Periodic Reporting for period 1 - PAPILLONS (Plastic in Agricultural Production: Impacts, Lifecycles and LONg-term Sustainability)
Berichtszeitraum: 2021-06-01 bis 2022-11-30
Plastic is an important commodity in agriculture. Plastic is used in crop protection systems (e.g. nets, plastic films for mulching, tunnels, greenhouses, etc.), irrigation, packaging, and micro-encapsulations or coatings for seeds, fertilisers, and plant protection products, among several other applications. Agricultural plastics have been touted as a means to boost agricultural production.
Unfortunately, inadequate use and waste management of agricultural plastics results in pollution. Micro- and nanoplastics are a subtle, microscopic form of pollution that cause a concern for soil health. They represent plastic particles smaller than 5 mm that can originate from a range of sources, including from the breaking down of larger plastic items. Preliminary evidence suggests that agricultural soil containing an excess of micro- and nanoplastics, experience loss of fertility. Soil is a non-renewable resource and soil plastic pollution is virtually irreversible; there is therefore an urgent demand for a better understanding of the importance of this source and the risks posed to soil health and agricultural sustainability.
PAPILLONS (Plastic in Agricultural Production: Impacts, Lifecycles and Long-term Sustainability) receives support from the European Commission to fill critical knowledge gaps on the sources, behaviour, and long-term ecological and socioeconomic impacts of micro- and nanoplastics derived from agricultural plastics, and to provide the scientific background to inspire innovation in policy, agriculture, and industry towards environmentally sustainable farming.
Unfortunately, inadequate use and waste management of agricultural plastics results in pollution. Micro- and nanoplastics are a subtle, microscopic form of pollution that cause a concern for soil health. They represent plastic particles smaller than 5 mm that can originate from a range of sources, including from the breaking down of larger plastic items. Preliminary evidence suggests that agricultural soil containing an excess of micro- and nanoplastics, experience loss of fertility. Soil is a non-renewable resource and soil plastic pollution is virtually irreversible; there is therefore an urgent demand for a better understanding of the importance of this source and the risks posed to soil health and agricultural sustainability.
PAPILLONS (Plastic in Agricultural Production: Impacts, Lifecycles and Long-term Sustainability) receives support from the European Commission to fill critical knowledge gaps on the sources, behaviour, and long-term ecological and socioeconomic impacts of micro- and nanoplastics derived from agricultural plastics, and to provide the scientific background to inspire innovation in policy, agriculture, and industry towards environmentally sustainable farming.
During the first 18 month period, PAPILLONS primarily worked on developing and/or consolidating methods and tools to enable research activities. We have identified several agricultural plastic materials and practices with high potential for releasing micro- and nanoplastic pollution to soil. We have collected and analysed samples of these materials to determine their physical properties and chemical composition. We have learned how to artificially create microscopic plastic debris that are similar to those found in the environment. Using a holistic approach, we used these materials in a series of articulated experiments on microplastic fate and effects, focusing on different levels of ecological complexity: from the laboratory to the field. We have already completed a set of laboratory-based studies on the effects of micro- and nanoplastics on individual populations of soil organisms (including invertebrates, such as earthworms, and plants) over both short and long-term multigenerational exposures, assessing microplastics from both conventional and biodegradable agricultural plastics. Next, we have initiated a series of mesocosm experiments under controlled conditions where we use soil columns containing soil organisms and plants as models of a structured soil ecosystem. Exploiting this additional level of complexity, we focus on unfolding both the direct and indirect effects of micro- and nanoplastics on soil physicochemical properties and soil biodiversity. We are in the middle of an ambitious experiment conducted in real field conditions, simultaneously run in three European countries (Spain, Germany and Finland), in which we address behaviour and effects of micro- and nanoplastics on soil biota and agricultural productivity under natural environmental conditions. This experiment started in February 2022 and will have a duration of two years (two full growing seasons).
Finally, PAPILLONS has the ambition to provide a baseline assessment of the current level of microplastic contamination in European agricultural soils, and to reveal the role of agricultural plastics as potential source of this pollution. We are working on surveying several dozens of farms across Europe, analysing microplastic content in their soils. We are also interested in looking at possible correlations between soil microplastic contamination and the microbial and earthworm diversity in European agricultural soils. As of January 2023, we have completed 70% of the monitoring effort. Collected samples are currently under analysis in respective PAPILLONS research laboratories.
