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X-ray Computed Tomography to Determine the Effects of Microplastic Pollution on Soil Pore Structure


EMSL Project ID
60410

Abstract

The overall goal of this research is to study the impacts of microplastics on soil environments. Microplastics have been recognized as an emerging contaminant, and they can enter the terrestrial environment through sewage sludge and compost application, plastic mulching, irrigation, and flooding. Little is known about the impacts of microplastics on function and health of soil ecosystems. We hypothesize that the impacts of microplastics on soil environments can vary depending on the microplastics' concentration, polymer type, shape, size, and surface properties. The purpose of this limited scope proposal is to use X-ray computed tomography to visualize changes in soil pore structure induced by the incorporation of microplastics. Polypropylene granules and polyester fibers will be mixed into a soil at different concentrations, packed into soil cores, buried into the field, and exposed to in-field weathering. Then, various physical parameters, such as bulk density, saturated hydraulic conductivity, water holding capacity, and pore structure, will be measured to elucidate the effects of microplastic shape and concentration on soil physical properties. The specific objective of this limited scope proposal are to: (1) visualize 3-D pore structure of plastic-amended soil cores with X-ray computed tomography; (2) determine pore structure and geometry indices from computed tomography images and relate these indices to macroscopically measured soil physical properties (bulk density, saturated hydraulic conductivity, and water retention characteristics).

Project Details

Project type
Limited Scope
Start Date
2022-05-09
End Date
2022-08-07
Status
Closed

Team

Principal Investigator

Markus Flury
Institution
Washington State University

Team Members

Yingxue Yu
Institution
Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station