Response of Soil Heavy Metal Forms and Bioavailability to the Application of Microplastics across Five Years in Different Soil Types

Abstract

Microplastics (MPs) potentially alter physicochemical and transformation of heavy metals (HMs) in soils, which may depend on the specific characteristics of soil types. However, the dynamical and long-term mechanisms remain to be elucidated. A five-year incubation experiment was conducted to evaluate the influence of MPs on the chemical speciation of Pb, Ni, Cu, Cr, Cd, and As in the meadow, tidal, cinnamon, saline-alkali, and brown soils. From the first year to the fifth year, the clay value of the meadow, tidal, cinnamon, and saline-alkali soils was increased by 31.35%, 9.63%, 30.12%, and 33.12%, respectively; the pH values of the cinnamon and saline-alkali soils were increased by 15.02% and 15.86%, respectively. Besides, speciation distribution results suggested that the application of MPs reduces the liable available (LB) form (F2–water soluble and F3–ion exchangeable) of HMs and increases the potentially available (PB) form (F5–minerals and F6–organic-bound fraction) of HMs in all soils. Compared with other forms, F2 HMs fraction was the most responsive to MPs. Furthermore, the average bioconcentration factor (BCF) of Cr and Pb decreased by 73.75% and 70.41% in soils, respectively. Interestingly, soil type showed more impact on the form of HMs, which is associated with the different physicochemical parameters of soils, while time displayed more impact on the bioavailability of HMs. Moreover, our results suggest that soils with higher clay content and pH values (such as cinnamon and saline-alkali soils) may mitigate the bioavailability of HMs more effectively in the presence of MPs, while soils with lower clay content may be more vulnerable to HMs contamination over time. This work highlights the importance of long-term monitoring of the impact of MPs on HMs dynamics for effective mitigation of soil contamination risks. Our study provides valuable guidance for soil remediation strategies and environmental quality management across different soil types.