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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Unveiling the impact of biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics on meadow soil health
ClearUnveiling the impact of biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics on meadow soil health
A 60-day incubation experiment found that polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics of varying sizes and concentrations increased soil pH, organic matter, nitrogen, and enzyme activities in meadow soils, while also shifting microbial community composition.
Effect of polylactic acid microplastics on soil properties, soil microbials and plant growth
Researchers tested whether microplastics from biodegradable polylactic acid plastic, often proposed as an eco-friendly alternative to conventional plastic, affect soil health and plant growth. High concentrations of these biodegradable microplastics reduced soil pH, altered the ratio of carbon to nitrogen, decreased plant growth, and shifted soil microbial communities. The study suggests that even biodegradable plastics can negatively affect agricultural ecosystems when they break down into microplastic-sized particles.
Microplastics alter soil structure and microbial community composition
Researchers found that both conventional polyethylene and biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics break down soil structure in similar ways, increasing the proportion of smaller soil clumps while reducing larger, more stable ones. The microplastics also significantly altered soil bacterial communities, with effects varying by particle size. This matters because changes to soil health can affect the food we grow and the broader ecosystem services that soil provides.
[Effects of Polylactic Acid Microplastics （PLA-MPs） on Physicochemical Properties and Microbial Communities of Wheat Rhizosphere Soil].
Researchers investigated how polylactic acid microplastics affect wheat rhizosphere soil and found that they significantly altered soil chemistry, increasing phosphorus and organic matter while decreasing total nitrogen and pH. The microplastics also reduced the richness and diversity of soil microorganisms, with larger particles and higher concentrations causing the greatest disruption. The study suggests that even biodegradable plastics can meaningfully reshape soil microbial communities and nutrient cycling in agricultural settings.
Biodegradable microplastics decreased plant-derived and increased microbial-derived carbon formation in soil: a two-year field trial
A two-year field experiment compared the effects of conventional (polypropylene) and biodegradable (polylactic acid, PLA) microplastics on soil carbon cycling in agricultural soil. Researchers found that while neither plastic type changed total soil carbon levels, PLA microplastics significantly reduced plant-derived carbon (lignin) by 32% while boosting microbial-derived carbon, suggesting that "biodegradable" plastics still meaningfully alter soil biology and chemistry. This matters because it challenges the assumption that biodegradable plastics are environmentally benign once they break down in farmland.
Unravelling the ecological ramifications of biodegradable microplastics in soil environment: A systematic review
Researchers reviewed 85 studies on biodegradable microplastics in soil, finding that when biodegradable plastics fail to fully break down they can disrupt soil structure, nutrient cycling, and microbial life in ways that depend heavily on concentration and plastic type. The review highlights that "biodegradable" plastics are not a simple fix for microplastic pollution in agricultural soils.
Effects of polylactic acid microplastics on dissolved organic matter across soil types: Insights into molecular composition
Researchers investigated how biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics affect dissolved organic matter in three different types of paddy soil. They found that the microplastics altered the molecular composition of organic matter in soil-specific ways, with some soils showing increased humic substances and others showing more protein-like compounds. The study highlights that even biodegradable plastics can change soil chemistry, and the effects vary depending on soil type.
Transformation of Polylactic Acid (PLA) Microparticles in Soil and their Effects on Soil Properties: A Review
This review examined how polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics transform in soil over time and affect soil physical, chemical, and biological properties including pH, organic matter, nutrient cycling, and microbial communities, highlighting the complexities of PLA as a supposedly biodegradable agricultural plastic.
Field application of biodegradable microplastics has no significant effect on plant and soil health in the short term
Researchers conducted a field study to test whether biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics affect oat and soybean growth or soil health over one growing season. They found that neither fiber nor powder forms of the biodegradable microplastics had significant effects on soil enzyme activities, plant biomass, or crop yield. The study suggests that biodegradable microplastics may not pose a significant short-term threat to agricultural ecosystems and could serve as a viable alternative to conventional plastics.
Discrepant responses of bacterial community and enzyme activities to conventional and biodegradable microplastics in paddy soil
Researchers compared the soil effects of conventional polypropylene microplastics versus biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics in rice paddy soil over 41 days. Both types altered soil chemistry and bacterial communities, but they had different effects on enzyme activity, with PLA causing distinct changes to carbon and nitrogen cycling. This matters because biodegradable plastics, often assumed to be safer, still release microplastics that affect soil health and potentially food crops.
Effects of biodegradable microplastics on soil microbial communities and activities: Insight from an ecological mesocosm experiment
Researchers studied how biodegradable microplastics made from starch-based materials affect soil microbial communities in a controlled ecosystem experiment over 11 weeks. They found that higher concentrations of these biodegradable particles actually increased the diversity of both bacteria and fungi in soil, while also boosting enzyme activity. The findings suggest that even so-called eco-friendly plastics can significantly alter soil microbial ecosystems, which could have broader consequences for soil health and nutrient cycling.
Soil biota modulate the effects of microplastics on biomass and diversity of plant communities
Researchers used mesocosm experiments with natural soil biota to compare the effects of biodegradable and non-biodegradable microplastics on plant community biomass and diversity. Soil biota modulated the impact of microplastics, with biodegradable plastics showing similar effects to conventional plastics on plant community structure, challenging the assumption that biodegradable alternatives are environmentally benign.
