Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Quantitative methodology for poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) microplastic detection in soil and compost

Researchers developed a GC-MS method using fatty acid methyl ester derivatization to quantify PBAT biodegradable microplastics in soil and compost, validated through an industrial composting experiment. The method tracked PBAT film mass loss and particle formation during degradation, providing a novel analytical tool for assessing biodegradable plastic fate in agricultural and composting environments.

2025 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 4 citations
Article Tier 2

The fate of post-use biodegradable PBAT-based mulch films buried in agricultural soil

Scientists tracked the breakdown of a biodegradable mulch film in farm soil over 16 months and found that while the film lost more than half its surface area, it released microplastics into the surrounding soil during the process. About 17-23% of the original film material was still recoverable from the soil after nearly 500 days. The study shows that even biodegradable plastics can be a source of microplastic contamination in agricultural soils.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Poly (butylene adipate terephthalate) degradation products and their influence on plant progression and soil microbial diversity

This study examined how the biodegradable plastic PBAT degrades in soil and what effects its degradation products have on Chinese cabbage growth and soil microbial diversity, finding that degradation varied with particle size and that soil microbiomes shifted as PBAT broke down. The findings matter for assessing whether "biodegradable" mulch films truly disappear benignly or leave behind microplastic fragments and microbial disruption in agricultural soils.

2023 Research Square (Research Square) 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Methodology development: evaluation of structural, thermal, and mechanical properties of poly(lactic acid)/poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) blends for biodegradable mulch

Researchers developed a methodology for formulating and characterizing biodegradable PLA/PBAT mulch films as alternatives to conventional polyethylene mulch that contributes to microplastic pollution in agriculture. The proposed approach covers scalable formulation, processing, and comprehensive characterization aligned with regulatory guidelines and industry standards for biodegradable mulch performance.

2025 Polymer Bulletin
Article Tier 2

Macro and microplastics in agricultural soils after use of conventional and biodegradable plastics

Researchers sampled 38 agricultural fields where conventional polyethylene mulching films, polypropylene weed fabrics, biodegradable PBAT films, and frost covers had been used, quantifying macro- and microplastic contamination in soils to assess how different agricultural plastic products contribute to soil plastic pollution.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Field test on the biodegradation of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) based mulch films in soil

Researchers buried four types of supposedly biodegradable plastic mulch films — used in farming to suppress weeds — in agricultural soil for over two years and found that all four still left behind microplastic fragments. This shows that even biodegradable plastics can accumulate in soil if used repeatedly each growing season.

2020 Polymer Testing 66 citations
Article Tier 2

Dosages of Biodegradable Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) Microplastics Affect Soil Microbial Community, Function, and Metabolome in Plant–Soil System

Researchers examined how different concentrations of biodegradable PBAT microplastics affect soil microbial communities and lettuce growth. They found that while low concentrations had minimal impact, higher doses significantly altered soil microbial diversity, metabolic functions, and the chemical profile of the soil. The findings suggest that even biodegradable plastic mulch residues can disrupt soil ecosystems when they accumulate at higher levels.

2025 Agronomy 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Conventional and biodegradable agricultural microplastics: effects on soil properties and microbial functions across a European pedoclimatic gradient

Researchers compared the effects of conventional polyethylene and biodegradable PBAT-starch mulching film microplastics on soil properties, microbial diversity, litter decomposition, and greenhouse gas emissions across soils from multiple European climates, finding type- and concentration-dependent effects on soil ecosystem function.

2025 Refubium (Universitätsbibliothek der Freien Universität Berlin)
Article Tier 2

Negative effects of poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) microplastics on Arabidopsis and its root-associated microbiome

Researchers investigated the effects of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) microplastics on Arabidopsis thaliana growth and root-associated microbiome composition in agricultural soil, at a concentration of 2% by weight. Results revealed negative effects on plant growth and alterations to the rhizosphere microbial community, raising concerns about the ecological safety of this widely used biodegradable mulch film material.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Quantitative analysis of PBAT microplastics and their degradation products in soil by mass spectrometry

Scientists developed a new method to measure the breakdown of biodegradable PBAT plastic microplastics in soil and tracked their degradation over 150 days across three different soil types. They found that 11-17% of the plastic degraded during that time, with alkaline soils breaking it down fastest due to higher enzyme activity. The study also detected accumulating degradation by-products in the soil, raising questions about whether so-called biodegradable plastics truly disappear or simply transform into other chemicals.

