythene film mulching in an arid region
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Researchers developed a new method to extract microplastics from agricultural soil and found that fields mulched with plastic film for 30 years had the highest microplastic concentrations, at 40 mg per kilogram of soil, with particle size decreasing as the years of mulching increased. The study highlights the long-term accumulation of microplastics in soils under continuous plastic film agriculture.
[Occurrence and Characteristics of Macro/Micro-plastics and Phthalates in Soils Under Different Plastic Film Mulching].
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Researchers assessed residual characteristics of macroplastics, microplastics, and phthalate plasticizers in agricultural soils under different plastic film mulching treatments over a three-year field experiment, comparing traditional PE film with three types of biodegradable mulch and a no-mulch control. The study examined whether biodegradable film substitution effectively reduces soil plastic and PAE residual pollution.
Plastic mulching in agriculture. Trading short-term agronomic benefits for long-term soil degradation?
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This study examined plastic mulch use in agriculture, arguing that short-term crop benefits come with long-term costs as mulch fragments accumulate in soil as microplastics and disrupt soil structure, biology, and water dynamics.
Impact of Management Strategies on Reducing of Mulching Film Residues Pollution in Arid Regions
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Researchers examined the impact of different management strategies — including increased polyethylene film recycling rates and adoption of biodegradable mulch films — on reducing mulching film residue pollution in arid agricultural regions. The study found that combining recycling incentives with biodegradable film adoption significantly reduced soil plastic accumulation, supporting sustainable agricultural development in water-limited dryland farming systems.
Distribution characteristics of plastic film residue in long-term mulched farmland soil
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Long-term plastic mulch in Chinese cotton fields builds up 78 microplastic particles per 100g of soil down to 60cm depth, all matching polyethylene. - 64867 — Microplastics are found throughout the ocean and in human bodies; scientists are still determining how harmful exposures may be. - 50228 — Electrochemical coagulation removed 98% of microplastics from agricultural runoff water within 45 minutes. - 49990 — Korean greenhouse and plastic-mulched farmland soils showed similar levels of microplastic contamination, dominated by tiny fragments under 300 micrometers. - 49896 — Microplastics in paddy soil reduced available nitrogen by up to 80% while slightly boosting enzyme activity, potentially affecting rice crop nutrition. - 81423 — Steel deformation during high-temperature stress relaxation differs by material: intergranular in pure iron, intragranular in hardened chromium steels. - 49437 — Even remote areas in New York's Finger Lakes receive microplastics via both rainfall and direct airfall. - 49350 — Microplastics alter how oil spills disperse in seawater, potentially complicating cleanup of marine oil spill events. - 49342 — Microplastics are entering karst cave systems that supply roughly a quarter of global drinking water. - 49339 — Atlantic mackerel and horse mackerel may selectively ingest microplastics mistaken for prey, concentrating plastics in commercially fished species. - 49311 — Weathering/aging changes PET plastic properties enough that calibration with pristine PET may not accurately measure aged microplastics. - 49155 — Computer simulations show microplastic particle shape heavily influences whether they sink or float, helping predict where plastics accumulate in water. - 48950 — Microplastics were identified in largemouth bass stomachs from the Mid-Atlantic using infrared microscopy. - 48816 — Certain bacteria can degrade or remediate micro- and nanoplastics in soil, offering a potential biological cleanup approach. - 48806 — Urban waterways are accumulating microplastics that act as carriers for toxic chemicals, compounding environmental risks. - 48805 — Case study of Brisbane River shows microplastics accumulate in urban river sediments and can be transported downstream. - 48434 — Microplastics in soil alter structure, nutrient movement, and may be taken up by plants, raising food supply contamination concerns. - 48295 — Overview of microplastic generation sources, detection methods, and mitigation strategies across different environments. - 48241 — Nanotechnology-based approaches using engineered nanomaterials may help accelerate breakdown of persistent plastic pollution. - 48130 — Microplastics in soil carry co-pollutants like pesticides and heavy metals, potentially amplifying combined contamination risks. - 48070 — Widespread microplastic contamination documented in Lagos Lagoon, Nigeria, threatening marine life and communities dependent on the lagoon. - 48033 — Single-use plastic straws on an Indonesian beach were observed breaking down into microplastics through UV, wave action, and abrasion. - 48021 — Non-degrading plastics accumulate for centuries; the Great Pacific Garbage Patch holds 79,000 tonnes of floating plastic across 1.6 million km². - 47973 — Microplastics found everywhere act as carriers for toxic pollutants including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, potentially delivering concentrated chemical doses to wildlife and humans. - 47966 — Review of environmental impacts of common plastic types and emerging degradation strategies amid worsening global plastic accumulation. - 60976 — Naturally derived adsorbents from plants and minerals can capture microplastics and other emerging contaminants from water and soil. - 59706 — Synthetic textile fibers shed during washing enter waterways in vast quantities, representing a major underappreciated source of microfiber pollution. - 59631 — Nanoplastics may disrupt gut microbiome and through the gut-brain axis potentially contribute to neurodegeneration, though the pathway remains preliminary. - 59219 — Microplastic ocean pollution directly undermines UN Sustainable Development Goal 14 (life below water) and threatens global marine biodiversity efforts. - 59702 — Detecting and assessing the toxicity of emerging pollutants including microplastics remains technically difficult, limiting understanding of their true environmental impact.
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