[Effects of Microplastic Pollution on Microbial Activity and Carbon Metabolism Function in Soil].
A laboratory experiment found that both conventional polystyrene and biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics significantly disrupt soil microbial communities, reducing enzyme activities and cutting soil carbon metabolism by up to 82% at high concentrations. Notably, biodegradable PLA caused more harm than conventional PS, likely because PLA degrades into dissolved organic matter and smaller particles that are more toxic to soil microbes. This challenges the assumption that biodegradable plastics are environmentally safe and highlights risks to nutrient cycling in contaminated soils.
Effects of different microplastic types on soil physicochemical properties, enzyme activities, and bacterial communities
A 230-day experiment tested six types of microplastics in soil and found that each type differently altered soil moisture, chemistry, enzyme activity, and microbial communities. Biodegradable plastic (PHA) caused the most significant disruption to beneficial soil bacteria, which matters for human health because soil microbe changes can affect crop nutrition and food safety.
Unveiling the detrimental effects of polylactic acid microplastics on rice seedlings and soil health
Researchers found that even biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics significantly harmed rice plants at high concentrations, reducing root and shoot weight by roughly half and disrupting photosynthesis, while also altering soil enzyme activity and bacterial communities. These findings challenge the assumption that biodegradable plastics are harmless to agriculture and raise questions about their impact on food crops that humans depend on.
Hydrolyzable microplastics in soil—low biodegradation but formation of a specific microbial habitat?
Hydrolyzable microplastics such as polylactic acid showed low biodegradation in soil despite their marketed degradability, while their surfaces hosted distinct microbial communities forming a specialized plastisphere. The study questions the environmental safety of biodegradable plastics in agricultural soil contexts.
Mineralization and microbial utilization of poly(lactic acid) microplastic in soil
Researchers tracked how polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics, a common biodegradable plastic, actually break down in different agricultural soils. They found that standard testing methods significantly overestimate how quickly PLA degrades because they fail to account for interactions with soil organic matter. The study reveals that PLA microplastics may persist longer in some soils than previously thought, raising questions about how truly biodegradable these materials are in real-world conditions.
[Effects of Polyethylene Microplastics on Soil Nutrients and Enzyme Activities].
Researchers studied how different concentrations and sizes of polyethylene microplastics affect soil chemistry and enzyme activity over four months. They found that smaller microplastics had a greater impact on soil nutrient cycling than larger ones, and that higher concentrations more significantly disrupted enzyme functions critical for soil health. The study indicates that microplastic pollution in agricultural soils could impair the biological processes that maintain soil fertility.
Differential responses of soil microbial community structure and function to conventional and biodegradable microplastics
Scientists compared how tiny pieces of regular plastics and "biodegradable" plastics affect helpful bacteria in soil after 6 months. They found that biodegradable plastics actually disrupted soil bacteria more than regular plastics, changing the microbes that help plants grow and cycle nutrients. This matters because these soil bacteria are crucial for growing healthy food, so switching to biodegradable plastics might not be the simple environmental solution we hoped for.
Discrepant soil microbial community and C cycling function responses to conventional and biodegradable microplastics
Scientists compared how conventional polyethylene and biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics affect soil microbial communities and carbon cycling. Researchers found that the two types of microplastics had markedly different effects, with biodegradable plastics causing more changes to microbial community structure and carbon-related gene activity. The study suggests that biodegradable plastics, while designed to be more environmentally friendly, may still significantly alter soil biology.
Effects of different microplastics on the physicochemical properties and microbial diversity of rice rhizosphere soil
Researchers compared how conventional polyethylene and biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics, both fresh and aged, affect rice paddy soil properties and microbial communities. They found that aged microplastics had stronger effects than fresh ones, altering soil pH, nutrient availability, and the composition of root-associated bacteria. The study warns that biodegradable plastics are not necessarily safer for soil health than conventional plastics, especially as they break down over time.
Insights into soil microbial assemblages and nitrogen cycling function responses to conventional and biodegradable microplastics
Researchers compared how biodegradable polylactic acid and conventional PVC microplastics affect soil bacteria and nitrogen cycling processes. They found that both types of microplastics altered microbial communities, but biodegradable plastics had distinct effects on nitrogen-processing bacteria and did not simply behave as a harmless alternative. The study suggests that switching to biodegradable plastics may change rather than eliminate the impact of microplastic contamination on soil health.
Microbial metabolism influences microplastic perturbation of dissolved organic matter in agricultural soils
Researchers studied how microplastics from both traditional polyethylene and biodegradable polylactic acid plastics change the chemistry of dissolved organic matter in farm soil. Soil microbes broke down substances released by the plastics, altering the soil's chemical composition over 100 days. Surprisingly, the biodegradable plastic released compounds that soil bacteria could more readily use, and after aging, it had roughly 10 times the pollutant-absorbing capacity of polyethylene, suggesting that so-called biodegradable plastics may pose their own environmental risks in agricultural soil.
Determining the impact of common microplastic extraction methods from soil matrices on the biodegradable polymers polylactic acid and polyhydroxybutyrate
Researchers tested whether standard lab methods used to extract microplastics from soil samples inadvertently degrade biodegradable plastics like polylactic acid (PLA) and polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) before they can be measured. They found significant degradation, particularly of PLA when exposed to the enzyme protease, meaning common soil extraction protocols may undercount biodegradable plastic fragments and give a false impression of how completely these materials break down in nature.