The impact of microplastics on soil contamination by heavy metals
Abstract
The aim of this work was to examine the current state of pollution in a mining-affected territory. Prolonged mining activities in North Ossetia have resulted in the generation of a significant amount of waste enriched with heavy metals, contributing to soil and water contamination. Of particular interest is the complex interaction between microplastic (MP) particles and heavy metals (HM) in the environment, encompassing both direct mechanisms, such as physicochemical sorption, and indirect impacts. This fully underscores the relevance of the problem. Methods. An analysis of contemporary literature on the research topic was conducted. In accordance with the applied methodology, a critical evaluation and synthesis of literary sources were performed to form an overall picture of the current state of the scientific field. The search for scientific publications utilized several leading international databases (Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, etc.) with relevant keywords. Results. It is shown that aged and photodegraded particles possess higher sorption capacity due to increased specific surface area and the formation of oxygen-containing functional groups. It is demonstrated that the phenomena of adsorption and desorption can fundamentally alter the distribution of metals between their phases, influence their chemical speciation, and, most importantly from a toxicological perspective, affect their bioavailability to aquatic organisms and soil biota. Despite a substantial body of research, much regarding the interactions of these pollutants remains unclear. Nevertheless, key gaps in current research on this topic have been identified, highlighting the necessity for studies focused on realistic multicomponent systems and long-term effects in natural ecosystems to adequately assess geo-environmental risks.
References
Бурдзиева О.Г., Заалишвили В.Б., Бериев О.Г., Кануков А.С., Майсурадзе М.В. Влияние горнодобывающей деятельности на загрязнение окружающей среды. // Геология и геофизика Юга России. – 2014. – No 4-2. – С. 8–13.
Бурдзиева О.Г., Ревазов М.О., Кортиев А.Л., Гогичев Р.Р. Влияние воздействия геодинамических процессов на геоэкологическую нагрузку горного региона. // Геология и геофизика Юга России. – 2024. – Т. 14. No 4. – С. 166–179. DOI: 10.46698/VNC.2024.50.44.014.
Заалишвили В.Б., Бурдзиева О.Г., Кануков А.С., Дзобелова Л.В. Разработка карт индекса канцерогенного риска территории г. Владикавказа. // Геология и геофизика Юга России. – 2021. – Т. 11. No 4. – С. 147–160. DOI: 10.46698/VNC.2021.98.22.012.
Комаров Р.С., Решетняк О.С. Пространственно-временная изменчивость ионного стока в бассейне р. Кубани. // Геология и геофизика Юга России. – 2024. – Т. 14. No 3. – С. 191–203. DOI: 10.46698/q4491-7472-5566-w.
Реутова Н.В., Реутова Т.В., Дреева Ф.Р. Природное и антропогенное загрязнение микроэлементами верховий бассейна р. Ардон. // Геология и геофизика Юга России. – 2025. – Т. 15. No 2. – С. 219–230. DOI: 10.46698/VNC.2025.46.62.001.
Abbasi S., Moore F., Keshavarzi B., Hopke P.K., Naidu R., Rahman M.M., Oleszczuk P., Karimi J. PET-microplastics as a vector for heavy metals in a simulated plant rhizosphere zone. // Science of The Total Environment. – 2020. – Vol. 744. – Art. No. 140984. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.123799.
Abdolahpur Monikh F., Vijver M.G., Guo Z., Zhang P., Darbha G.K., Peijnenburg W.J.G.M. Metal sorption onto nanoscale plastic debris and trojan horse effects in Daphnia magna: Role of dissolved organic matter. // Water Research. – 2020. – Vol. 186. – Art. No. 116410.
Akhbarizadeh R., Moore F., Keshavarzi B., Moeinpour A. Microplastics and potentially toxic elements in coastal sediments of Iran’s main oil terminal (Khark Island). // Environmental Pollution. – 2017. – Vol. 220. – pp. 720–731.
Banaee M., Soltanian S., Sureda A., Gholamhosseini A., Haghi B.N., Akhlaghi M., Derikvandy A. Evaluation of single and combined effects of cadmium and micro-plastic particles on biochemical and immunological parameters of common carp (Cyprinus carpio). // Chemosphere. – 2019. – Vol. 236. – Art. No. 124335.
