Microplastic Soil Contamination in the Context of Environmental Safety Essay (Critical Writing) Introduction over the past decades, humankind has made incredible technological progress, and every day, there ae discoveries that have the potential to change society fundamentally. Although the first synthetic plastics appeared in the middle of the 19th century, their widespread use began only about fifty years ago. For instance, for a modem human, plastic products are not something surprising because of the clase dally Interaction with such materlals, Plastic cups, tubes and containers already seem to be an Integral part of society's if, without which itis dificult to imagine the normal functioning of catering systems, medical facilities ‘ang the construction industry. Although the demand for plastics grows every year, humanity isnot in a hurry to recycle or 2 vast majority of people do not take into recover them, whichis why a certain proportion of plastics end up in lanl Taus, ‘account the fact that plastic isa serious environmental hazard not only for humankind but for all natural ecosystems and sollin Particular. Thats why the purpose of this iterature review isto summarise scientific information on the extent of the ‘environmental crisis and the nature of microplastcs contamination of soll, Much f the work is devoted to researching methods for measuring plastic contamination in soll Threats from microplastics Identification of problem Identification of thrests expressed through plastic soll contamination must be preceded by a semantic analysis of the research topic. t should be said that plastic is aterm used in many areas to describe both the physical and chemical properties of a ‘material and a specific type of polymer. In science, polymers are traditionally understood to be macromolecules that have a comparatively lng molecular chain consisting of corresponding monomers (Evans and Watkins, 2017). For instance, the plat polymer polyvinyl chlaride shown in Figure 1 has a molecular composition inthe form of repetitive inks of vinyl chloride. (ot H H n Figure 1 Molecular Saucture of lyin! Chloride ‘The complexity ofthe composite structure of plastics can be intensified by technological modification with plastcisers, substances that increase the ermal and chemical resistance of compounds. According to information provided by Sinha (2017), the plasticisar market is proliferating, and by 2022, the market can be expected to increase to 22% compared to 2015. [At the same time, epoxides, terephthalates, esters and phthalates, which are responsibie for flexbilty, durabllty and thermal stability f plastic produets, romain the primary modifiers of plastics. Taken together, this means thatthe identification of plastic contaminants can be complicated by the complex composition of the product. Al of the above leads to the conclusion that plastics are incredibly large organic molecules with @ correspondingly high molecular weigh.Inappropriate treatment of plastic products, their improper disposal and lack of recycling are leading urban and natural systems 10 a serious environmental criss. must be recognised that, coupled with an aesthetic problem, plastic contaminants pose a biological threat to life: this is particularly true in andl sites where products are not correctly disposed of but are accumulates, pressed and degraded over several years or even decades (Plastic waste, 2019). According to Cressey (2016), the amount of Plastic produced by the global community is increasing every year, and the mass-produced by 2015 is estimated to be 300 milion tonnes. However, the authori in Westminster show that by 2018 the numberof plastics has reacted 380 milion tonnes (Plastic waste, 2018). The overall trends in plastic waste production are shown in Figure 2. Global plastics production, 1950 to 2015 Ea ‘enval goal polymer resin and fee production (pase production} measured in metic tomes pr yer. 350 milion tonnes 300 mitfon tonnes 250 mifon tonnes 200 mifon tonnes 160 milion tonnes 100 milion tonnes 50 milion tonnes tonnes, 1950 1960» 1970 «198019902000» 2010 2015, Figure 2 Trends in plstic production from 1950 fo 2015 ‘Such grandiose statistics on plastics production clearly reflect the probability of poor post-production handling, The majority of plastic products are disposable, and immediately after use, they fal ito the bin. Thus, a significant part of plastic that has not yet been assessed gets into the soln various ways (Blising and Amelung, 2018). This phenomenon has a number of adverse cffects that affect not only the natural life ofthe inhabitants of soil environments but also people. ‘Asa follow-up to this issue, it should be noted thatthe unobvious problem of plastic contaminants is not what they are, but hat they can become. Its known that as a result of prolonged ulravilet and infrared exposure — usually expressed through sunlight — and abrasion from particle Impacts or friction against abrasive Sol surfaces, large plastic partices are shredded to ‘microscopic dimensions (Zhu et al, 2018). The resulting particles are called microplastics: they were first scieniicaly described in a study by Carpenter and Smith in 1972 (Corcoran, Biesinger, and Grif, 2008). Although the term began to be used ‘more widely over time and was best known by 2020, there