PAPILLONS is conducting research and innovation activities using the multi-actor approach. This means that we maintain a continuous dialogue with farmers, farmer organisations, agricultural plastic industries, waste managers, and non-governmental organisations with an interest in this topic. Through this approach we are collaborating with these actors not only to disseminate scientific findings but also to co-produce part of the newly emerging knowledge.
Finally, PAPILLONS has the ambition to provide a baseline assessment of the current level of microplastic contamination in European agricultural soils, and to reveal the role of agricultural plastics as potential source of this pollution. We are working on surveying several dozens of farms across Europe, analysing microplastic content in their soils. We are also interested in looking at possible correlations between soil microplastic contamination and the microbial and earthworm diversity in European agricultural soils. As of January 2023, we have completed 70% of the monitoring effort. Collected samples are currently under analysis in respective PAPILLONS research laboratories.
PAPILLONS is conducting research and innovation activities using the multi-actor approach. This means that we maintain a continuous dialogue with farmers, farmer organisations, agricultural plastic industries, waste managers, and non-governmental organisations with an interest in this topic. Through this approach we are collaborating with these actors not only to disseminate scientific findings but also to co-produce part of the newly emerging knowledge.
Whilst the first results on the behaviour and effects of micro- and nanoplastics on soil health are expected during the next project period, our team has already progressed beyond the state of the art in several research activities.
We have substantially progressed in establishing a method for compiling inventories of agricultural plastic use and waste generation.
We have made an important breakthrough in the production of large batches of micro- and nanoplastic reference materials to be used in research studies. We have created a first complete version of a reference material catalogue and produced dozens of kilograms of these materials needed in several planned experiments within PAPILLONS. We completed a physical and chemical characterisation of these materials making them a useful model to study the behaviour and effects of micro- and nanoplastics and can potentially also be used in future research activities beyond PAPILLONS. We created a first batch of radioactively labelled micro- and nanoplastics. This is a unique product that will largely simplify the task of studying the behaviour and accumulation of micro- and nanoplastics in soil and in the food web, under controlled experimental settings.
By the end of the project, we will deliver detailed quantitative knowledge on the potential role of agricultural plastics as sources of micro- and nanoplastic pollution to soil through different stages of their life cycle and in relation to different practices. We will substantially increase knowledge on the behaviour, transport, and the ecological effects of micro- and nanoplastics originating from the fragmentation of agricultural plastics, from both conventional and biodegradable polymers. Within the last term of the project, we will collaborate with farmer communities, citizens, and environmental organisations in different parts of Europe to develop a first socio-economic cost-benefit analysis of plasticulture.
We will continue our dialogue with all relevant stakeholders in Europe, conveying new insights on the economic, environmental, and social consequences of unsustainable agricultural practices. PAPILLONS will positively contribute to the EU green deal ambition by endorsing compliance in Europe with important international strategic documents such as the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, the UN initiatives on plastic contamination, and the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development Goals.
We have substantially progressed in establishing a method for compiling inventories of agricultural plastic use and waste generation.
We have made an important breakthrough in the production of large batches of micro- and nanoplastic reference materials to be used in research studies. We have created a first complete version of a reference material catalogue and produced dozens of kilograms of these materials needed in several planned experiments within PAPILLONS. We completed a physical and chemical characterisation of these materials making them a useful model to study the behaviour and effects of micro- and nanoplastics and can potentially also be used in future research activities beyond PAPILLONS. We created a first batch of radioactively labelled micro- and nanoplastics. This is a unique product that will largely simplify the task of studying the behaviour and accumulation of micro- and nanoplastics in soil and in the food web, under controlled experimental settings.
By the end of the project, we will deliver detailed quantitative knowledge on the potential role of agricultural plastics as sources of micro- and nanoplastic pollution to soil through different stages of their life cycle and in relation to different practices. We will substantially increase knowledge on the behaviour, transport, and the ecological effects of micro- and nanoplastics originating from the fragmentation of agricultural plastics, from both conventional and biodegradable polymers. Within the last term of the project, we will collaborate with farmer communities, citizens, and environmental organisations in different parts of Europe to develop a first socio-economic cost-benefit analysis of plasticulture.
We will continue our dialogue with all relevant stakeholders in Europe, conveying new insights on the economic, environmental, and social consequences of unsustainable agricultural practices. PAPILLONS will positively contribute to the EU green deal ambition by endorsing compliance in Europe with important international strategic documents such as the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, the UN initiatives on plastic contamination, and the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development Goals.