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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Impacts of conventional and alternative plastics on soil ecosystems
ClearImpacts of pristine, aged and leachate of conventional and biodegradable plastics on plant growth and soil organic carbon
Researchers compared the effects of conventional plastics (polyethylene, polypropylene) and biodegradable alternatives (polyhydroxybutyrate, polylactic acid) on ryegrass growth and soil health in both pristine and aged forms. They found that all plastic types, whether conventional or biodegradable, reduced plant biomass, lowered soil pH and organic matter, and increased CO2 respiration rates. The study provides evidence that biodegradable plastics are not necessarily safer for soil ecosystems than conventional plastics.
Biodegradable plastics in soils: sources, degradation, and effects
This review examines whether biodegradable plastics are truly a safe alternative to conventional plastics in soil. While they do break down faster, the degradation process releases microplastics and potentially toxic byproducts that can harm soil organisms, reduce plant growth, and disrupt the microbial communities that maintain soil health.
Impacts of conventional and biodegradable microplastics in maize-soil ecosystems: Above and below ground
Researchers compared the effects of conventional plastics (polyethylene and polypropylene) and biodegradable plastics (PBAT and PCL) on corn plants and soil health. One biodegradable plastic, PCL, reduced plant production by about 74% and severely disrupted soil enzyme activity and microbial communities. This study cautions that simply replacing conventional plastics with biodegradable alternatives in farming is not guaranteed to be safer for soil ecosystems.
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.
Effect of (bio)plastics on soil environment: A review
This review compares the effects of both petroleum-derived plastics and bioplastics on soil ecosystems, finding that neither type significantly inhibited seed germination but both could affect root and stem growth. Researchers found that earthworms were the most commonly studied soil organisms in microplastic toxicity research, and that petroleum-derived plastics at realistic environmental concentrations generally did not cause mortality. The study notes that bioplastics remain significantly understudied despite their growing use as supposedly greener alternatives.
Effects of polyethylene and biodegradable microplastics on the physiology and metabolic profiles of dandelion
Researchers compared how conventional polyethylene and two "biodegradable" plastic alternatives affected dandelion plants when mixed into soil. All three types of microplastics stunted plant growth and caused oxidative stress, with conventional polyethylene being the most toxic -- showing that even so-called biodegradable plastics can harm plant health and soil ecosystems.
Soil Microbial Biomass and Microarthropod Community Responses to Conventional and Biodegradable Plastics
Researchers assessed the medium-term effects of conventional polyethylene plastic mulch versus biodegradable alternatives on soil microbial biomass and microarthropod communities. They found that both plastic types and their residues in soil influenced biological communities over time, though the specific impacts differed between conventional and biodegradable materials. The study provides evidence that switching to bioplastic mulches may alter, but not necessarily eliminate, the effects of plastic residues on soil ecosystems.
An investigation into the mechanistic impacts of conventional and alternative plastics on plant growth and carbon dynamics.
Researchers compared the effects of conventional polymers (polyethylene, polypropylene) and biodegradable alternatives (polyhydroxyalkanoate, polylactic acid) as microplastic films on ryegrass growth and soil health indicators. Most polymer treatments significantly reduced root biomass, chlorophyll content, and soil organic matter while increasing respiration rate, with biodegradable plastics sometimes causing greater decreases in organic matter, suggesting they carry comparable ecological risks.
A review on the occurrence and influence of biodegradable microplastics in soil ecosystems: Are biodegradable plastics substitute or threat?
This review examines whether biodegradable plastics are a genuine solution to plastic pollution or may create new problems in soil ecosystems. Researchers found that many biodegradable plastics do not fully break down under natural conditions and may actually fragment into microplastics faster than conventional plastics, potentially posing additional threats to soil health.
Biodegradable Polyesters and Low Molecular Weight Polyethylene in Soil: Interrelations of Material Properties, Soil Organic Matter Substances, and Microbial Community
Researchers examined how biodegradable polyesters and low molecular weight polyethylene behave in soil environments, investigating their interactions with soil organic matter and microbial communities over time. They found that both biodegradable and conventional polymer microplastics alter soil microbial community composition and interact with organic matter fractions, with biodegradable plastics showing distinct but not necessarily more benign effects than conventional plastics.
Effects of conventional versus biodegradable microplastic exposure on oxidative stress and gut microorganisms in earthworms: A comparison with two different soils
Researchers compared the toxic effects of conventional polyethylene and biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics on earthworms in two different soil types. Both types of microplastic caused oxidative stress and altered gut microbiota in earthworms, with toxicity increasing at higher concentrations. The study found that microplastic concentration was more important than the type of plastic or soil in determining the level of harm, and that biodegradable plastics were not necessarily safer for soil organisms.
Microplastics in agroecosystem – effects of plastic mulch film residues on soil-plant system
This review examines how residues from both conventional polyethylene and biodegradable plastic mulch films accumulate in agricultural soils and affect plant growth and soil health. Both types of mulch film residues are found to have negative effects on the soil-plant system, raising questions about the environmental safety of biodegradable plastic alternatives.
Effects of Conventional Non-Biodegradable Film-Derived Microplastics and New Biodegradable Film-Derived Microplastics on Soil Properties and Microorganisms after Entering Sub-Surface Soil
Researchers compared the effects of conventional non-biodegradable plastic film-derived microplastics and biodegradable film-derived microplastics on soil biological properties, finding that both types altered soil microbial diversity and enzyme activity. Biodegradable microplastics produced distinct effects from conventional plastics, suggesting their environmental impacts should not be assumed equivalent.
