A standardized soil-based biotest to investigate the phytoavailability of nanoplastics

Abstract

Standardized methods are essential for generating reliable and reproducible data to support risk assessment and decision-making related to soil contamination by environmental pollutants, including nanoplastics (NP). This study evaluated the ability of the RHIZOtest method, a standardized soil-plant exposure system, in providing a high-throughput testing platform for investigating NP phytoavailability. As a proof of concept, tomato plants were exposed to artificial soil spiked with model NP at concentrations of 400 and 4,000 mg kg-1 dm. Palladium(Pd)-doped Polystyrene Particles (PS-P) (Z-average diameter 210 nm, Surface Charge Zeta Potential -45.20±032 mV, polydispersity index 0.1, Pd doping ratio of 0.295% w/w Pd to PS-P) were used as surrogates for NPs. Pd content was measured as a proxy for quantifying PS-P uptake. After eight days exposure, Pd was detected in both roots and shoots of plants grown on both spiked soils, confirming PS-P uptake and translocation. On average, 5±1% of the spiked PS-P were taken up by the plants across spiking levels. Root concentration factors varied slightly between the lower and higher levels (31±2% and 24±3%, respectively), while translocation factors remained similar (~25%). Root biomass was significantly reduced compared to controls, suggesting possible concentration-dependent PS-P rhizotoxicity. Notably, the limited variability in concentration values measured in roots (±11%) and shoots (±23%), along with near-complete mass balance recovery (97-100%), demonstrated the reliability of RHIZOtest in accurately and consistently quantifying NP uptake while accounting for rhizosphere processes.