Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SOPLAS (Macro and Microplastic in Agricultural Soil Systems)
Período documentado: 2021-01-01 hasta 2022-12-31
Macro- and microplastic in agricultural soil systems (SOPLAS)
Plastics have become a key component of modern agriculture, both directly, through their use in production systems, such as greenhouse cover films and silage bags, and indirectly, such as through the application of sewage sludge or compost. However, we know almost nothing about the fate of this plastic and its impact on soil functions.
The SOPLAS ETN addresses this critical knowledge gap, while delivering significant advances in understanding the plastic cycle within soil and supporting the development of environmental policies, agricultural practices and industrial opportunities related to mitigating the impact of plastics on the environment.
More specifically, SOPLAS does (i) adapt and optimise existing tools to detect and quantify macro- and microplastic input into agricultural soils; (ii) improve understanding of the degradation mechanisms of conventional and biodegradable plastic, as basis of optimizing used plastic materials and identifying remediation pathways; (iii)
determine the impact of microplastic on soil functions and soil health; (iv) identify pathways for microplastic export from agricultural soils to freshwater ecosystems; and (v) analysis farmers’ and consumers’ willingness to reduce the input of plastic material into agricultural soils.
To address these project aims and train a new generation of leading experts understanding the nexus of plastic-agriculture-soil, SOPLAS brings together a truly multidisciplinary team of academic and industry experts, comprising economists, agronomists, hydrologists, soil scientists, microbiologists and chemists, using the most advanced state-of-the-art approaches in their respective fields. The training network will facilitate a dialogue between researchers, industry and practitioners with as ultimate goal to advance the sustainable use of plastics in European agriculture.
Plastics have become a key component of modern agriculture, both directly, through their use in production systems, such as greenhouse cover films and silage bags, and indirectly, such as through the application of sewage sludge or compost. However, we know almost nothing about the fate of this plastic and its impact on soil functions.
The SOPLAS ETN addresses this critical knowledge gap, while delivering significant advances in understanding the plastic cycle within soil and supporting the development of environmental policies, agricultural practices and industrial opportunities related to mitigating the impact of plastics on the environment.
More specifically, SOPLAS does (i) adapt and optimise existing tools to detect and quantify macro- and microplastic input into agricultural soils; (ii) improve understanding of the degradation mechanisms of conventional and biodegradable plastic, as basis of optimizing used plastic materials and identifying remediation pathways; (iii)
determine the impact of microplastic on soil functions and soil health; (iv) identify pathways for microplastic export from agricultural soils to freshwater ecosystems; and (v) analysis farmers’ and consumers’ willingness to reduce the input of plastic material into agricultural soils.
To address these project aims and train a new generation of leading experts understanding the nexus of plastic-agriculture-soil, SOPLAS brings together a truly multidisciplinary team of academic and industry experts, comprising economists, agronomists, hydrologists, soil scientists, microbiologists and chemists, using the most advanced state-of-the-art approaches in their respective fields. The training network will facilitate a dialogue between researchers, industry and practitioners with as ultimate goal to advance the sustainable use of plastics in European agriculture.
We are happy to report that all deliverables and milestones were achieved and reported to the EC. SOPLAS looks back on two years of project lifetime yielding a great collaboration network within the SOPLAS consortium. The network tied close collaborations between academic and industry partners. A cornerstone to achieve this interdisciplinary and academic-industry exchange is the secondment program. Overall, we are excited to see that SOPLAS is on an excellent track to achieve its main goal to form a new generation of highly qualified experts in the field of macro and micro plastic in soil system siences.
SOPLAS achieved exploitable results in manyfold ways. First papers were published open access ( Meng et al. 2023; Munhoz et al. 2023; Lwanga et al. 2023) and stored on a repository of Augsburg University (https://opus.bibliothek.uni-augsburg.de) and highlighted on the project website (https://www.soplas.org). Radio and television interviews highlighted the relevance of the topic, to reach out to the general public. In this context, it needs to be underlined that a collaboration experiment was aired on the national television news in Czech Republic (https://www.ceskatelevize.cz/porady/1097181328-udalosti/222411000101122/cast/947919/).
SOPLAS achieved exploitable results in manyfold ways. First papers were published open access ( Meng et al. 2023; Munhoz et al. 2023; Lwanga et al. 2023) and stored on a repository of Augsburg University (https://opus.bibliothek.uni-augsburg.de) and highlighted on the project website (https://www.soplas.org). Radio and television interviews highlighted the relevance of the topic, to reach out to the general public. In this context, it needs to be underlined that a collaboration experiment was aired on the national television news in Czech Republic (https://www.ceskatelevize.cz/porady/1097181328-udalosti/222411000101122/cast/947919/).
