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Response to microplastics exposure and changes in system performance: a stark contrast between domestic sewage and landfill leachate
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Researchers compared how polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics behave in biological treatment of domestic sewage versus landfill leachate, finding strikingly different results. Microplastics actually promoted pollutant degradation in domestic sewage treatment, achieving approximately 99% removal of organic matter, but had the opposite effect in landfill leachate. The study revealed that biofilm formation on microplastics varied dramatically between the two waste streams, affecting treatment system performance.
Explored the evolution process of representative polyethylene (PE) and polystyrene (PS) in anaerobic/aerobic biological treatment of domestic sewage and landfill leachate, and their effects on system efficiency, sludge performance, and microbial community structure. The results showed that microplastics (MPs) promoted the degradation of COD and NH-N in domestic wastewater (approximately 99.00 % and 98.16 %), but this result was completely opposite to that in the leachate. The biofilm formation of MPs in leachate was relatively fast in the initial stage, with a biofilm amount (9.39) higher than that in domestic sewage (1.05), showing an "S"-shaped trend, but with large fluctuations over time. The amount of PE and PS biofilm in domestic sewage varied with different oxygen concentrations, but the amount of PS biofilm in leachate was generally higher than that in PE, and PS was more sensitive to biodegradation, while PE had stronger resistance to microbial attacks. Meanwhile, the presence of MPs significantly enhanced the synthesis of extracellular polymeric substances in the leachate (139.81 mg/g MLVSS, anaerobic condition on day 15), increased the concentration of heavy metals in the supernatant (842.91 μg/L, anaerobic condition on day 15), manifested as Mn and Zn. MPs stress led to varying degrees of changes in the structure of microbial communities, but the microbial abundance on the surfaces of PE and PS in the same reactor was similar. Ottowia, unclassifiedd_f_Rhizobiaceae, and Castellaniella were potential MPs degradation genera. The proportion of Thermomonas in the leachate system was about three times that of domestic sewage. The symbiotic mode between MPs and dominant bacteria in activated sludge confirmed the shaping of microbial community structure by MPs. This study contributes to improving the overall understanding of the environmental behavior and risks of MPs in domestic wastewater and leachate biological systems.
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Analysis of microplastics and their biofilms across raw sewage, effluent, and sludge at two wastewater treatment plants found that >99% of influent MPs were retained in sludge, and that wastewater treatment substantially altered biofilm microbial composition, enriching bioflocculation-associated taxa.
The impacts of biodegradable and non-biodegradable microplastic on the performance and microbial community characterization of aerobic granular sludge
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Researchers compared the effects of biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics and non-biodegradable polyethylene microplastics on aerobic granular sludge used in wastewater treatment. They found that high concentrations of both types impaired the sludge's ability to remove organic pollutants, but both actually enhanced nitrogen and phosphorus removal at moderate levels. The study reveals that even biodegradable microplastics can disrupt wastewater treatment processes in unexpected ways.
Different microbial assemblage colonized on microplastics and clay particles in aerobic sludge treatment
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In an aerobic sludge treatment system, polystyrene microplastics (PSMPs) hosted more diverse and abundant bacterial communities than polypropylene MPs or natural clay particles, and each substrate type shaped its own distinct microbial niche. This matters because the unique microbiomes that form on plastic surfaces in wastewater systems may alter treatment efficiency and carry potentially harmful organisms into receiving environments.
Microplastics in granular sequencing batch reactors: Effects on pollutant removal dynamics and the microbial community
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Researchers investigated how polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate microplastics affect pollutant removal in granular sludge wastewater treatment reactors. They found that microplastic type and concentration influenced nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic compound removal rates, with PET particles showing a stronger tendency to accumulate within the biomass. The study indicates that microplastic contamination in wastewater treatment systems may compromise treatment efficiency and alter microbial community dynamics.
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Researchers compared how non-biodegradable PET and biodegradable PLA microplastics affect nitrogen removal in wastewater treatment systems. Surprisingly, the biodegradable PLA caused a much larger reduction in ammonia removal efficiency than the conventional PET plastic. The study suggests that even biodegradable plastics can significantly disrupt the microbial processes that wastewater treatment plants rely on to clean water.
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