Abstract
It is essential to understand the occurrence from and plant bioavailability of soil microplastics to heavy metals in soils to assess their environmental fate and risk. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of different microplastic concentrations on the bioavailability of copper and zinc in soil. The relationship between the availability of heavy metals in soil assessed by chemical methods (soil fractionation) and the bioavailability of copper and zinc assessed by biological methods (accumulation in maize and cucumber leaves) in relation to the concentration of microplastics. The results showed that copper and zinc in soil shifted from stable to effective fraction with increasing polystyrene concentrations, which would increase the toxicity and bioavailability of heavy metals. When the concentration of polystyrene microplastics increased, copper and zinc accumulation in plants increased, chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b decreased, and malondialdehyde increased. It is shown that the addition of polystyrene microplastics promoted the toxicity of copper and zinc and inhibited plant growth.
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Funding
This research was supported by the General Project of Natural Science Foundation of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (2020D01A75); National Natural Science Foundation of China (51968072); Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region University Student Innovation Training Project (X202110762015).
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Ma, X., Ma, X. & Chen, P. The Effect of Microplastics-Plants on the Bioavailability of Copper and Zinc in the Soil of a Sewage Irrigation Area. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 110, 58 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-022-03674-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-022-03674-5