Characteristics of Microplastic Pollution in Agricultural Soils in Xiangtan, China
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Overview of the Study Area
2.2. Experimental Reagents
2.3. Experimental Instruments
2.4. Soil Sample Collection and Pretreatment
2.5. Separation and Digestion of Soil Microplastics
2.6. Identification and Analysis of Microplastics
2.7. Data Processing
2.8. Quality Control
3. Results and Analysis
3.1. Abundance of Microplastics
3.2. Color of Microplastics
3.3. Particle Size of Microplastics
3.4. Shapes of Microplastics
3.5. Types of Microplastics
4. Discussion
4.1. Pollution Status of Microplastics in Agricultural Soils in Xiangtan
4.2. Comparison of Microplastic Characteristics of Agricultural Soils
4.3. Potential Sources of Soil Microplastics
5. Conclusions
- (1)
- Microplastics were found in each of the 15 sampling locations of agricultural soils in Xiangtan, China. The average abundance of microplastics was 4377.44 items/kg, with a maximum abundance of 12,292.33 items/kg. Microplastics of a small and medium size (<500 μm) dominated, and their colors were mainly yellow, transparent, and black; their shapes were mainly filmy and fibrous; and their types mainly included PE and PP.
- (2)
- Variations in the prevalence of microplastics were observed in the soil across different farming techniques. The abundance of microplastics in the vegetable soil with agricultural films was four times higher than that without agricultural films, the number of microplastics in the vegetable soil in greenhouses was slightly higher than that in the open fields, and the average abundance of microplastics in the vegetable soil in the open fields without agricultural films was 1.60 times more than that in the rice soil.
- (3)
- The main factor that led to the presence of microplastics in agricultural soils in Xiangtan was the utilization of agricultural films. Additionally, irrigation water and waste plastic products were also being noted as potential sources of microplastics.
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Instrument | Model |
---|---|
Vacuum Filtration Pump | SHZ-D (III) (Shanghai Huichuang Chemical Instrument Co., Shanghai, China) |
Constant Temperature Heating Magnetic Stirrer | 85-2A (Changzhou Yuexin Instrument Manufacture Co., Changzhou, China) |
Electronic Analytical Balance | TD20002A (Tianjin Tianma Hengji Instrument Co., Tianjin, China) |
Electric Heating Blast Dryer | DHG-9023A (Shanghai Yiheng Scientific Instrument Co., Shanghai, China) |
Water Bath Thermostat Oscillator | SHA-B (Changzhou Guowang Instrument Manufacturing Co., Changzhou, China) |
Stereomicroscopy | SZN71 (Sunny optical technology (group) Co., LTD, Ningbo, China) |
Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy | NicoletTM iS20 (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA) |
Sampling Site No. | Soil Type | Form of Cultivation | Use of Agricultural Films | |
---|---|---|---|---|
T1 | 1 | Rice soil | Open field | Not used |
2 | ||||
3 | ||||
T2 | 4 | Vegetable soil | Greenhouse | Used |
5 | ||||
6 | ||||
T3 | 7 | Vegetable soil | Open field | Used |
8 | ||||
9 | ||||
T4 | 10 | Vegetable soil | Greenhouse | Not used |
11 | ||||
12 | ||||
T5 | 13 | Vegetable soil | Open field | Not used |
14 | ||||
15 |
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Ye, C.; Lin, J.; Li, Z.; Wang, G.; Li, Z. Characteristics of Microplastic Pollution in Agricultural Soils in Xiangtan, China. Sustainability 2024, 16, 7254. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16177254
Ye C, Lin J, Li Z, Wang G, Li Z. Characteristics of Microplastic Pollution in Agricultural Soils in Xiangtan, China. Sustainability. 2024; 16(17):7254. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16177254
Chicago/Turabian StyleYe, Cong, Jing Lin, Zhenguo Li, Guanghuai Wang, and Zeling Li. 2024. "Characteristics of Microplastic Pollution in Agricultural Soils in Xiangtan, China" Sustainability 16, no. 17: 7254. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16177254