are still no reference specifications on the size limits of such Particles. Traditionally, microplastcs refers to extremely small particles of plastic material with a linear size typically less than § tis aitficut to imagine that microplasics entering the soll environment can produce any positive results or atleast maintain the current dynamics of ecosystems. On the contrary, many studies focused on the problem of microplastics in solls point to serious consequences from such invasive interventions (Zhang and Liu, 2018; Boots, Russell, and Green, 2019; Guo etal, 2020). Threats to the natural environment caused by the presence of microplastis in soils can be diferentiated into at least three categories: + fertity problems, ‘+ suppression of sol organism growth, + and harm to agrieuture,Threats to soil fertility The most important task of agronomy and environmental monitoring Isto conduet in-depth research into the negative processes that develop in sols as they intensify pollution, which significantly limits erop productivity, Soll fertilty is a central criterion of the quality of agricukural land in order to select it a the area to be used. The main determinants of satstactory soll Condition ae pH, micronutrient composition, plant abilty to access nutrients and water quality (Grant, 2016). For instance, iis known that microplastics deposited in sol layers significantly mpede the penetration of liquids and nutrients into plans. Moreover, mocified polymers that have toxic inclusions in the soll cause the inevitable diffusion of toxie compounds into the environment (Xu at al, 2020). This fact has a negative impact both en soil aciity and on the survival of organisms that form the Imictoflora of soll resources, and on nitrogen and humus bacteria (Liadé, Lépez-Mondéjar and Baldrlan, 2017). Soll with dead or defective microorganisms becomes an unfavourable environment for plant development. ‘Suppression of organism growth Itis known that soll organisms, in particular earthworms, play a role In the nutrient saturation of land, and therefore any Interference with their activities can have a severe negative impact on ecosystems and prevent the growtn of tne crops 1 people eat. Worms absorb dead organic matter, improve sol structure, promote drainage and even prevent erosion (Cunha et ‘al, 2016). With this in mind, the suppression of soll worms is particularly serious. According to @ study by Boots, Russel, and Green (2019), exposure to plastic, which is commonly used to produce bottles and bags, resulted in earthworms losing 3.1% of at their weight in @ 30-day period. Reducing weight and underdevelopment can seriously damage bioaiversiy, Although the exact ‘causes of th’s phenomenon have not yet been identified, the suppression effect appears tobe similar to that seen in hhydrobionts (Browne et al, 2008; Li, Tse, and Fok, 2076). In aquatic worms, microplastics cause obstruction and iitation of the digestive tract, making It more dffeut for animals to absorb nutrients, and thelr growth slows down. By the way, any Contamination that affects the health of rainworms can have a negative impact on other aspects ofthe soll ecosystem, such as plant growth Plant quality Although mioroplasties are actually relatively smal for several decades researchers believed that plastic particles were too large to pass through the physical barriers of undamaged plant tissue. However, microplastic particles have a size range that {depends on the chemical composition of the raw material, the degree of degradation and the shel Ife, 2s shown in Figure 3 (Lontiniomi etal, 2018). This feature allows the smallest polymer particles to penetrate the organism through root pressure ‘rom the sol environment, 700 l@Stagnant m Turbulent Number of Particles Rw a 28288 8 ° 841+ 240-841 177-240 = 74-177 Total Size Range (um) ‘Figure 3: Distnbution histogram ofthe number of mierepastic pat 25 depending onthe size‘Much research has not yet been done on the deposition of microplastcs in agricultural plants, but itis already clear that this, [Phenomenon is responsible for the transfer of material through food chains. Under such conditions, it does not seem challenging to formulate # cause-and-effect relationship withthe potential to cause harm to living beings and nature. ‘example, humans improperly dispose of plastic waste, which, under the influence of photodestruction, penetrates groundwater ‘and soll as mlcroplastc particles. Such particles can enter the inner cavity of plants, becoming their natural foreign components. Given the small size of microplastic particles, the consumer willnt notice that the plant is replete with, for Instance, polyvinyl chloride or polystyrene components, which wil lead to @ consumption of agricultural products (Neil, 2020) There are concerns that all organisms that eat vegetables and fruits rich in microplastics may experience serious health problems, Ways microplastics can enter the soil Although the existence of microplastic deposits in the soll is confirmed, the study of pathways of invasion requites more in- depth investigation. Infact, the diversity of plastic particles meets the ambiguity of the opinions of various authors. For ‘example, according to He etal. (2018), the primary source ofthis type of pollution is the agricutural sector, which is