Characteristics of Particulate Plastics in Terrestrial Ecosystems

Particulate plastics (PPs) are emerging pollutants of increasing concern in aquatic and terrestrial environments. The occurrence and impact of aquatic PPs are extensively studied, but the studies on their occurrence in terrestrial ecosystems are mostly limited. This review work focused on the characteristics of PPs in terrestrial ecosystems for better understanding their behaviour and impact on terrestrial ecosystems. Important physical properties (i.e., size, colour, shape) and chemical properties (i.e., polymer type, associated chemical bonds, chemical additives) of PPs are discussed. In addition, details on biodegradable and biosynthetic PPs, and associated trace metals in PPs are discussed. Lastly, various analytical techniques that are used to extract, identify, characterize, and quantify (morphological and chemical characterization) the PPs in terrestrial environments are described.

This work was carried out with the support of "Cooperative Research Program for Agriculture Science and Technology Development (Effects of plastic mulch wastes on crop productivity and agro-environment, Project No. PJ014758)" Rural Development Administration, Republic of Korea. Corresponding author email: yongsikok@korea.ac.kr