InPlasTwin: A Roadmap for Scientific Capacity Building on Micro- and Nanoplastics in Agriculture
Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) pollution has emerged as a critical environmental and public health challenge, with growing evidence showing their presence in ecosystems, food chains, and agricultural soils. The InPlasTwin initiative aims to address this challenge by building a scientific and research capacity focused on understanding the sources, fate, and impacts of MNPs, particularly in agriculture, with a focus on strawberries. This blog post explores the key components of the InPlasTwin scientific roadmap, highlighting how it advances investigations on the degradability of mulching films and the impact of the released MNPs on the environment and food.
Agriculture is both a source and a receptor of microplastics. One notable source is biodegradable mulching films, which are increasingly used to improve crop yields and reduce plastic waste. However, these films degrade into micro- and nanoplastics under field conditions.
InPlasTwin is studying the generation of MNPs from the biodegradable and conventional films in real agricultural settings to develop protocols for producing MNPs. These model particles simulate the types and characteristics of plastics generated in situ, enabling controlled laboratory and field experiments. Understanding the degradation pathways and particle properties is vital for assessing environmental persistence and biological interactions. Following the generation of MNPs, a fundamental step in studying MNPs is their reliable extraction from complex environmental and food matrices, through protocols which are crucial because MNPs are often embedded in heterogeneous materials, making their isolation challenging. Knowing that soil and water samples contain organic matter, minerals, and other particulates that can interfere with MNP detection or that food samples require careful processing to separate plastics from biological tissues without degrading the particles, establishing specific extraction methods ensures reproducibility and accuracy in quantifying MNP contamination across various environments and food products.
Once extracted, MNPs must be accurately identified and characterized to understand their composition, size distribution, and concentration. InPlasTwin focuses on enhancing knowledge of advanced analytical techniques. Spectroscopic methods such as Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy provide identification of the plastic polymer type based on its molecular structure. They can also offer some information about the functional groups and sometimes identify additives or weathering products. With microscopy integration, they can provide information on particle size and shape.
Mass spectrometry-based techniques (e.g., Pyrolysis-GC-MS, ICP-MS or spICP-MS or FFF-ICP-MS) that enable detailed chemical characterization, including polymer identification, detection of plastic additives and degradation products. Primarily provide information on the polymer type by analyzing its thermal degradation products (e.g., Pyrolysis-GC-MS) or the elemental composition (ICP-MS. spICP-MS can also give information on particle size and number concentration based on the signal intensity and frequency of individual particle events, but its application to MNPs in complex samples is limited to cases involving metal-doped MNPs or inorganic plastic additives. FFF-ICP-MS adds the dimension of size-resolved elemental analysis.
These tools are essential for differentiating plastic types, detecting nanoplastics that are below optical resolution of spectroscopic methods, and assessing the presence of toxic additives. Improved analytical capacity will support monitoring efforts and risk assessments related to MNP pollution.
After their detection in samples, a key concern is the uptake of MNPs by crops, which can affect plant health, yield, and food safety. InPlasTwin conducts both laboratory and field experiments focusing on strawberries grown with conventional and biodegradable mulching films to evaluate:
- The extent to which MNPs and additives are absorbed by roots and translocated to fruits.
- The impact of MNP contamination on crop yield and fruit quality parameters such as size, taste, and nutritional content.
Micro- and nanoplastics often contain various organic and inorganic additives-such as plasticizers, flame retardants, and stabilizers-that can leach into the environment and pose toxicological risks. As mentioned above, InPlasTwin employs analytical techniques combined with leaching and migration tests to investigate the release of these additives from MNPs.
This research is critical because additives can amplify the by introducing endocrine disruptors, carcinogens, or other hazardous substances into soils, water, and crops. Assessing the mobility and bioavailability of these additives informs risk management and regulatory policies.
Conclusion
InPlasTwin offers a comprehensive roadmap to tackle the complex challenges posed by micro- and nanoplastics in agriculture and food systems. Through advancing extraction protocols, analytical techniques, generation of model particles, additive analysis, and impact on strawberries quality and yield, it equips researchers and policymakers with the tools needed to understand and mitigate MNP pollution.
As MNPs continue to pollute ecosystems and affect global food supplies, initiatives like InPlasTwin are vital to safeguarding environmental health and ensuring resilient, sustainable agriculture for the future.
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