Mitigation strategies for meso-plastics and micro-fibers in terrestrial ecosystems

Plastics have been found in soil systems, posing detrimental impacts on biodiversity, soil health, and ecosystem functioning. Various types of plastics (microplastics, mesoplastics, macro-plastics, fibers), are found in our terrestrial environments, presenting a complex challenge for mitigation efforts. This study provides an overview of mitigation strategies tailored to address different types of plastics in our terrestrial ecosystems. The study begins with a review and analysis of literature on the how soil properties are affected by microplastics, and the results of the review showed that although there has been several research on plastics effects, especially microplastics on soil properties, there are few research on how plastic contamination on terrestrial ecosystems can be remediated. A houseplant experiment was then carried out to investigate the ability of houseplants, an example of bioremediation to filter microfibers. The experiment concluded that houseplants having wide and sticky leaf surface could be used to reduce indoor microfiber contamination, providing a cost-effective, environmentally friendly method of reducing air contamination in our homes.

Finally, laboratory research was carried out to determine if organic amendment (compost) can be used to remediate soil contaminated by meso-plastics. In the experiments, some soil properties were examined with and without compost. Also, the degradation of the meso-plastics was measured over time by weighing the mesoplastics, then enzyme activities were measured to determine if the presence of enzymes in the test soil that might aid in the meso-plastics breakdown. Finally, H. vulgare performances were measured to determine the difference between soil with meso-plastics and soil without meso-plastics. The results showed that the different meso-plastic with and without amendment by compost impacted soil properties such as pH rate over time and some of the major soil nutrients (magnesium, calcium, sodium, potassium, phosphorus) significantly (p<0.05), except for nitrogen, organic carbon and organic matter. The addition of compost had significantly degraded the compostable meso-plastics when compared to the other meso-plastics used.

Meso-plastics had a significant (p<0.05) effect on soil microbial with or without compost, the result also showed that although meso-plastics contamination with and without compost had no effect on H.vulgare height, biomass, and chlorophyll content significantly (p<0.05), H.vulgare germination percentage was >80%. The results from the different research in this study showed that mitigation strategies for plastic pollution in terrestrial ecosystems encompass a multifaceted approach, including remediation. Remediation strategies in the study focused on the removal and cleanup of plastics from terrestrial environments using mechanical methods/ phytoremediation such as trapping fibers using plants surface, while nature-based solutions such as bioremediation harness the ecological processes of microorganisms to degrade and metabolize plastic pollutants in soil systems. Implementing a combination of strategies tailored to different types of plastics and specific environmental contexts can possibly help to mitigate plastics contamination impacts, safeguard the health and the integrity of terrestrial ecosystems for future generations.