Articles | Volume 8, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-31-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-31-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Are agricultural plastic covers a source of plastic debris in soil? A first screening study
Zacharias Steinmetz
iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, Group of Environmental and Soil Chemistry, University of Koblenz–Landau, Fortstraße 7, 76829 Landau, Germany
Paul Löffler
iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, Group of Environmental and Soil Chemistry, University of Koblenz–Landau, Fortstraße 7, 76829 Landau, Germany
Silvia Eichhöfer
iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, Group of Environmental and Soil Chemistry, University of Koblenz–Landau, Fortstraße 7, 76829 Landau, Germany
Jan David
iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, Group of Environmental and Soil Chemistry, University of Koblenz–Landau, Fortstraße 7, 76829 Landau, Germany
Katherine Muñoz
iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, Group of Organic and Ecological Chemistry, University of Koblenz–Landau, Fortstraße 7, 76829 Landau, Germany
Gabriele E. Schaumann
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, Group of Environmental and Soil Chemistry, University of Koblenz–Landau, Fortstraße 7, 76829 Landau, Germany
Related authors
Alexander Feckler, Eric Bollinger, Alexandra Unik, Peter Mueller, Sabine Filker, Christian Plicht, Zacharias Steinmetz, and Mirco Bundschuh
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1216, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1216, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Biogeosciences (BG).
Short summary
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Synthetic water-soluble plastics are widely used, yet their effects on lake and river sediments remain unclear. We investigated polyvinylpyrrolidone by exposing freshwater sediments and monitoring methane production and microbial communities for 56 days under oxygen-free conditions. The plastic caused earlier and greater methane release and shifted bacterial populations, particularly those feeding methane producers.
Alexander Feckler, Eric Bollinger, Alexandra Unik, Peter Mueller, Sabine Filker, Christian Plicht, Zacharias Steinmetz, and Mirco Bundschuh
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1216, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1216, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Biogeosciences (BG).
Short summary
Short summary
Synthetic water-soluble plastics are widely used, yet their effects on lake and river sediments remain unclear. We investigated polyvinylpyrrolidone by exposing freshwater sediments and monitoring methane production and microbial communities for 56 days under oxygen-free conditions. The plastic caused earlier and greater methane release and shifted bacterial populations, particularly those feeding methane producers.
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Short summary
To scrutinize the contribution of agricultural plastic covers to plastic pollution, we quantified soil-associated plastic debris (≤ 2 mm) in and around agricultural fields covered with different plastics. PP fleeces and 50 µm thick PE films did not emit significant amounts of plastic debris into soil during their 4-month use. However, thinner and perforated PE foils (40 µm) were associated with elevated PE contents of up to 35 mg kg−1. Their long-term use may thus favor plastic accumulation.
To scrutinize the contribution of agricultural plastic covers to plastic pollution, we...