Deciphering the effects of long-term exposure to conventional and biodegradable microplastics on the soil microbiome
This study compared how conventional and biodegradable microplastics affect soil microbes over long time periods and found that both types significantly changed soil microbial communities and disrupted carbon and nitrogen cycling after extended exposure. Biodegradable plastics, often marketed as eco-friendly, actually released more chemical byproducts than conventional plastics, which matters because these soil changes can affect the food we grow.
Bio-effects of bio-based and fossil-based microplastics: Case study with lettuce-soil system
Researchers compared the effects of bio-based (PEF) and fossil-based (PET) microplastics on lettuce growth and soil microbial communities over 21 days at multiple concentrations. They found that both types inhibited lettuce growth by reducing chlorophyll content and root development, and both altered soil bacterial community composition. The study suggests that bio-based plastics are not necessarily safer for soil ecosystems than conventional plastics when they fragment into microplastics.
A state-of-the-art review of environmental behavior and potential risks of biodegradable microplastics in soil ecosystems: Comparison with conventional microplastics
This review compares the environmental behavior and risks of biodegradable microplastics with conventional microplastics in soil ecosystems. Researchers found that biodegradable microplastics fragment more readily and their abundant functional groups significantly affect how they transport and interact with other contaminants like heavy metals. The study suggests that biodegradable plastics may pose distinct and potentially underestimated risks to soil health compared to their conventional counterparts.
Biodegradable and conventional microplastics exhibit distinct microbiome, functionality, and metabolome changes in soil
Researchers compared the effects of conventional plastics (polyethylene and polystyrene) and biodegradable plastics (polylactide and polybutylene succinate) on soil microbial communities. They found that both types of microplastics significantly altered soil microbial composition, but biodegradable microplastics had a more pronounced impact on soil metabolic function and microbial activity than conventional ones.
Biodegradable PBAT microplastics adversely affect pakchoi (Brassica chinensis L.) growth and the rhizosphere ecology: Focusing on rhizosphere microbial community composition, element metabolic potential, and root exudates
Researchers compared biodegradable PBAT plastic microplastics with conventional polyethylene microplastics in soil and found that the biodegradable version actually caused more harm to plant growth and soil health. PBAT microplastics reduced nutrient availability, disrupted the soil microbial community, and altered root chemistry more than conventional plastic. This finding challenges the assumption that biodegradable plastics are always safer for the environment.
Ecotoxicological effects of soil microplastic types and concentrations on earthworms
Researchers tested the effects of conventional polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics alongside biodegradable PBAT microplastics on earthworms over 28 days. They found that PP microplastics caused significant mortality at the highest concentration, while PBAT, despite being marketed as biodegradable, induced the highest levels of DNA damage and cellular stress. The study suggests that biodegradable plastics are not necessarily less harmful to soil organisms than conventional plastics.
Toxicity comparison of multiple biodegradable and conventional microplastics on earthworms: Ingestion, tissue damage, oxidative stress, and transcriptional responses
This study compared the toxicity of four biodegradable microplastics and conventional polyethylene microplastics on earthworms across multiple biological endpoints. Researchers found that biodegradable microplastics caused tissue damage, oxidative stress, and altered gene expression at levels comparable to or sometimes exceeding conventional plastics, challenging the assumption that biodegradable alternatives are inherently safer for soil organisms.
Microplastic dilemma: Assessing the unexpected trade-offs between biodegradable and non-biodegradable forms on plant health, cadmium uptake, and sediment microbial ecology
This study compared the environmental effects of biodegradable and conventional plastic microplastics in contaminated sediments, finding that biodegradable plastics actually caused more oxidative stress and greater changes to soil bacteria than conventional plastics. Both types helped plant roots absorb more of the toxic metal cadmium. The surprising finding that biodegradable plastics may pose higher ecological risks challenges the assumption that they are always a safer alternative.
Responses of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) growth and soil properties to conventional non-biodegradable and new biodegradable microplastics
Scientists compared the effects of biodegradable and conventional polyethylene microplastics on lettuce growth and soil health. Both types of microplastics reduced plant growth, damaged photosynthesis, and altered soil nutrient levels, but biodegradable PBAT microplastics actually caused more disruption to soil microbial communities. The findings challenge the assumption that biodegradable plastics are necessarily safer for agricultural ecosystems.
A review of the occurrence and degradation of biodegradable microplastics in soil environments
This review evaluates whether the shift from conventional plastics to biodegradable plastics is truly beneficial for the environment, particularly regarding microplastic formation in soils. Researchers found that biodegradable plastics actually form residual microplastics at a faster rate than conventional plastics, and these particles can negatively affect soil properties, microbial communities, and plant growth. The study suggests the environmental trade-offs of biodegradable plastics deserve closer scrutiny.
Reassessing Whether Biodegradable Microplastics Are Environmentally Friendly: Differences in Earthworm Physiological Responses and Soil Carbon Function Impacts
Researchers compared the toxic effects of conventional (PP, PS) and biodegradable (PLA, PHA) microplastics on earthworm physiology and soil carbon function in haplic phaeozem soil. Biodegradable MPs were not environmentally friendly — PLA and PHA caused comparable or greater physiological stress in earthworms and disrupted soil carbon cycling to a similar degree as conventional plastics.