Investigating the Interactions of Microplastics and Pharmaceuticals in Soils: a New HUN-REN RCAES Research Project

As part of ongoing global environmental change, the environmental burden of organic micropollutants—including pharmaceuticals and microplastics—is increasing exponentially. These contaminants represent one of the most complex and least understood forms of environmental pollution. They can enter soils through a range of pathways, including irrigation with reclaimed wastewater and the agricultural application of sewage sludge. While substantial scientific knowledge has been accumulated on each pollutant group individually, their interactions and combined environmental impacts remain poorly understood.

One of the primary objectives of the project is to develop a reliable analytical method for the detection and quantification of microplastics in soils. At present, no internationally accepted protocol is available for the routine analysis of microplastics in soil matrices.

The methodology being developed by the Institute of Geography offers a practical and readily reproducible approach that can be routinely implemented in laboratories similarly equipped to analyse plastic particles using specialised granulometric techniques.

A further aim of the research is to investigate how microplastics influence the contaminant retention capacity of soils, with particular emphasis on pharmaceuticals. Building on the resulting dataset, the research team will develop a machine learning-based predictive model capable of forecasting the environmental fate of pharmaceuticals across a range of soil systems. The model will also enable researchers to estimate the environmental behaviour of compounds that have not yet been investigated under laboratory conditions.

The project’s findings will provide new insights into the mechanisms of soil contamination, support the development of more robust environmental risk assessment frameworks, and contribute to the scientific evidence base underpinning future environmental regulation and soil protection strategies.