RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Biodegradation of synthetic polymers in soils: Tracking carbon into CO2 and microbial biomass JF Science Advances JO Sci Adv FD American Association for the Advancement of Science SP eaas9024 DO 10.1126/sciadv.aas9024 VO 4 IS 7 A1 Zumstein, Michael Thomas A1 Schintlmeister, Arno A1 Nelson, Taylor Frederick A1 Baumgartner, Rebekka A1 Woebken, Dagmar A1 Wagner, Michael A1 Kohler, Hans-Peter E. A1 McNeill, Kristopher A1 Sander, Michael YR 2018 UL http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/4/7/eaas9024.abstract AB Plastic materials are widely used in agricultural applications to achieve food security for the growing world population. The use of biodegradable instead of nonbiodegradable polymers in single-use agricultural applications, including plastic mulching, promises to reduce plastic accumulation in the environment. We present a novel approach that allows tracking of carbon from biodegradable polymers into CO2 and microbial biomass. The approach is based on 13C-labeled polymers and on isotope-specific analytical methods, including nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS). Our results unequivocally demonstrate the biodegradability of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), an important polyester used in agriculture, in soil. Carbon from each monomer unit of PBAT was used by soil microorganisms, including filamentous fungi, to gain energy and to form biomass. This work advances both our conceptual understanding of polymer biodegradation and the methodological capabilities to assess this process in natural and engineered environments.