Barboza L.G.A., Vieira L.R., Branco V., Figueiredo N., Carvalho F., Carvalho C., Guilhermino L. Microplastics cause neurotoxicity, oxidative damage and energy-related changes and interact with the bioaccumulation of mercury in the European seabass, Dicentrarchus labrax (Linnaeus, 1758). // Aquatic Toxicology. – 2018. – Vol. 195. – pp. 49–57.
Bayo J., Martinez A., Guillen M., Olmos S., Roca M.J., Alcolea A. Microbeads in commercial facial cleansers: threatening the environment. // Clean Soil Air Water. – 2017. – Vol. 45. Issue 7. – Art. No. 1600683.
Bellingeri A., Bergami E., Grassi G., Faleri C., Redondo-Hasselerharm P., Koelmans A.A., Corsi I. Combined effects of nanoplastics and copper on the freshwater alga Raphidocelis subcapitata. // Aquatic Toxicology. – 2019. – Vol. 210. – pp. 179–187.
Bradney L., Wijesekara H., Palansooriya K.N., Obadamudalige N., Bolan N.S., Ok Y.S., Rinklebe J., Kim K.-H., Kirkham M.B. Particulate plastics as a vector for toxic trace-element uptake by aquatic and terrestrial organisms and human health risk. // Environment International. – 2019. – Vol. 131. – Art. No. 104937.
Brennecke D., Duarte B., Paiva F., Caçador I., Canning-Clode J. Microplastics as vector for heavy metal contamination from the marine environment. // Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science. – 2016. – Vol. 178. – pp. 189–195.
Dey T.K., Uddin M.E., Jamal M. Detection and removal of microplastics in wastewater: evolution and impact. // Environmental Science and Pollution Research. – 2021. – Vol. 28. Issue 14. – pp. 16925–16947.
Dong Y.M., Gao M.L., Qiu W.W., Song Z.G. Effect of microplastics and arsenic on nutrients and microorganisms in rice rhizosphere soil. // Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. – 2021. –Vol. 211. – Art. No. 111899.
Fernandez B., Santos-Echeandía J., Rivera-Hernandez J.R., Garrido S., Albentosa M. Mercury interactions with algal and plastic microparticles: Comparative role as vectors of metals for the mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis. // Journal of Hazardous Materials. – 2020. – Vol. 396. – Art. No. 122739.
Gao D., Li X.Y., Liu H.T. Source, occurrence, migration and potential environmental risk of microplastics in sewage sludge and during sludge amendment to soil. // The Science of The Total Environment. – 2020. – Vol. 742. – Art. No. 140355.
Gao F.L., Li J.X., Sun C.J., Zhang L.T., Jiang F.H., Cao W., Zheng L. Study on the capability and characteristics of heavy metals enriched on microplastics in marine environment. // Marine Pollution Bulletin. – 2019. – Vol. 144. – pp. 61–67.
Godoy V., Blazquez G., Calero M., Quesada L., Martin-Lara M.A. The potential of microplastics as carriers of metals. // Environmental Pollution. – 2019. – Vol. 255. – Art. No. 113363.
Godoy V., Martinez-Ferez A., Martin-Lara M., Vellido-Perez J.A., Calero M., Blazquez G. Microplastics as vectors of chromium and lead during dynamic simulation of the human gastrointestinal tract. // Sustainability. – 2020. – Vol. 12. Issue 11. – Art. No. 4792.
Guo X.T., Hu G.L., Fan X.Y., Jia H.Z. Sorption properties of cadmium on microplastics: the common practice experiment and a two-dimensional correlation spectroscopic study. // Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. – 2020. – Vol. 190. – Art. No. 110118.
Holmes L.A., Turner A., Thompson R.C. Interactions between trace metals and plastic production pellets under estuarine conditions. // Marine Chemistry. – 2014. – Vol. 167. – pp. 25–32.
Huang W., Song B., Liang J., Niu Q.Y., Zeng G.M., Shen M.C., Deng J.Q., Luo Y., Wen X.F., Zhang Y.F. Microplastics and associated contaminants in the aquatic environment: a review on their ecotoxicological effects, trophic transfer, and potential impacts to human health. // Journal of Hazardous Materials. – 2021. – Vol. 405. – Art. No. 124187.
Kern S., Kern C., Pradja M.M., Düring R.-A., Rohnke M. Spatially resolved indiffusion behavior of Cu2+ and Ni2+ in polypropylene. // Journal of Applied Polymer Science. – 2021. – Vol. 138. Issue 2. – Art. No. 49655.
