The occurrence and distribution characteristics of microplastics in the agricultural soils of Shaanxi Province, in north-western China

Microplastics (MPs) are less than 5 mm, and have significant implications for the environment. As a new type of environmental pollutant, MPs have increasingly attracted the attention of scientists and have led to marked increases in both public and political awareness. However, their distribution and fates in the terrestrial environment are limited. We investigated the distribution and characteristics of MPs in the agricultural soils of Shaanxi Province, a typical agricultural province in China. We found evidence that 100% of agricultural soils contained MPs. The concentration of MPs in the soil ranged from 1430 to 3410 items/kg. Fibers and small-sized particles (0–0.49 mm) were the predominant type and size, respectively. Polystyrene (PS), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) particles were identified in agricultural soil. Furthermore, the abundance of microplastics in agricultural soil is closely related to the planting type of soil and climatic factors. The results from this study confirmed the presence of a high abundance of MPs in agricultural soil, and proved that agricultural activities might have caused MP contamination in soil. [Display omitted] •Microplastics were investigated in agricultural soil of Shaanxi Province.•The concentration of MPs in the soil ranged from 1430 to 3410 items/kg.•Fiber and small size (0–0.5 mm) were the dominant type and size in soil samples.•The abundance of MPs in soil is related to the planting type and climatic factors.