Distribution of microplastics in mulched soil in Xinjiang, China
Keywords:
soil microplastics, plastic pollution, distribution, compositionAbstract
In order to study the distribution of soil microplastics in the plastic film mulched farmland, the fluidization-centrifugation secondary density flotation method was optimized and improved to obtain the samples. The main components of microplastics were analyzed by Fourier spectrometer, and the surface morphology, porosity, particle size and abundance distribution characteristics of microplastics were studied by electron microscopy. The results showed that plastic mulch is the main source of microplastics. Its morphology mainly consists of fragments, fibers and particles. The size of debris microplastics was larger, with an average of 1.6300 mm, mainly distributed in the 0-300 mm cultivation layer while the size of particle micro plastic was smaller, with an average of 0.1400 mm. The width of fiber microplastic was 5-20 μm, but the length could reach 0.2000-2.0000 mm, with an average particle size of 0.9200 mm. Fiber and granular microplastics could be seen in each soil layer. The surface layer of microplastics has a large number of pores characterized with a length of 50 μm and a width of about 5-10 μm, which might be an easy oxidation site for microplastics. This oxidation is continuous, making microplastics continuously decompose into smaller particles. The abundance of microplastics is negatively correlated with soil depth. The average abundance of microplastics is 161.50±5.20 pieces/100 g in 0-300 mm soil layer, which is their main enrichment area. However, the average abundance of microplastics decreases to 11.20±1.10 pieces/100 g in 400-800 mm soil depth. Moreover, the average particle size of microplastics is also linearly negatively correlated with soil depth. Microplastics with smaller particle size are easier to migrate as they pass through soil pores under the action of water and fertilizer. The research can provide s reference for understanding plastic mulch pollution. Keywords: soil microplastics, plastic pollution, distribution, composition DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20211402.6165 Citation: Hu C, Lu B, Guo W S, Tang X Y, Wang X F, Xue Y H, et al. Distribution of microplastics in mulched soil in Xinjiang, China. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2021; 14(2): 196–204.References
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[2] Liu M T, Lu S B, Song Y, Lei L, Hu J, Lv W W, et al. Microplastic and mesoplastic pollution in farmland soils in suburbs of Shanghai, China. Environmental Pollution, 2018; 242: 855–862.
[3] Zhang G S, Liu Y F. The distribution of microplastics in soil aggregate fractions in southwestern China. Science of the Total Environment, 2018; 642: 12–20.
[4] Rillig M C, Bonkowski M. Microplastic and soil protists: A call for research. Environmental Pollution, 2018; 241: 1128–1131.
[5] Hu C, Wang X F, Wang S, Lu B, Guo W, Liu C, et al. Impact of agricultural residual plastic film on growth and yield of drip-irrigated cotton in arid region of Xinjiang, China. International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, 2020; 13(1): 160–169.
[6] Hu C, Wang X, Chen X G, Tang X, Zhao Y, Yan C R. Study on the status quo of farmland residual film pollution in Xinjiang and its prevention and control strategy. Transactions of the CSAE, 2019; 35(24): 223–234. (in Chinese)
[7] Huang Y, Liu Q, Jia W Q, Yan C R, Wang J. Agricultural plastic mulching as a source of microplastics in the terrestrial environment. Environmental Pollution, 2020; 260: 114096.
[8] Yan C R, Mei X, He W Q, Zheng S. Present situation of residue pollution of mulching plastic film and controlling measures. Transactions of the CSAE, 2006; 22(11): 269–272. (in Chinese)
[9] Kim D, Chae Y, An Y J. Mixture toxicity of nickel and microplastics with different functional groups on daphnia magna. Environmental Science & Technology, 2017; 51(21): 12852–12858.
[10] Ren X W, Tang J C, Yu C, He J. Advances in research on the ecological effects of microplastic pollution on soil ecosystems. Journal of Agro-Environment Science, 2018; 37(6): 1045–1058. (in Chinese)
[11] Rillig M C. Microplastic in terrestrial ecosystems and the soil. Environmental Science & Technology, 2012; 46: 6453–6454.
[12] Antunes J C, Frias J G L, Micaelo A C, Sobral P. Resin pellets from beaches of the portuguese coast and adsorbed persistent organic pollutants. Esuarine Coastal and Shelf Science, 2013; 130: 62–69.
[13] Ng E-L, Lwanga E H, Eldridge S M, Johnston P, Hu H-W, Geissen V, et al. An overview of microplastic and nanoplastic pollution in agroecosystems. Science of the Total Environment, 2018; 627: 1377–1388.
[14] Wartini N, Budiman M, McBratney A. Convolutional neural network for soil microplastic contamination screening using infrared spectroscopy. Science of the Total Environment, 2020; 702: 1–9.
[15] Piehl S, Leibner A, Löder M G J, Dris R, Bogner C, Laforsch C. Identification and quantification of macro- and microplastics on an agricultural farmland. Sci Rep-UK, 2018; 8(1): 17950.