Lee W.S., Cho H.J., Kim E., Huh Y.H., Kim H.J., Kim B., Kang T., Lee J.S., Jeong J. Bioaccumulation of polystyrene nanoplastics and their effect on the toxicity of Au ions in zebrafish embryos. // Nanoscale. – 2019. – Vol. 11. Issue 7. – pp. 3173–3185.
Li P., Li Q.C., Hao Z.N., Yu S.J., Liu J.F. Analytical methods and environmental processes of nanoplastics. // Journal of Environmental Sciences. – 2020. – Vol. 94. – pp. 88–99.
Li X.W., Mei Q.Q., Chen L.B., Zhang H.Y., Dong B., Dai X.H., He C.Q., Zhou J. Enhancement in adsorption potential of microplastics in sewage sludge for metal pollutants after the wastewater treatment process. // Water Research. – 2019. – Vol. 157. – pp. 228–237.
Lian J.P., Wu J.N., Zeb A., Zheng S.N., Ma T., Peng F.H., Tang J.C., Liu W.T. Do polystyrene nanoplastics affect the toxicity of cadmium to wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)? // Environmental Pollution. – 2020. – Vol. 263. – Art. No. 114498.
Liao Y.L., Yang J.Y. Microplastic serves as a potential vector for Cr in an in-vitro human digestive model. // The Science of The Total Environment. – 2020. – Vol. 703. – Art. No. 134805.
Lin L.J., Tang S., Wang X.S., Sun X., Yu A.Q. Hexabromocyclododecane alters malachite green and lead(II) adsorption behaviors onto polystyrene microplastics: interaction mechanism and competitive effect. // Chemosphere. – 2021. – Vol. 265. – Art. No. 129079.
Lin Z., Hu Y.W., Yuan Y.J., Hu B.W., Wang B.L. Comparative analysis of kinetics and mechanisms for Pb(II) sorption onto three kinds of microplastics. // Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. – 2021. – Vol. 208. – Art. No. 111451.
Lu K., Qiao R.X., An H., Zhang Y. Influence of microplastics on the accumulation and chronic toxic effects of cadmium in zebrafish (Danio rerio). // Chemosphere. – 2018. – Vol. 202. – pp. 514–520.
Lu X.M., Lu P.Z., Liu X.P. Fate and abundance of antibiotic resistance genes on microplastics in facility vegetable soil. // The Science of The Total Environment. – 2020. – Vol. 709. – Art. No. 136276.
Mao R.F., Lang M.F., Yu X.Q., Wu R.R., Yang X.M., Guo X.T. Aging mechanism of microplastics with UV irradiation and its effects on the adsorption of heavy metals. // Journal of Hazardous Materials. – 2020. – Vol. 393. – Art. No. 122515.
Naqash N., Prakash S., Kapoor D., Singh R. Interaction of freshwater microplastics with biota and heavy metals: a review. // Environmental Chemistry Letters. – 2020. – Vol. 18. Issue 6. – pp. 1813–1824.
Othman A.R., Abu Hasan H., Muhamad M.H., Ismail N.I., Abdullah S.R.S. Microbial degradation of microplastics by enzymatic processes: a review. // Environmental Chemistry Letters. – 2021. – Vol. 19. – pp. 3057–3073.
Purwiyanto A.I.S., Suteja Y., Trisno, Ningrum P.S., Putri W.A.E., Rozirwan, Agustriani F., Fauziyah, Cordova M.R., Koropitan A.F. Concentration and adsorption of Pb and Cu in microplastics: case study in aquatic environment. // Marine Pollution Bulletin. – 2020. – Vol. 158. – Art. No. 111380.
Qiao R.X., Lu K., Deng Y.F., Ren H.Q., Zhang Y. Combined effects of polystyrene microplastics and natural organic matter on the accumulation and toxicity of copper in zebrafish. // The Science of The Total Environment. – 2019. – Vol. 682. – pp. 128–137.
Sun J.H., Xia S.D., Ning Y., Pan X., Qu J.H., Xu Y.J. Effects of microplastics and attached heavy metals on growth, immunity, and heavy metal accumulation in the yellow seahorse, Hippocampus kuda Bleeker. // Marine Pollution Bulletin. – 2019. – Vol. 149. – Art. No. 110510.
