Distribution, sources, transportation and biodegradation of microplastics in the soil environment

In recent years, the prevalence and accumulation of microplastics (MPs) in the soil environment have raised worldwide concerns for their resistance to degradation and long-term ecological impacts. How-ever, compared with aquatic ecosystems, there is still a lack of critical reviews on the ecological effects and effective remediation methods of MPs in soil. In this review, the distribution characteristics, sources and transportation, identification techniques of MPs are summarized, followed by an elaboration of the interactions between MPs contamination and soil ecosystems. Moreover, we generalized the effects and degradation mechanisms of different organisms on the degradation of MPs. There are a variety of mi-croorganisms in the environment that can degrade MPs, but the enzymes that really work are yet to be explored. It may be a breakthrough in the field of biodegradation to transform the stability and per-formance of enzymes based on computer protein design. This review will guide researchers to further explore feasible approaches and formulate advanced remediation strategies for MPs contamination in the future. & COPY; 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

In recent years, there has been growing concern over the prevalence and accumulation of microplastics (MPs) in the soil environment due to their resistance to degradation and long-term ecological impacts. However, there is still a lack of critical reviews on the ecological effects and effective remediation methods of MPs in soil compared to aquatic ecosystems. This review summarizes the distribution characteristics, sources, transportation, and identification techniques of MPs in soil, as well as the interactions between MPs contamination and soil ecosystems. It also discusses the effects and degradation mechanisms of different organisms on MPs degradation, highlighting the potential breakthrough of transforming enzyme stability and performance through computer protein design. This review provides guidance for further exploration of feasible approaches and advanced remediation strategies for MPs contamination in the future.