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A review of non-petroleum alternatives of plastic mulches in agriculture: Knowledge gaps and future recommendations
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Mulches and Microplastic Pollution in the Agroecosystem
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Plastic polyethylene mulch films used in agriculture fragment over time into microplastics that accumulate in soil, contaminating agroecosystems and potentially entering the food supply through crop uptake and irrigation water. As plastic mulch use grows globally, so does the agricultural contribution to microplastic pollution and human dietary exposure.
Agricultural Plastic Mulching as a Source of Microplastics in the Terrestrial Conditions
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This study examined how agricultural plastic mulching — widely used to boost crop yields and conserve water — degrades and releases microplastics into surrounding terrestrial environments. Agricultural plastics represent a largely underappreciated but massive source of soil microplastic contamination, with direct implications for food crop safety and the long-term health of farmland ecosystems.
Are biodegradable plastic mulch films an effective way to solve residual mulch film pollution in farmland?
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This review finds that biodegradable plastic mulch films (BPM) may actually accelerate microplastic generation in agricultural soils compared to conventional films, while also disrupting soil microbial diversity and altering carbon and nitrogen cycles in unpredictable ways. The findings raise serious questions about whether switching to biodegradable plastics genuinely reduces pollution risk or simply shifts it to a different — and potentially more complex — form of soil contamination.
The Utilization of Coconut Coir Powder in Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) Plastic Mulch to Enhance Biodegradability and Resistance to Ultraviolet Light Exposure
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Researchers investigated adding coconut coir powder to low-density polyethylene plastic mulch to improve its biodegradability and UV resistance, finding that the natural fiber additive accelerated breakdown while maintaining protective properties that help conserve soil moisture and suppress weeds during agricultural use.
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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