Microfibres in Soils: Detection, Degradation and Impact

Microplastic pollution is a global concern, with plastics now considered a marker of the Anthropocene. One of the major sources of microplastic pollution has been shown to be microfibres, released from clothing and other textile items. Much emphasis has been placed on the release of vast quantities of microfibres into our oceans through laundering. However, recent research has revealed the extent to which microplastics are shed from clothing and become incorporated into sewage sludge through wastewater treatment. This is a clear potential pathway for microfibre pollution of terrestrial environments (e.g. De Falco et al., 2020; Sheridan et al., 2020), with consequences for soil keystone species such as earthworms (Prendergast-Miller et al., 2019). Moreover, a focus on synthetic microfibres overlooks the abundance of naturally occurring microfibres in the environment e.g. cotton and wool. Although such microfibres are naturally occurring, they are often dyed with synthetic dyes and finished with chemical additives. Through degradation and chemical release, natural microfibres may also detrimentally impact the environment and its ecosystems. In this project, we will attempt to determine the effects of natural and synthetic microfibre pollution on soil ecosystem processes.

Key Research Gaps and Questions:
1. Can microfibres be accurately, robustly and rapidly detected and quantified in soil environments?
2. Do synthetically dyed microfibres chemically alter soil environments?
3. What impact does the degradation of chemically dyed microfibres have on soil communities?