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Organic fertilizer as a vehicle for the entry of microplastic into the environment

Science advances, 2018-04, Vol.4 (4), p.eaap8060-eaap8060 [Peer Reviewed Journal]

Copyright © 2018 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works. Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial License 4.0 (CC BY-NC). 2018 The Authors ;ISSN: 2375-2548 ;EISSN: 2375-2548 ;DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aap8060 ;PMID: 29632891

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  • Title:
    Organic fertilizer as a vehicle for the entry of microplastic into the environment
  • Author: Weithmann, Nicolas ; Möller, Julia N ; Löder, Martin G J ; Piehl, Sarah ; Laforsch, Christian ; Freitag, Ruth
  • Subjects: Environmental Studies ; SciAdv r-articles
  • Is Part Of: Science advances, 2018-04, Vol.4 (4), p.eaap8060-eaap8060
  • Description: The contamination of the environment with microplastic, defined as particles smaller than 5 mm, has emerged as a global challenge because it may pose risks to biota and public health. Current research focuses predominantly on aquatic systems, whereas comparatively little is known regarding the sources, pathways, and possible accumulation of plastic particles in terrestrial ecosystems. We investigated the potential of organic fertilizers from biowaste fermentation and composting as an entry path for microplastic particles into the environment. Particles were classified by size and identified by attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. All fertilizer samples from plants converting biowaste contained plastic particles, but amounts differed significantly with substrate pretreatment, plant, and waste (for example, household versus commerce) type. In contrast, digestates from agricultural energy crop digesters tested for comparison contained only isolated particles, if any. Among the most abundant synthetic polymers observed were those used for common consumer products. Our results indicate that depending on pretreatment, organic fertilizers from biowaste fermentation and composting, as applied in agriculture and gardening worldwide, are a neglected source of microplastic in the environment.
  • Publisher: United States: American Association for the Advancement of Science
  • Language: English
  • Identifier: ISSN: 2375-2548
    EISSN: 2375-2548
    DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aap8060
    PMID: 29632891
  • Source: Open Access: PubMed Central
    DOAJ Directory of Open Access Journals
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