Birches may prove useful in cleansing the planet. A new way to tackle soil-polluting microplastics found German scientists from the Leibniz Institute for Freshwater Ecology and Fisheries.
The experts conducted an experiment during which they moistened microplastic particles (any plastic fragment less than five millimeters long.) with a fluorescent dye. Note. “Tapes.ru”) from 5 to 50 micrometers in size and added them to the soil containers. There, too, scientists placed seedlings of silver birch. Five months later, they examined the grown plants under a microscope and found that their root systems had absorbed between 5 and 17 percent of the microparticles.
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The author of the study, Kat Austen, noted that in the future, the effectiveness of this type of tree in absorbing microplastics, as well as the impact of this substance on plant health, remains to be determined. “But this initial study has proven that birch trees have the potential to clean up the planet. Perhaps with their help we can improve the quality of soil and water,” the scientist added.
Earlier in Scotland, they decided to use trees to combat the effects of global warming. During the summer, the waters in the country’s rivers get too hot for wild Atlantic salmon, but only 35 percent of the waters are surrounded by enough trees to protect the fish from overheating. The Scots have planted 250,000 young trees along the tributaries of the salmon-rich River Dee to help the inhabitants of the water survive.
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