Microfibres in Soils: Detection, Degradation and Impact

微塑料污染是一个全球性的问题，塑料现在被认为是人类世的标志。微塑料污染的主要来源之一已被证明是从服装和其他纺织品中释放的微纤维。人们非常重视通过清洗将大量微纤维释放到我们的海洋中。然而，最近的研究揭示了微塑料从衣服上脱落并通过废水处理进入污水污泥的程度。这是微纤维污染陆地环境的一个明显的潜在途径（例如De Falco等人，2020;谢里丹等人，2020），对土壤关键物种如蚯蚓产生影响（Prendergast-Miller等人，2019年）。此外，对合成微纤维的关注忽视了环境中天然存在的微纤维的丰富性，例如棉花和羊毛。虽然这种超细纤维是天然存在的，但它们通常用合成染料染色，并用化学添加剂整理。通过降解和化学释放，天然微纤维也可能对环境及其生态系统产生有害影响。在本项目中，我们将试图确定天然和合成微纤维污染对土壤生态系统过程的影响。主要研究差距和问题：1。微纤维能否在土壤环境中被准确、稳健、快速地检测和量化？2.合成染色的微纤维会化学改变土壤环境吗？3.化学染色微纤维的降解对土壤群落有什么影响？

Microplastic pollution is a global concern, with plastics now considered a marker of the Anthropocene. One of the major sources of microplastic pollution has been shown to be microfibres, released from clothing and other textile items. Much emphasis has been placed on the release of vast quantities of microfibres into our oceans through laundering. However, recent research has revealed the extent to which microplastics are shed from clothing and become incorporated into sewage sludge through wastewater treatment. This is a clear potential pathway for microfibre pollution of terrestrial environments (e.g. De Falco et al., 2020; Sheridan et al., 2020), with consequences for soil keystone species such as earthworms (Prendergast-Miller et al., 2019). Moreover, a focus on synthetic microfibres overlooks the abundance of naturally occurring microfibres in the environment e.g. cotton and wool. Although such microfibres are naturally occurring, they are often dyed with synthetic dyes and finished with chemical additives. Through degradation and chemical release, natural microfibres may also detrimentally impact the environment and its ecosystems. In this project, we will attempt to determine the effects of natural and synthetic microfibre pollution on soil ecosystem processes. Key Research Gaps and Questions:1. Can microfibres be accurately, robustly and rapidly detected and quantified in soil environments?2. Do synthetically dyed microfibres chemically alter soil environments?3. What impact does the degradation of chemically dyed microfibres have on soil communities?