Identifying the risks of micro- and nanoplastics (MnP) from agricultural mulching to groundwater
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Birmingham
Department Name: Sch of Geography, Earth & Env Sciences
Abstract
This fellowship is going to identify the risks of micro- and nanoplastics (MnP) from agricultural mulching to soils and groundwater.
Plastic use for mulching in agriculture is increasing globally, causing severe risks of MnP from the degradation of plastic mulching
materials to affect soil and groundwater resources, with detrimental effects for food security and water quality. There is therefore a
strong ambition to move towards more sustainable, biodegradable plastics for use in agriculture. It is, however, yet to be determined
to what degree faster degradation of environmentally biodegradable plastics will cause less environmental impact than currently
used conventional plastics, given that their faster degradation into MnP may also trigger faster particle transport into greater depths
and thus, towards vulnerable groundwater zones and areas of low MnP degradation rates. The main goal of MulchplastRisk is
therefore to quantify how different types of MnP originating from agricultural plastic sheets (for mulching) degrade and transport
along their passage through agricultural soils and determine potential risk for groundwater resources by attempting to answer the
following research questions: 1. What are the sources, types and exposure routes of MnP in agricultural soils and plastic mulching
practices at EU and global scales? 2. What are the main degradation pathways and associated particle-size dependent transport
mechanisms of MnP in soils? 3. How does MnP degradation under different hydroclimatological conditions lead to the release of
plastic additives of specific environmental and public concerns, in particular of endocrine disrupting additives such as BPA and
phthalates? The ambition of this project is to shift current paradigms in environmental and public health risk assessment by providing
crucial evidence of the severe risks constituted by MnP accumulation, transport and legacy pollution at the soil-groundwater
interface.
Plastic use for mulching in agriculture is increasing globally, causing severe risks of MnP from the degradation of plastic mulching
materials to affect soil and groundwater resources, with detrimental effects for food security and water quality. There is therefore a
strong ambition to move towards more sustainable, biodegradable plastics for use in agriculture. It is, however, yet to be determined
to what degree faster degradation of environmentally biodegradable plastics will cause less environmental impact than currently
used conventional plastics, given that their faster degradation into MnP may also trigger faster particle transport into greater depths
and thus, towards vulnerable groundwater zones and areas of low MnP degradation rates. The main goal of MulchplastRisk is
therefore to quantify how different types of MnP originating from agricultural plastic sheets (for mulching) degrade and transport
along their passage through agricultural soils and determine potential risk for groundwater resources by attempting to answer the
following research questions: 1. What are the sources, types and exposure routes of MnP in agricultural soils and plastic mulching
practices at EU and global scales? 2. What are the main degradation pathways and associated particle-size dependent transport
mechanisms of MnP in soils? 3. How does MnP degradation under different hydroclimatological conditions lead to the release of
plastic additives of specific environmental and public concerns, in particular of endocrine disrupting additives such as BPA and
phthalates? The ambition of this project is to shift current paradigms in environmental and public health risk assessment by providing
crucial evidence of the severe risks constituted by MnP accumulation, transport and legacy pollution at the soil-groundwater
interface.