responsible for the adequate use of resources. Mulching, which Isa system for protecting the land against drought, physical impact or nutrient deficiencies, s also a serious hazard since even after washing out more plastic, mulch leaves micto-particles in the Immediate vicinity ofthe plant. On the other hand, some authors are convinced that landfils are the dominant factor inthe enrichment of soil environments with microplastc particles (Lamizana, 2018). Microplastic is formed from bags, bottles, plastic. packaging, car tyres or peeled paint, it's contained in urban dust and is also flushed down the drain after each wash of synthetic fabrics. Moreover, plastic pellets are purposefully added to shampoos, shower gels, detergents and toothpaste for better cleaning effect due to abrasive materials. This means that microplastics have several ways of infitrating the sol, which only makes it more challenging to contain contaminants. Methods for testing microplastics in soil Due to the lack of unique colour or structural properties, microplastic particles are extremely dificult to detect in natural ecological systems. Therefore, in order to overcome the dificukies associated with the laboratory examination of the presence ‘of polymer plastic particles in the objects under analysis, it 's common to resort to various identification methods. Itis essential to clarity that there are several identification and analysis technologies inthe scientific community, each of which was developed for strictly defined tasks. Without focusing in detail on the full range of research techniques, particular attention should be paid to infrared detection methods modified by the use of convolutional neural networks. Analysing uti jing infrared radiation Although the scientific community periodically offers new ways to identify and analyse microplastic contaminants in natural environments, infrared spectroscopy remains the classical method of identification. OF primary importance is the need to Introduce the reader to the essence ofthis optical method. For instance, vibrational spectroscopy, which is based on measuring the vibrations of molecules or atoms as a function of their exposure to electromagnetic radiation, occupies an important place In the study of the molecular structure of chemical compounds (See, Grabska, and Huck, 2020). In particular, this methoa ‘makes it possible to establish the nature and content of atomic groups, obtain data on the content of functional groups, especially those thet cannot be characterised by chemical methods, establish the nature ofthe chemical bond and study the kinetics of chemical reactions, as shown in Figure 4 Infrared spectroscopy has traditionally been used to identify organic polymers due tothe sufficient size of molecules to correspond to the wavelength of the infrared range.waveramber (en) ‘wanonumber (em) Figure 4 -Absorptionspectum for to plastic fragments poling! choise fet) and polvwlayl acetate, The marked pooks determine the atomic ‘groupings within th molecule ang alow the dentiieaton ofthe substance ‘The analysis of microplastics on spectrophotometers should be preceded by a sample preparation procedure forthe materia, ‘Traditional methods implemented at this stage include extraction of raw materials from soll samples, washing and packaging for further investigation. Microplastic fragments placed on a crystal surface are excited by infrared radiation, the results of which are recorded as @ spectrogram. Utlising peaks and characteristic lines, researchers can identify the type of plastic found in @ soll sample by comparing cifferent characteristic bands and detecting ferences, as shown In Figure 5. In this way, 8 potentially contaminated area of soilcan be examined for chemical composition in order to detect specitic polymer ‘components: an example ofthis spectrum is shown in Figure 3. Measurement sample], — Fig. ean PE be Polystyrene 5) = Foc Pe = Feeie: per a rh rah d Figure 5 nen comearing several soecr, tis possible ta eee. noticeable atferance Anais of the sample uncer stuaywitn the reference {itt and comparison of several mieoplasties nara! (ght) Although infrared spectroscopy is actualy a working method of analysing biological components, the use of @ spectrophotometer presents @ numberof challenges that can affect the final esult. In particular, this applies to the following factors: i) clarification of the homageneity af microplastis invasion in terms of depth, (i) and area, (li) and accounting for mictoplastics concentration. To discuss the first two problems, iis necessary to design an agricultural field model. In the event of micropiastic contamination ofthe sol is ifficurt to predict the homogeneity of the particle distribution in volume. Given that mulching may be the primary source of microplastics for soll, it can be assumed that microplastics will concentrate on the surface of the land (He etal, 2018). Although this is generally a fairy logical approach to the study of sol contamination it ‘must be considered that there are also alternatives: Guo etal, (2020) have shown that the difference between microplastics saturation of deep soll layers and shallow soil layers does nat exceed 20%. This means that more data, including distribution 's necessary to change. the sample preparation guidelines or, most