Identifying the risks of micro- and nanoplastics (MnP) from agricultural mulching to groundwater

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This fellowship is going to identify the risks of micro- and nanoplastics (MnP) from agricultural mulching to soils and groundwater.Plastic use for mulching in agriculture is increasing globally, causing severe risks of MnP from the degradation of plastic mulchingmaterials to affect soil and groundwater resources, with detrimental effects for food security and water quality. There is therefore astrong ambition to move towards more sustainable, biodegradable plastics for use in agriculture. It is, however, yet to be determinedto what degree faster degradation of environmentally biodegradable plastics will cause less environmental impact than currentlyused conventional plastics, given that their faster degradation into MnP may also trigger faster particle transport into greater depthsand thus, towards vulnerable groundwater zones and areas of low MnP degradation rates. The main goal of MulchplastRisk istherefore to quantify how different types of MnP originating from agricultural plastic sheets (for mulching) degrade and transportalong their passage through agricultural soils and determine potential risk for groundwater resources by attempting to answer thefollowing research questions: 1. What are the sources, types and exposure routes of MnP in agricultural soils and plastic mulchingpractices at EU and global scales? 2. What are the main degradation pathways and associated particle-size dependent transportmechanisms of MnP in soils? 3. How does MnP degradation under different hydroclimatological conditions lead to the release ofplastic additives of specific environmental and public concerns, in particular of endocrine disrupting additives such as BPA andphthalates? The ambition of this project is to shift current paradigms in environmental and public health risk assessment by providingcrucial evidence of the severe risks constituted by MnP accumulation, transport and legacy pollution at the soil-groundwaterinterface.