Tang S., Lin L.J., Wang X.S., Feng A.X., Yu A.Q. Pb(II) uptake onto nylon microplastics: interaction mechanism and adsorption performance. // Journal of Hazardous Materials. – 2020. – Vol. 386. – Art. No. 121960.
Tang S., Lin L.J., Wang X.S., Yu A.Q., Sun X. Interfacial interactions between collected nylon microplastics and three divalent metal ions (Cu(II), Ni(II), Zn(II)) in aqueous solutions. // Journal of Hazardous Materials. – 2021. – Vol. 403. – Art. No. 123548.
Vedolin M.C., Teophilo C.Y.S., Turra A., Figueira R.C.L. Spatial variability in the concentrations of metals in beached microplastics. // Marine Pollution Bulletin. – 2018. – Vol. 129. Issue 2. – pp. 487–493.
Wakkaf T., Allouche M., Harrath A.H., Mansour L., Alwasel S., Mohamed Thameemul Ansari K.G., Beyrem H., Sellami B., Boufahja F. The individual and combined effects of cadmium, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) microplastics and their polyalkylamines modified forms on meiobenthic features in a microcosm. // Environmental Pollution. – 2020. – Vol. 266. – Art. No. 115263.
Wang F.Y., Zhang X.Q., Zhang S.Q., Zhang S.W., Sun Y.H. Interactions of microplastics and cadmium on plant growth and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities in an agricultural soil. // Chemosphere. – 2020. – Vol. 254. – Art. No. 126791.
Wang L., Gao Y.X., Jiang W., Chen J.X., Chen Y.S., Zhang X.H., Wang G.X. Microplastics with cadmium inhibit the growth of Vallisneria natans (Lour.) Hara rather than reduce cadmium toxicity. // Chemosphere. – 2021. – Vol. 266. – Art. No. 128979.
Wang Q.J., Zhang Y., Wangjin X.X., Wang Y.L., Meng G.H., Chen Y.H. The adsorption behavior of metals in aqueous solution by microplastics effected by UV radiation. // Journal of Environmental Sciences. – 2020. – Vol. 87. – pp. 272–280.
Wen B., Jin S.R., Chen Z.Z., Gao J.Z., Liu Y.N., Liu J.H., Feng X.S. Single and combined effects of microplastics and cadmium on the cadmium accumulation, antioxidant defence and innate immunity of the discus fish (Symphysodon aequifasciatus). // Environmental Pollution. – 2018. – Vol. 243. – pp. 462–471.
Yan W., Hamid N., Deng S., Jia P.P., Pei D.S. Individual and combined toxicogenetic effects of microplastics and heavy metals (Cd, Pb, and Zn) perturb gut microbiota homeostasis and gonadal development in marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma). // Journal of Hazardous Materials. – 2020. – Vol. 397. – Art. No. 122795.
Yazdani Foshtomi M., Oryan S., Taheri M., Darvish Bastami K., Zahed M.A. Composition and abundance of microplastics in surface sediments and their interaction with sedimentary heavy metals, PAHs and TPH (total petroleum hydrocarbons). // Marine Pollution Bulletin. – 2019. – Vol. 149. – Art. No. 110655.
Yu H., Hou J.H., Dang Q.L., Cui D.Y., Xi B.D., Tan W.B. Decrease in bioavailability of soil heavy metals caused by the presence of microplastics varies across aggregate levels. // Journal of Hazardous Materials. – 2020. – Vol. 395. – Art. No. 122690.
Yu H., Zhang Z., Zhang Y., Fan P., Xi B.D., Tan W.B. Metal type and aggregate microenvironment govern the response sequence of speciation transformation of different heavy metals to microplastics in soil. // The Science of The Total Environment. – 2021. – Vol. 752. – Art. No. 141956.
Zhou Y.F., Liu X.N., Wang J. Ecotoxicological effects of microplastics and cadmium on the earthworm Eisenia foetida. // Journal of Hazardous Materials. – 2020. – Vol. 392. – Art. No. 122273.
Zou J.Y., Liu X.P., Zhang D.M., Yuan X. Adsorption of three bivalent metals by four chemical distinct microplastics. // Chemosphere. – 2020. – Vol. 248. – Art. No. 126064.
English
Русский