practical, to carty out multi-component analyses of the different layers. pattems, is needed lor proper infrared spectroscopy, which provides qualitative results. In this case, [Above has been shown how Fourier-based infrared spactrophotometers solve the task of analysing soll samples. Indeed, ‘taditional working instruments — such as the AIM-8000 IM and IRTracer-100 — can be used to identify the plastic composition of the soll, but this data isnot suficint to determine the concentration of contaminants (Using infrared spectroscopy formicroplastic analysis, 2018). An important issue for both environmental monitoring and the agricultural sectors not only the qualitative analysis of soils but also the determination of the number of contaminants in order to assess future actions. There are several technologies available inthe scientific literature to modify spectroscopic studies aimed at recording the concentration of substances, but two them are of particular Interest, These include the use of a mathematical madel of the resonance frequency shift and the use of convolution neural networks for computer analysis. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy can be used to address the concentration of microplastic particles. & should be said that proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy is based on changes inthe resonance frequency ofthe protons that make up the Plastics: the so-called chemical shift (Xin and Tké@, 2017). The Information obtained using this method makes It possible to ‘numerically estimate the content ofthe particles studied in the soll in ppm. In particular, Malyuskin (2020) reported that the ‘model described above successfully handles the analysis of soil samples in real-time anc shows concentrations of microplastics Lupo 100 pom. In other words, it should be noted that neglecting this technology does not seem expedient, since magnetic resonance spectroscopy not only makes it possible to estimate the number of microplastics in soll but also to reduce the cost of the experiment (Malyuskin, 2020). Athough the apparent advantage ofthis identification method is its ease of use, there are alternatives for quantitative analysis of microplastic soll contamination n by convolution neural networks ‘The primary objective of this section isto discuss the phenomenon that has lid down a revolutionary approach to microplastics spectroscopic analysis. Traditionally, machine learning has been defined as a method of data analysis that automates the Construction of an analytical model (Hao, 2018). It isa branch of artificial inteligence based on the idea that systems can learn ‘rom data, dentiy patterns and make decisions with minimal human latervention, The core of machine learning is retrospective data analysis: inorder for a computer to be able to classify and identity elements on its own, it must be rained to do so. ‘over the years, achievements in the field of machine vision with in-depth taining have been improved mainly uti'sing a specific algorithm, namely convolution neural networks. This isan algorithm capable of obtaining an image as an input, assigning a degree of importance to is various aspects or objects and distinguishing recognition categories. Itis interesting to nate that the CConvNet architecture is similar to the human brain's neuron binding pattern, and is based on the organisation of is visual zone (Manapattanskul, 2019). Individual neurons respond to stimuli only in a lmited area of the visual field, called the receptive ares. ‘These fields overlap to form a collection that covers the entire field of vision Infrared spectroscopy, modifies by computer vision is able not only to aistinguish substances by their atomic composition but also to calculate their concentrations. As already mentioned, the output of the spectrophatometer is an image: a spectrum of peaks and stripes, individual rnvNet eliminates the need for spectrescoplsts to thoroughly diagnose each spectrum by Independently comparing the data obtained with standards stored in liraries (DePaal, 2019; Ghosh etal, 2079) However, neural networks do not alow for wavelength pre-processing, but Instead evaluate the entire range (Yuanyuan and Zhibin, 2018). In the future, this approach has the potential to broaden the researcher's knowledge of the quantitative ratios of ‘mictoplasties within sol samples. This becomes particularly important in environmental surveys. leach substance, Conclusion This iterary review was useful fr a generalised understanding of the problem of micro-plastic soll contamination. The review showed that microplasticshiting the sollin various ways cause severe damage to both nature and the human community. this reason, an in-depth analysis of the current problem and the subsequent search for solutions isan essential prerequisite for ‘maintaining environmental safety. There na doubt that madern gol is saturated with microplasties, and this conean ‘become fatal. Many authors suggest using the Fourier-transform Infrared spectroscopy method to identify the qualitative composition of plastic sol contamination accurately. Indeed, this is an effective method, but It is advisable to find alternatives, ‘or quantitative analysis of plastic soll contamination concentrations. 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