1
|
Barili S, Bernetti A, Sannino C, Montegiove N, Calzoni E, Cesaretti A, Pinchuk I, Pezzolla D, Turchetti B, Buzzini P, Emiliani C, Gigliotti G. Impact of PVC microplastics on soil chemical and microbiological parameters. Environ Res 2023; 229:115891. [PMID: 37059323 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.115891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) are emerging pollutants whose occurrence is a global problem in natural ecosystems including soil. Among MPs, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a well-known polymer with remarkable resistance to degradation, and because its recalcitrant nature serious environmental concerns are created during manufacturing and waste disposal. The effect of PVC (0.021% w/w) on chemical and microbial parameters of an agricultural soil was tested by a microcosm experiment at different incubation times (from 3 to 360 days). Among chemical parameters, soil CO2 emission, fluorescein diacetate (FDA) activity, total organic C (TOC), total N, water extractable organic C (WEOC), water extractable N (WEN) and SUVA254 were considered, while the structure of soil microbial communities was studied at different taxonomic levels (phylum and genus) by sequencing bacterial 16S and fungal ITS2 rDNA (Illumina MiSeq). Although some fluctuations were found, chemical and microbiological parameters exhibited some significant trends. Significant (p < 0.05) variations of soil CO2 emission, FDA hydrolysis, TOC, WEOC and WEN were found in PVC-treated soils over different incubation times. Considering the structure of soil microbial communities, the presence of PVC significantly (p < 0.05) affected the abundances of specific bacterial and fungal taxa: Candidatus_Saccharibacteria, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria and Bacteroides among bacteria, and Basidiomycota, Mortierellomycota and Ascomycota among fungi. After one year of experiment, a reduction of the number and the dimensions of PVC was detected supposing a possible role of microorganisms on PVC degradation. The abundance of both bacterial and fungal taxa at phylum and genus level was also affected by PVC, suggesting that the impact of this polymer could be taxa-dependent.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Barili
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Perugia, Italy
| | - Alessandro Bernetti
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Science, University of Perugia, Italy
| | - Ciro Sannino
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Science, University of Perugia, Italy.
| | - Nicolò Montegiove
- Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology, University of Perugia, Italy
| | - Eleonora Calzoni
- Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology, University of Perugia, Italy
| | - Alessio Cesaretti
- Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology, University of Perugia, Italy
| | - Irina Pinchuk
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Science, University of Perugia, Italy
| | - Daniela Pezzolla
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Perugia, Italy
| | - Benedetta Turchetti
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Science, University of Perugia, Italy
| | - Pietro Buzzini
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Science, University of Perugia, Italy
| | - Carla Emiliani
- Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology, University of Perugia, Italy
| | - Giovanni Gigliotti
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Perugia, Italy
| |
Collapse
|