Degradation of conventional, biodegradable and oxo-degradable microplastics in a soil using a δ13C technique
Yuxin Huo
A * , Feike A. Dijkstra A , Malcolm Possell A , Andrew Zi Dong A and Balwant Singh A
A
Abstract
A significant amount of conventional plastics waste, especially in the form of microplastics (MPs), has accumulated in soils due to its limited degradation. Oxo-degradable and biodegradable plastics have also contributed to MP contamination in soils.
In this study, we examined the degradation of a conventional plastic [fruit and vegetable (F&V) bag], two biodegradable plastics (bin liner and mulch film) and an oxo-degradable plastic (drinking straw).
These plastics (5 mm) were mixed into a soil and incubated in the laboratory at 37 ± 1°C for 185 days. The CO2-carbon (C) mineralisation of the four plastics was determined using a δ13C technique, because the difference in the δ13C values of studied plastics and the experimental soil was ≥10‰.
Bin liner showed the greatest C mineralisation (5.7%), followed by mulch film (4.1%), straw (0.4%) and F&V bag (0.3%) at the end of the incubation period. All plastics, except the mulch film for 23–77 days of incubation, caused a positive priming effect on soil organic carbon (SOC). Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy analyses were consistent with the C mineralisation data.
This study determines the degradation of various MPs in soil using a reliable and practical δ13C method, which has been lacking in this field of study. The priming effect of various MPs on SOC is a significant finding.
The lack of consideration of priming effect on SOC may overestimate the mineralisation of plastics in soil.
Keywords: biodegradable plastics, CO2, FTIR, microplastics, mineralisation, priming effect, SEM, δ13C technique.
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