Plastic and pesticides in agricultural soils – A hazardous combination for groundwater systems and drinking water supplies worldwide?

Large loads of pesticides and plastics are annually introduced to agricultural soils leading to plastic-pesticides interactions such as pesticides sorption to plastic.

Of concern is the decomposition of plastics in agricultural soils to hardly detectable and mobile sub-micrometer-sized particles potentially enhancing the transport of sorbed pesticides into underlying groundwater systems and drinking water supplies.

However, the migration of sub-micrometer-sized plastic particles and sorbed pesticides through agricultural soils is poorly evaluated due to the lack of appropriate analytical tools.

In this project, I aim to develop a new plastic tracer method based on 13C labelled plastic material, which will allow the detection of sub-micrometer-sized plastic particles in soils. The project will be conducted over 4-years by a PhD student and myself acting as the project leader.

The novel plastic tracer method will be developed based on a stepwise research approach including laboratory batch and column experiments combined with analytical modeling.

The new method will open-up the possibility to determine for the first time the fundamental processes that govern the transport of sub-micrometer-sized plastic particles and sorbed pesticides through agricultural soils.

This will be vital to determine the exposure of groundwater systems and drinking water supplies to plastic particles and associated pesticides from agricultural soils and to evaluate the related risks for human health.