This paper presents the environmental impacts of different plasticulture methods, including possible impacts caused by the accidental emission of plastics in strawberry cultivation. The main goal of this study is to help farmers determine the most environmentally friendly cultivation technique and to test the inclusion of plastic pollution in life cycle assessment (LCA). This study quantifies the abrasion or erosion of these plastics during cultivation and their release into the environment, relates such emissions to different cultivation methods, and puts them into the broader context of other environmental impacts. The study presents the effects of eight plasticulture methods and three combinations thereof on the yield, water and nutrient savings, and plastic masses that are to be employed and are assumed to be partly released into the environment. To make biodegradable agroplastics competitive, their effects on cultivation parameters such as water and nutrient demand and yield, as well as their degradability under real-life conditions on the field, need to be enhanced. The results of this study suggest the need to regulate certain parameters of plastics that are in direct contact with soil, such as rip resistance and permitted polymer types and additives. Besides, the legal framework should incentivize the complete recovery and proper end-of-life treatment of agroplastics. Also, possible legal restrictions that encourage the use of plasticulture methods that can help reduce the environmental impacts as compared to open-field cultivation are important.
This paper characterizes the fungal and bacterial colonizers of 5 types of plastic films (High-Density Polyethylene, Low-Density Polyethylene, Polypropylene, Polystyrene, and Polyethylene Terephthalate) throughout a 242-day incubation in the south-eastern Mediterranean and relates them to the chemical changes observed on the surface of the samples via ATR-FTIR. Neither bacterial nor fungal community structures were related[…]
This paper provides insights into the sustainable alternatives that can replace conventional plastic mulches, such as biodegradable mulches made from natural fibers and biopolymers. The microscopic and FTIR analyses conducted during the study showed the degradation of the fibers from the mulches during the exposure time to a certain extent. The nonwoven mulches provide higher[…]
This paper investigates the degradation of biodegradable polybutylene adipate terephthalate/polylactic acid (PBAT/PLA) and traditional polyethylene (PE) plastic under two typical abiotic conditions: ultraviolet (UV) irradiation and mechanical abrasion (MA) for up to nine months. The quantitative analysis of the degradation products was carried out using membrane filtration and total organic carbon determination (MF-TOCD). The results[…]
This paper identifies technological innovation, policy formulation, advocacy and sensitization, and bioremediation as some of the approaches that are currently used for the mitigation of plastic pollution in Nigeria. This chapter also highlights the need to encourage, enhance, and disseminate scientific research on mitigating the harmful effects of plastic pollution in Nigeria. It concluded with[…]
This review provides insights into the sources of microplastics, the ecotoxicity of microplastics, and the impact microplastics have on aquatic and marine life, management, and bioremediation of microplastics. Policies and strategies adopted by the government to combat microplastic pollution are also discussed in this review. Microplastics tend to accumulate in many aquatic systems, contaminate them,[…]