Abstract
Three hundred million tons of plastic wastes are estimated to accumulate in the environment by 2040. Terrestrial environment serves as both the reservoir and sink of these pollutants. To facilitate the understanding in the relatively unexplored field, the term “soil plastisphere” was introduced to describe the soil domain directly influenced by plastics (including the microbial community inhabiting this environment). Because plastics are persistent, they fragment into nano-scaled pieces that are distinct from their bulk counterparts. As our understanding has deepened, increasing research focused on NPs have been conducted. Here, we investigated studies that reveals the prevalence and magnitude of NPs in ecosystems, confirming the ubiquitous occurrence of NPs. Guided by the conceptual framework of soil plastisphere, we reviewed the interactions of NPs with microorganisms, biological interfaces, and natural organic matters, which we collectively referred to as bio-interactions in this article, within this niche. In addition, we examined how these interactions influence the environment risks of NPs. Gaining profound insights into these inherent bio-interactions helps to better understand the behavior and effects of NPs in soil plastisphere, which enables us to improve the evaluation on their environmental risks.
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