1 Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science, Concordia University, Montreal H3G 1M8, Canada.
2 Department of Bioresource Engineering, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue H9X 3V9, Canada.
3 University of Technology of Compiègne, Compiègne 60200, France.
4 Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science, Concordia University, Montreal H3G 1M8, Canada. Electronic address: chunjiang.an@concordia.ca.
5 Department of Civil Engineering, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington 76019, USA.

Biodegradable mulches (BMs) can be tilled into soils to mitigate disposal and environmental problems. However, the content of biodegradable microplastics (BMPs) would increase with the addition of biodegradable macroplastics (BMaPs). The fragmented particles have a strong affinity to soil pollutants, having the potential to transfer via the terrestrial food web in an agroecosystem. Based on the spectral analysis and particle size analysis, this study explored the physicochemical characteristics of weathered BMaPs and BMP-derived dissolved organic matter (DOM_BMP). Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation reduced the mechanical strength of BMaPs and induced oxygenated functional groups, thus increasing surface roughness and hydrophilicity. This promoted the adsorption of aromatic compounds and heavy metals from soils to BMPs. After entering the water environment, the pH of the solution with DOM_BMP decreased, whereas the concentration of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) increased. Compared with paper mulch, bioplastic mulch contributed a higher amount of DOM_BMP, such as aromatic structure-containing chemicals and carboxylic acids, to the water environment but released fewer and smaller plastic particles. The findings from this study can help manage environmental risks and determine disposal strategies after the use of mulching.