The first aim is to adapt existing and to advance next-generation analytical methodologies to detect and quantify the input and stocks of MaP and MiP within agricultural soils and the economic drivers for their use. We aim to identify plastic particles with different chemical and physical properties within soils. To this end, methods from different disciplines, spanning remote sensing to advanced analytical techniques will be utilised. This work will include standardising and operationalising the methodologies through close cooperation between industry and academic partners.
The second aim is to understand the degradation pathways and mechanisms for different plastics in different soils under varying environmental conditions and to use this understanding to develop mitigation strategies. We will examine the importance of different abiotic and biotic transformation processes (including mechanical disintegration due to tillage, UV-light induced photochemical transformation as well as mi-crobial biodegradation) at our different test sites. We will conduct detailed laboratory studies of microbial degradation of biodegradable plastics, which may replace current plastic material used for mulching; alongside studies to explore the potential of biotechnological techniques based on a recent study of Huerta et al. to accelerate degradation of conventional plastic in soils as a step towards future remediation approaches.
The third aim is to analyse the impact of MiP on soil microbiomes and meso- to macro-fauna and its potential impacts on soil health. Research in this area will result in new insights regarding the ecotoxicology of MiP, which is the essential basis for political and regulatory decisions to be taken regarding the future use of plastics in agriculture.
The fourth aim is to identify pathways for MiP export from agricultural soils to freshwater ecosystems (groundwater and surface waters) under different land management practices, in different soils and under varying environmental conditions. Research in this WP will close a substantial gap in our under-standing of MiP transport into freshwaters, which is essential in order to understand the potential for MiP con-tamination of drinking water sources and the broader impacts of MiP pollution on freshwater ecosystems.
These scientific and technological aims are embedded in the fifth aim. This entails a broader analysis of in-tended and unintended plastic use associated with agricultural soil management practices and an analysis of farmers’ and consumers’ willingness to reduce the input of plastic material into agricultural soils using choice experiment surveys.
The SOPLAS ETN will significantly advance the research in the field of plastics in agricultural soils beyond the current state-of-the-art and build a long-lasting European network of excellence on this research topic. This network will be established by promoting scientific exchange between ten European research institutions and a research-oriented industry partner, with the network devoted to investigating soil pollution in an ecologically relevant manner with complementary research foci and methods. The network will build on and extend already established and fruitful cooperations between academia and industry, initiate new cooperations, and promote cooperation among industry partners.
The second aim is to understand the degradation pathways and mechanisms for different plastics in different soils under varying environmental conditions and to use this understanding to develop mitigation strategies. We will examine the importance of different abiotic and biotic transformation processes (including mechanical disintegration due to tillage, UV-light induced photochemical transformation as well as mi-crobial biodegradation) at our different test sites. We will conduct detailed laboratory studies of microbial degradation of biodegradable plastics, which may replace current plastic material used for mulching; alongside studies to explore the potential of biotechnological techniques based on a recent study of Huerta et al. to accelerate degradation of conventional plastic in soils as a step towards future remediation approaches.
The third aim is to analyse the impact of MiP on soil microbiomes and meso- to macro-fauna and its potential impacts on soil health. Research in this area will result in new insights regarding the ecotoxicology of MiP, which is the essential basis for political and regulatory decisions to be taken regarding the future use of plastics in agriculture.
The fourth aim is to identify pathways for MiP export from agricultural soils to freshwater ecosystems (groundwater and surface waters) under different land management practices, in different soils and under varying environmental conditions. Research in this WP will close a substantial gap in our under-standing of MiP transport into freshwaters, which is essential in order to understand the potential for MiP con-tamination of drinking water sources and the broader impacts of MiP pollution on freshwater ecosystems.
These scientific and technological aims are embedded in the fifth aim. This entails a broader analysis of in-tended and unintended plastic use associated with agricultural soil management practices and an analysis of farmers’ and consumers’ willingness to reduce the input of plastic material into agricultural soils using choice experiment surveys.
The SOPLAS ETN will significantly advance the research in the field of plastics in agricultural soils beyond the current state-of-the-art and build a long-lasting European network of excellence on this research topic. This network will be established by promoting scientific exchange between ten European research institutions and a research-oriented industry partner, with the network devoted to investigating soil pollution in an ecologically relevant manner with complementary research foci and methods. The network will build on and extend already established and fruitful cooperations between academia and industry, initiate new cooperations, and promote cooperation among industry partners.