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The presence of microplastics (MPs) and their effects have been widely investigated in the aquatic environment, whereas the research done in the terrestrial environment is incomparably lacking. MPs are considered a pollutant in soil on agricultural land, where they can act as a vector for other pollutants, namely organic chemical compounds, such as pesticides. In soil, presence of MPs is affecting the growth and life of microorganisms in it. The interactions between two types of MPs and three pesticides in the mixture with alluvial soil were studied. Adsorption of acetamiprid, chlorantraniliprole and flubendiamide in concentrations of 1, 5 and 10 mg L -1 onto polyester fibres and polypropylene particles of 0.5-1 mm size was studied at 1% and 5% (w/w) of their content in soil. Results showed that the adsorption of pesticides was dependent on their octanol/water partition coefficient, with the most highly adsorbed pesticide also being the most hydrophobic, regardless of the type and form of MPs. Adsorption of pesticides onto MP particles was confirmed in soil-MPs mixtures with 5% polypropylene and 5% polyester at all tested pesticides' concentrations, proving that MPs in soil systems act as carriers to pollutants. MPs in soil decreased the soil's intrinsic capacity to retain pesticides, indicating the possibility of a greater mobility of pesticides on MPs through the soil system., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Microplastics (MPs) have gained significant attention in the last two decades and have been widely researched in the marine environment. There are, however, less studies on their presence, routes of entry, and impacts on the biota in the soil environment. One of the main issues in the study of MPs is a lack of standardized methods for their identification in environmental samples. Currently the most commonly used techniques are thermal desorption gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) methods and pyrolysis followed by GC–MS. In this study, headspace-solid phase microextraction followed by GC–MS is proposed as a simple and widely applicable method for the determination of commonly present polymer MPs (polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, and polypropylene) in environmental samples, for analytical laboratories with basic equipment worldwide. The proposed method is based on the identification of compounds, which are formed during the well-controlled melting process of specific coarse (1–5 mm) and fine fraction (1 mm–100 μm) MPs. The method was upgraded for the identification of individual polymer type in blends and in complex environmental matrices (soil and algae biomass). The successful application of the method in complex matrices makes it especially suitable for widescale use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]