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Soil contamination by microplastics in relation to local agricultural development as revealed by FTIR, ICP-MS and pyrolysis-GC/MS
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Researchers assessed microplastic contamination in farmland soils in Tunisia, where plastic film mulching and wastewater irrigation have been practiced for decades. Using FTIR, ICP-MS, and pyrolysis-GC/MS, the study found microplastic concentrations of 50 to 880 items per kilogram, with polypropylene being the most common type. The findings suggest that long-term agricultural practices involving plastic materials create significant pathways for microplastic accumulation in soils.
Plastic film mulching and use of wastewaters for irrigation have been common agricultural practices for over half a century in Tunisia, especially in arid regions, resulting in the undesired creation of a pathway for microplastics (MPs) to enter farmland soil. In order to assess the extent and characteristics of soil contamination by MPs in the Moknine province, an area of intensive agricultural practices, 16 farmland soil samples were collected and characterized. The total concentration of targeted MPs was 50-880 items/kg; among them, the most common MPs type being polypropylene (PP), mainly occurring as white/transparent fibers with small size (cross section <0.3 mm). SEM images of MPs surfaces revealed multiple features related to environmental exposure and degradation. ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and pyrolysis-GC/MS analyses enabled the accurate identification of MPs separated from the embedding soil micro- and macro-aggregates. Finally, contamination of the polymeric microparticles with a broad range of metals was found by ICP-MS analysis, suggesting that MPs can be vectors for transporting heavy metals in the soil and indicators of soil contamination as a result of mismanagement of industrial wastewaters.
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