A research team has discovered an exciting use for biochar — commonly a processed farm waste — that could dramatically lower the amount of microplastics from farms ending up in our oceans, food, and drinking water.
Climate publication Anthropocene detailed the groundbreaking study, conducted by University of Mississippi scientists and colleagues, looking at biochar's ability to siphon out plastics. Modern biochar production generally repurposes farm waste and other biomass by superheating it in an environment with limited oxygen. Other studies have revealed that biochar is capable of enriching farm soils and capturing carbon pollution. For this study, the research team wanted to see if it could separate microplastics from farm soil.
The results were extremely encouraging. Biochar removed a robust 92.6% of plastic particles from study samples, demonstrating an ability to filter the tiny pollutants. That's huge news as the industrial agriculture sector grapples with an inundation of plastic that has spawned the nickname "plasticulture," as Anthropocene noted.
Within the study, the widespread quantity of microplastics in the farm's soil was a key finding before the researchers tested biochar's ability to filter it out.
Plastic is found everywhere in farming. It's in mulches and fertilizers, irrigation pipes, crop storage, and anti-weed solutions. The problem? That plastic doesn't stay put, especially when there is heavy rain.
It ends up getting shed into smaller and smaller particles that leak into local waterways, posing a danger to animals and fish. From there, it finds its way into the oceans and our drinking water. There's even evidence some of the particles are ending up in our food through crops.
Researchers are in the early stages of studying the detrimental health effects of microplastics, but the often microscopically small pieces are already being linked to serious conditions like dementia and infertility. They also pose a huge threat to animals and the ecosystem. That can be through creatures accidentally ingesting the particles, resulting in sickness or even death.
More generally, plastic also causes problems when sitting dormant in methane-producing landfills that contribute to the warming of the planet.
For those looking to reduce the dangers of plastics and microplastics, there are a host of options, including seeking out plastic-free alternatives, or upcycling and recycling the plastic we use. Consumers can't generally control the agricultural sector, though, where plastic is ubiquitous. That's where these early findings provide reason for encouragement.
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If farmers can harness biochar to remove many microplastics, that would be a huge step in curtailing the pollutant's path from the farmland to our food, waterways, and oceans. Anthropocene reports the researchers are already considering ideas like employing biochar in stormwater drains to capture microplastics.
University of Mississippi professor James Cizdziel confirmed "scaled-up field studies are underway," per a university report posted on Phys.org.
"Our work could result in new agricultural and stormwater management practices to mitigate microplastic pollution stemming from farms and urban runoff in order to safeguard environmental and human health," Cizdziel added.
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