2025 Eco-Environment & Health 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Negative effects of poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) microplastics on Arabidopsis and its root-associated microbiome

Researchers investigated the effects of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) biodegradable microplastics on Arabidopsis thaliana and its root-associated microbiome, finding that PBAT-MPs at tested concentrations in agricultural soil caused negative impacts on plant growth and altered the composition of root-zone microbial communities.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Macro and microplastics in agricultural soils after use of conventional and biodegradable plastics

Researchers sampled 38 agricultural fields where different plastic products had been used — conventional polyethylene mulching films, polypropylene weed fabrics, biodegradable PBAT mulching films, frost covers, and oxo-degradable films — analyzing both macro and microplastics in soil at varying size fractions. They found plastic particles from all film types present in soils, with biodegradable and oxo-degradable films producing detectable microplastics, raising concerns about all agricultural plastic categories.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in agricultural soils : effects on physical, chemical, and microbiological processes

This thesis examines how pristine and degraded conventional microplastics (polyethylene and PET) and biodegradable microplastics (PBAT) affect soil physical, chemical, and microbial properties across silty loam and sandy loam soils, integrating five studies involving greenhouse and laboratory experiments to assess impacts on aggregation, water-holding capacity, carbon storage, respiration, nutrient cycling, and microbial community composition.

2025
Article Tier 2

Stability and Mobility of Biodegradable Nanoplastics in the Subsurface

Researchers studied the stability and mobility of biodegradable nanoplastics derived from polybutylene adipate co-terephthalate (PBAT) agricultural mulch in both pristine and weathered forms under varying soil and water conditions, finding that fragmentation products can persist and migrate through subsurface flow despite the biodegradable designation.

2025
Article Tier 2

In-field degradation of polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT) films, microplastic formation, and impacts on soil health

A three-year field study found that biodegradable PBAT mulch films actually produced more microplastic particles in soil than conventional polyethylene films, though the biodegradable versions improved soil health and crop yields overall. The majority of microplastics from biodegradable films were very small (under 0.25 mm), which raises questions about whether these tiny fragments pose different risks than larger pieces.

2025 Environmental Research 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Characterization of poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) PBAT co- polyesters degrading bacteria from farmland soil of Xinjiang

Researchers isolated and characterized bacteria from farmland soil capable of degrading PBAT, a biodegradable plastic used as mulch film. Identifying microbes that can break down agricultural plastics offers a biological approach to reducing long-term microplastic accumulation in soils that grow food.

2023 Research Square (Research Square) 1 citations
Article Tier 2

A Low-Cost Approach for Batch Separation, Identification and Quantification of Microplastics in Agriculture Soil

This study developed a low-cost method to efficiently separate and identify microplastics from agricultural soil, particularly film-type fragments that come from mulching plastics. Having reliable, affordable analytical methods is essential for generating the large-scale data needed to understand how widespread agricultural microplastic contamination is and how it changes over time.

2023 Toxics 6 citations
Article Tier 2

From plastic mulching to microplastic pollution : An effect assessment of microplastics in the soil-plant system

This review assessed how plastic mulching films contribute to agricultural microplastic pollution, finding that biodegradable alternatives rarely fully degrade under field conditions and instead fragment into microplastics, with both LDPE and biodegradable microplastics producing measurable ecological effects in soil-plant systems.

2021 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecological risk assessment of PBAT/PLA mulch-derived microplastics on vegetable growth using a species sensitivity distribution approach

Researchers assessed the ecological risks of microplastics from biodegradable PBAT/PLA mulch films on eight vegetable species commonly grown in Southwest China. They found that these biodegradable microplastics negatively affected plant growth across all measured endpoints, with shoot biomass being the most sensitive indicator. The study suggests that even biodegradable mulch alternatives can pose meaningful ecological risks to crop production when they fragment into microplastics in agricultural soils.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Degradation of biodegradable plastic films in soil: microplastics formation and soil microbial community dynamics

Scientists tracked what happens when biodegradable PBAT plastic films break down in soil over 180 days and found they release microplastics that peaked before declining. Fungi broke the films into smaller pieces while bacteria consumed the fragments, suggesting that even plastics marketed as biodegradable generate microplastics during their breakdown, though soil microbes can eventually help clean them up.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Study of the Biodegradation of PLA/PBAT Films after Biodegradation Tests in Soil and the Aqueous Medium

This study assessed how a common biodegradable plastic blend (PLA/PBAT) degrades in soil and water over time, finding it broke down into smaller fragments rather than fully mineralizing. The persistence of biodegradable plastic fragments raises questions about whether these materials are truly safe alternatives to conventional plastic.

2021 Biointerface Research in Applied Chemistry 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Disintegration and mineralization of mulch films and leaf litter in soil

This field study tracked the physical disintegration of biodegradable mulch films in agricultural soil over time, monitoring how the films fragment and whether they fully disappear. Understanding the fragmentation and fate of agricultural plastic films in soil is important because these films are a significant source of microplastic contamination of farmland.

2020 Polymer Degradation and Stability 37 citations
Article Tier 2

[Occurrence and Characteristics of Macro/Micro-plastics and Phthalates in Soils Under Different Plastic Film Mulching].

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.

2025 PubMed
Article Tier 2

Investigating the Degradation of Biodegradable Mulch Films in Agricultural Soil: A Molecular Approach

Researchers investigated the field degradation of biodegradable mulch films composed of starch and poly(butylene-adipate-co-terephthalate) over 16 months under Mediterranean climate conditions, using molecular methods to characterize how pristine and UV-aged films break down in agricultural soil.

2025 CINECA IRIS Institutional Research Information System (University of Bari Aldo Moro)