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@article{187603,
        author = {Dr. Nirupa Gadapa},
        title = {Effects of Plastic Waste Degradation on Soil Quality and Microbial Activity},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2025},
        volume = {12},
        number = {6},
        pages = {5573-5582},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=187603},
        abstract = {Plastic waste on the land has become an increasingly severe ecological concern not just in terms of littering but also in terms of microscopic pollution. The paper will look at the impact of microplastics and the leachates of decomposing plastics on the soil quality and the microbial activity with respect to the chemical and biological processes that are involved. Polyethylene and polypropylene were used as controlled soil incubation experiments to simulate the process of gradual aging of these polymers. The identification of toxic organic compounds emitted during degradation was performed with the help of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and the processes of respiration of the soil were used to evaluate the change in the microbial metabolic activity. The statistical tests such as ANOVA, assessment of correlation and principal component analysis (PCA) showed that plastic-treated soils had significant changes in soil pH, organic carbon, and enzyme activity, as compared to controls that were not amended. The exposure to the leachates in plastic had been linked to a significant reduction in the respiration and the microbial diversity, which means that the degradation products disrupt the normal soil biochemicals. The findings have been used to bring a greater perspective of how plastic pollution affects soil health and microbial ecology to emphasise the need to implement sustainable plastic management and soil protection measures.},
        keywords = {Plastic waste, GC-MS, Soil activity, Microbial activity},
        month = {November},
        }