Abstract
Plastic pollution poses a significant threat to soil ecosystems, yet the role of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in plastic degradation is not well-studied. The present research focuses on the impact of polyethylene (PE), polylactic acid (PLA), and poly(butylene-adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) residues on soil in a 12-week long lab-scale aerobic experiment. The study focused on the dynamics of VOC profiles, soil physicochemical properties, and microbial communities. PBAT, known for its biodegradability, produced a distinct VOC profile with hazardous compounds such as 1,3-butadiene, which is consistently associated with cardiovascular diseases and leukemia. Microbial analysis of PBAT revealed distinct bacterial and fungal diversity responses, along with unique KEGG pathway profiles compared to PE and PLA, suggesting its biodegradation process may involve biofilm formation and quorum sensing. Correlation analysis based on the relevant abundance of specific microbes exhibited strong positive correlations, such as Streptomyces with propyne emission and Hydrogenispora with ethylene emission. These results demonstrated distinct biodegradation patterns of various plastics in soil, identified through the combination of VOC detection and microbiome analysis.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 138051 |
| Journal | Journal of Hazardous Materials |
| Volume | 492 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 15 Jul 2025 |
Keywords
- Microbiome
- Networks analysis
- Plastic residues
- Soil biodegradation
- Volatile organic compounds
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Environmental Engineering
- Environmental Chemistry
- Waste Management and Disposal
- Pollution
- Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis