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Heinze, Wiebke Mareile, 2019. Nanoplastic transport in soils by advection and bioturbation. Second cycle, A2E. Uppsala: SLU, Dept. of Soil and Environment

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Abstract

Micro- and nanoplastics are increasingly perceived as an emerging threat to ecosystems. They are emitted to soils through different pathways, including sewage sludge or compost applications in agriculture, or through tire abrasion and degradation of mismanaged waste. Yet, their environmental behaviour and fate in terrestrial ecosystems is still poorly investigated. In order to investigate
the potential impact of different transport processes on the redistribution of plastics in natural soils, column leaching tests and bioturbation studies in microcosms were conducted using a natural topsoil and palladiumdoped
polystyrene nanoplastics of 256 nm diameter. Under the influence of advection, nanoplastic retention in saturated columns was very limited. Kinetic transport parameters were obtained from saturated column tests by applying
inverse modelling in HYDRUS-1D. Derived attachment efficiencies were relatively low, att = 6.25 × 10-4. In unsaturated soils, more representative of prevailing field conditions, nanoplastic mobility through percolating water was very limited. However, the burrowing activity of anecic earthworms, here Lumbricus terrestris, caused a significant redistribution and transport of nanoplastics into deeper soil layers, steadily increasing over the duration of the experiment. Observed spatial and temporal changes in nanoplastic distribution were used to determine bioturbation rates by applying a bioturbation model (kbioturb = 4.5 × 10-11). The bioturbation model systematically underestimated nanoplastics in the lower layers, indicating that further differentiation of the transport modes by soil biota might be necessary. Although
mixing by earthworms was slow, the current study suggests that under field conditions bioturbation may be more important than advective transport for nanoplastics in soils. While displacement of nanoplastics likely reduces
uptake and risks for terrestrial organisms and crops near the surface, potential effects in deeper soil layers are of yet unknown consequences. A wider array
of nanoplastic types and sizes, as well as modes of applications is needed to allow for extrapolation of findings.

Main title:Nanoplastic transport in soils by advection and bioturbation
Authors:Heinze, Wiebke Mareile
Supervisor:Cornelis, Geert and Westergaard Strobel, Bjarne
Examiner:Jarvis, Nicholas
Series:Examensarbeten / Institutionen för mark och miljö, SLU
Volume/Sequential designation:2019:10
Year of Publication:2019
Level and depth descriptor:Second cycle, A2E
Student's programme affiliation:NM025 EnvEuro - European Master in Environmental Science 120 HEC
Supervising department:(NL, NJ) > Dept. of Soil and Environment
Keywords:column leaching, attachment efficiency, exposure, mixing rates, modelling
URN:NBN:urn:nbn:se:slu:epsilon-s-10964
Permanent URL:
http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:slu:epsilon-s-10964
Subject. Use of subject categories until 2023-04-30.:Soil chemistry and physics
Soil biology
Pollution
Language:English
Deposited On:30 Sep 2019 07:56
Metadata Last Modified:04 Jun 2020 12:50

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