Detection, Monitoring, and Absorption of Micro/Nano-Plastics in Soil System

Abstract

Micro/nano plastics (MNPs) pollution in soil system is a big threat to all living organisms. Plastic may alter the physiochemical and biological properties of soil and also has long term effects on biodiversity. Plastic on land is disintegrated into smaller particles having size less than 5 milimeters (micro) or 0.1 micrometer (nano). The interaction between MNPs present in soil and plants affects physiology and morphology of plants. Thus, regular monitoring, detection, and their removal from the soil system are important during plant growth. MNPs have been typically monitored and detected by different analytical methods. FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, pyrolysis coupled with GCMS, UV-visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy have been widely applied detection and monitoring techniques for MNPs. MNPs have the capability to adsorb various types of contaminants from environment due to hydrophobicity and high surface area to volume ratio. In this chapter, various techniques for monitoring, detection, and adsorption behavior of MNPs have been discussed.