Effects of Biodegradable Microplastic pollution on Soil Properties and Crop Growth
This study systematically evaluates the effects of typical biodegradable microplastics (BMPs) on soil properties and crop growth, establishing a comparative framework with conventional polystyrene microplastics (PS-CMPs). Laboratory incubation and pot experiments were conducted to investigate the temporal variation patterns of critical soil fertility indicators including pH, dissolved organic carbon, ammonium nitrogen, and nitrate nitrogen under exposure to three representative BMPs, polylactic acid (PLA), polybutylene succinate (PBS), and poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), alongside PS-CMPs. Additionally, the environmental effects of these materials on growth parameters, including biomass, chlorophyll content and total nitrogen content in representative crops like wheat, lettuce, and radish, were assessed. Research demonstrates that PBS and PBAT impose substantial growth suppression on crops.Based on the results of the comparative analysis, this study aims to investigate the potential impacts of microplastics, particularly BMP pollution, on soil health, reveal the ecological and environmental risks associated with this pollution, and provide data support and a theoretical basis for the application and risk assessment of biodegradable plastics.