Ryan Bartnick

Loading metrics Open Access Peer-reviewed Research Article Citation: Bartnick R, Shahriari S, Auernhammer GK, Mansfeld U, Reichstein W, Hülsmann L, et al. (2025) UV-degraded polyethylene exhibits variable charge and enhanced cation adsorption. PLoS One 20(11): e0337180.

1 Opinion The initial concern and popularization of the term “microplastics” originated from ocean and marine research; however, there is now an increasing focus on soils as potential accumulators of plastic pollution.

Plastics are ubiquitous to the environment, but their representative quantification is still a challenge. In agricultural soil, microplastics are heterogeneously introduced via atmospheric inputs, fertilizers, sewage sludge, and plastic mulches (1−4) and cover a large size range from millimeters to nanometers. (5,6) Also, all relevant soil processes, like carbon and nutrient cycling and water retention, occur mainly in this range.