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Effects of microplastic particles on vertical water flow in soil columns
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Researchers investigated how different types of microplastic particles added to soil columns at varying concentrations affect water flow through the soil profile. They found that certain microplastic shapes and concentrations altered the soils hydraulic conductivity, with potential implications for irrigation efficiency and water movement in plastic-contaminated agricultural fields. The study addresses an underexplored aspect of microplastic impact on soil function.
Since the introduction of synthetic polymers into the global material cycle, increasing amounts of microplastics have been deposited in soils. In contrast to their impact on marine environments, only little is known about the influence of these long-term contaminants on terrestrial ecosystems in general and on physical and chemical soil properties in particular. First studies highlight that microplastic particles might attach to and clog especially smaller than 30 µm pores which are crucial for the hydraulic conductivity and therefore the water flow of soils (Zhang et al., 2019, doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.03.149).In our study, we analyse the effects of microplastic particles on vertical water flow in soil columns. In infiltration-drainage experiments, we contrast water flow in soil columns with and without microplastic particles. A bromide tracer is used to compare the arrival times of the wetting fronts and the tracer fronts, and water flow is characterized using the viscous flow approach (e.g. Bogner & Germann, 2019, doi:10.2136/vzj2018.09.0168). We show first results on how microplastic particles may affect the vertical water flow in soils and the breakthrough of the tracer.
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This study tested how polypropylene microplastics of different sizes affect how water moves through three types of soil. Adding microplastics reduced the soil's ability to absorb and hold water by up to 96%, with clay soils being the most affected. These changes to soil water flow could affect crop growth and potentially increase the movement of other pollutants through contaminated farmland.
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