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Varied influence of aged microplastics and related leachates on phosphorus transformation and release from the sediments
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Researchers investigated how aged microplastics and their chemical leachates affect phosphorus cycling in freshwater sediments, a process linked to harmful algal blooms. They found that different types of weathered plastics and their leachates altered microbial communities and shifted the forms of phosphorus present in sediments. The study suggests that microplastic pollution in lake and river sediments may contribute to nutrient imbalances that worsen water quality problems.
Microplastics (MPs) accumulate and age in freshwater sediments, releasing leachates that may alter sediment nutrient cycling. While phosphorus (P) is crucial for freshwater eutrophication, previous studies have rarely focused on MPs leachates. Herein, this work investigated the effects of polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and related leachates on the sediment P cycling. Results indicated that aged MPs and leachates regulated the expression of P cycling functional genes via inducing DOM components and structures, and microbial communities, thereby affecting the P cycling. The primary mechanism by which aged MPs and leachates affect sediment P involved facilitating the transformation of Al-bound P into Fe (III)-bound P and organic P. Leachates containing microbial-utilizable organic matter exerted a more significant impact on converting Al-bound P into organic P. Besides, incubation and adsorption experiments revealed that aged MP could enhance P release from sediments while leachate inhibited. The effects of different aged MPs and leachate on P release vary. Compared to the control group (0.496 mg/L), P concentration in the overlying water was the highest in 5 % PE-MPs (0.659 mg/L) and the lowest in 1 % LPE (0.189 mg/L). These results provided new insights into the involvement of aged MPs and leachates in freshwater nutrient cycling.
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Researchers found that PVC, PLA, and polypropylene microplastics altered nitrogen and phosphorus cycling in freshwater sediments by shifting microbial community composition, with effects varying by polymer type and biodegradability.
Microplastics alter the microbiota-mediated phosphorus profiles at sediment-water interface: Distinct microbial effects between sediment and plastisphere
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This study found that microplastics in lake sediments change how bacteria process phosphorus, a key nutrient in freshwater ecosystems. Both petroleum-based and biodegradable microplastics altered bacterial communities and phosphorus cycling, but in different ways depending on whether bacteria were in the sediment or on the plastic surfaces. These changes could contribute to water quality problems like algal blooms that affect both ecosystems and the drinking water supply.
Effect of microplastics on phosphorus mobility in freshwater sediments
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Tiny plastic particles from common plastics (PET bottles and PLA "biodegradable" plastic) don't just sit inertly in lake and river sediments, they actually change how phosphorus, a key nutrient, is stored and released, mainly by boosting microbial activity. This matters because shifts in phosphorus cycling can affect water quality and algae growth, showing that microplastic pollution may have ripple effects on freshwater ecosystems we rely on for drinking water and food.
Aging behaviors intensify the impacts of microplastics on nitrate bioreduction-driven nitrogen cycling in freshwater sediments
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This study found that microplastics that have aged in the environment have stronger effects on nitrogen cycling in lake sediments than fresh microplastics, significantly altering how bacteria process nitrogen. These disruptions to natural nutrient cycles in freshwater systems could affect water quality and the broader food web that ultimately connects to human food sources.
New insights into changes in phosphorus profile at sediment-water interface by microplastics: Role of benthic bioturbation
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The study examined how different types of microplastics affect phosphorus cycling at the sediment-water interface through their impacts on burrowing chironomid larvae. Researchers found that both bio-based and fossil fuel-based microplastics altered the larvae's biochemical responses and disrupted phosphorus profiles, suggesting microplastics can indirectly affect nutrient dynamics in freshwater ecosystems.
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