[16] Zhu Y G, Zhu D, Xu T, Ma J. Impacts of (micro) plastics on soil ecosystem: Progress and perspective. Journal of Agro-Environment Science, 2019; 38(1): 1–6. (in Chinese)
[17] Nicole B, Verena W, Volke W. Contaminant release from aged microplastic. Environmental Chemistry, 2017; 14(6): 394–405.
[18] Nizzetto L, Langaas S, Futter M. Pollution: Do microplastics spill on to farm soils? Nature, 2016; 537: 488.
[19] Chae Y, An Y J. Current research trends on plastic pollution and ecological impacts on the soil ecosystem: A review. Environmental Pollution, 2018; 240: 387–395.
[20] Yan C R, Wang X, He W Q, Ma H, Cao S, Zhu G F. Study on the residue of plastic film in cotton field in Shihezi, Xinjiang. Acta Ecologica Sinica, 2008; 28(7): 3470–3474. (in Chinese)
[21] He W Q, Yan C R, Liu S, Chang R, Wang X, Cao S, et al. The use of plastic mulch film in typical cotton planting regions and the associated environmental pollution. Journal of Agro-Environment Science, 2009; 28(8): 1618–1622.
[22] Yan C R, He W Q, Turner N C. Plastic-film mulch in Chinese agriculture: Importance and problems. World Agriculture, 2014; 4(2): 32–36.
[23] Zhang D, Liu H B, Hu W L, Qin X H, Ma X W, Yan C R, et al. The status and distribution characteristics of residual mulching film in Xinjiang, China. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2016; 15: 2639–2646.
[24] He H J, Wang Z H, Li G, Zheng X, Zhang J Z, Li W, et al. Distribution characteristics of residual film over a cotton field under long-term film mulching and drip irrigation in an oasis agroecosystem. Soil & Tillage Research, 2018; 180(1): 194–203.
[25] Ruimin Q, Davey L J, Zhen L, Qin L, Changrong Y. Behavior of microplastics and plastic film residues in the soil environment: A critical review. Science of the Total Environment, 2020; 703: 1–13.
[26] Nuelle M T, Dekiff J H, Remy D, Fries E. A new analytical approach for monitoring microplastics in marine sediments. Environmental Pollution, 2014; 184: 161–169.
[27] Dris R, Gasperi J, Rocher V, Tassin B. Synthetic and non-synthetic anthropogenic fibers in a river under the impact of Paris Megacity: Sampling methodological aspects and flux estimations. Science of the Total Environment, 2018; 618: 157–164.
[28] Luo W, Su L, Craig N J, Du F, Wu C, Shi H. Comparison of microplastic pollution in different water bodies from urban creeks to coastal waters. Environmental Pollution, 2019; 246: 174–182.
[29] O'connor D, Pan S, Shen Z, Song Y, Jin Y, Wu W M, et al. Microplastics undergo accelerated vertical migration in sand soil due to small size and wet-dry cycles. Environmental Pollution, 2019; 249: 527–534.
[30] Li J, Qu X, Su L, Zhang W, Yang D, Kolandhasamy P, et al. Microplastics in mussels along the coastal waters of China. Environmental Pollution, 2016; 214: 177–184.
[31] Zhang M J, Zhao Y, Qin X, Jia W Q, Chai L W, Muke H, et al. Microplastics from mulching film is a distinct habitat for bacteria in farmland soil. Science of the Total Environment, 2019; 688: 470–478.
[32] Corradini F, Bartholomeus H, Huerta L E, Gertsen H, Geissen V. Predicting soil microplastic concentration using vis-NIR spectroscopy. Science of the Total Environment, 2019; 650: 922–932.
[33] Zhou Q, Zhang H B, Zhou Y, Li Y, Xue Y, Fu C C, et al. Separation of microplastics from a coastal soil and their surface microscopic features. Chinese Science Bulletin, 2016; 61: 1604–1611. (in Chinese)
[34] Luo K, Yuan P, Jin W, Yan J S, Bai S, Zhang C, et al. Design of chain-sieve type residual film recovery machine in plough layer and optimization of its working parameters. Transactions of the CSAE, 2018; 34(19): 19–27. (in Chinese)
[35] Corcoran P L, Biesinger M C, Grifi M. Plastics and beaches: A degrading relationship. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2009; 58: 80–84.
[36] Zhao Y, Chen X G, Wen H J, Zhen X, Niu Q, Kang J. Research status and prospect of control technology for residual plastic film pollution in farmland. Transactions of the CSAM, 2017; 48(6): 1–12. (in Chinese)
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Published
2021-04-03
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Hu, C., Lu, B., Guo, W., Tang, X., Wang, X., Xue, Y., … He, X. (2021). Distribution of microplastics in mulched soil in Xinjiang, China. International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, 14(2), 196–204. Retrieved from https://ijabe.migration.pkpps03.publicknowledgeproject.org/index.php/ijabe/article/view/6165
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Biosystems, Biological and Ecological Engineering
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