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A Review of Microplastics in Soil: Distribution Within Pedosphere Compartments, Environmental Fate, and Effects

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Abstract

Microplastics (MPs) have been detected in various environmental media and have become a global hot environmental issue. However, the current distribution of MPs in soils in different regions, the migration and transformation of MPs, and their effects on soil ecology are still unclear. Therefore, this review summarizes the recent literature on soil MPs and gains the following key insights. The abundance of soil MPs is mainly affected by the land-use type and soil layer. The particle size range observed during the experiment also causes differences in the number of MPs. The migration of MPs is influenced by soil chemical (mineralogical composition, pH, and ionic strength), physical (porosity, water holding capacity, and texture) properties, and biological factors (soil fauna activity and plant root growth). When MPs degrade, the surface cracks, the specific surface area increases, and oxygen-containing functional groups such as carboxyl, aldehyde, and hydroxyl groups are produced. MPs reduce the stability of soil aggregates and change the community structure and functional gene abundance of microorganisms, affecting the organic carbon and nitrogen cycling processes. This review will help enhance the effective control of soil MPs and provide a theoretical reference to the mechanisms of their effects on soil carbon and nitrogen cycles.

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Data Availability

The datasets used or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Funding

This research was funded by the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program (STEP), Grant No. 2019QZKK0603.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and The Agri-Environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China

    Haixin Zhang & Yimei Huang

  2. State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming On the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China

    Shaoshan An & Zhaolong Zhu

  3. Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China

    Zhaolong Zhu

Authors
  1. Haixin Zhang
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  2. Yimei Huang
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  3. Shaoshan An
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  4. Zhaolong Zhu
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Contributions

Haixin Zhang, writing—original draft, investigation, and software. Yimei Huang, writing—review and editing, funding, and project management. Shaoshan An and Zhaolong Zhu, supervision and conceptualization.

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Correspondence to Yimei Huang.

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Zhang, H., Huang, Y., An, S. et al. A Review of Microplastics in Soil: Distribution Within Pedosphere Compartments, Environmental Fate, and Effects. Water Air Soil Pollut 233, 380 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-022-05837-w

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