Microbial metabolism influences microplastic perturbation of dissolved organic matter in agricultural soils.

ABSTRACT: An estimated 258 million tons of plastic enter the soil annually. Joining persistent types of microplastic (MP), there will be an increasing demand for biodegradable plastics. There are still many unknowns about plastic pollution by either type, and one large gap is the fate and composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) released from MPs as well as how they interact with soil microbiomes in agricultural systems. In this study, polyethylene MPs, photoaged to different degrees, and virgin polylactic acid MPs were added to agricultural soil at different levels and incubated for 100 days to address this knowledge gap. We find that, upon MP addition, labile components of low aromaticity were degraded and transformed, resulting in increased aromaticity and oxidation degree, reduced molecular

SUBMITTER: Qiu X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10811734 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature