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Effects of Microplastics Type, Particle Size, and Concentration on the Anaerobic Digestion of Food Waste and Residual Sludge: Methane Yield, Organic Matter Degradation
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Researchers co-digested food waste and residual sludge in the presence of polyethylene, polypropylene, and PVC microplastics of varying sizes and concentrations, finding that smaller particles and higher doses increasingly inhibited methane production — with 3 µm PVC at 100 particles/g-TS cutting cumulative methane by 54.6% and halting output entirely by day 17.
This study evaluated three typical microplastics on methane production process during the co-anaerobic digestion of food waste and residual sludge. The results indicated that MPs generally inhibited methane production, with the inhibition intensity increasing as the particle size decreased and concentration increased. The group with 3μm PE showed a cumulative decrease in methane production, with a peak daily methane production decrease of 38.96%. PVC exhibited the strongest inhibitory effect, with the 3μm PVC group at 100 particles/g-TS showing a cumulative methane production decrease of up to 54.6%, and methane production ceased by day 17. Microplastics disrupted the hydrolysis–acidification stage and caused VFA accumulation.
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An in-depth analysis of microbial response to exposure to high concentrations of microplastics in anaerobic wastewater fermentation
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This study investigated how high concentrations of three common microplastic types affect the microbes used in anaerobic wastewater treatment, finding that microplastics reduced methane production by up to 56%. PVC had the most damaging effect on the microbial communities that break down waste, while polyethylene was somewhat less disruptive. The findings matter because impaired wastewater treatment means more pollutants, including microplastics themselves, could escape into waterways that feed human water supplies.
Systematic study of microplastics on methane production in anaerobic digestion: Performance and microbial response
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Microplastics are increasingly found in wastewater treatment systems, and this study systematically examined how different types, concentrations, and sizes of microplastics affect the anaerobic digestion process used to break down sewage sludge and generate biogas. Polyethylene microplastics were found to inhibit methane production, with finer particles and higher concentrations causing greater disruption to the microbial communities driving digestion. The findings matter because microplastics in sewage sludge can impair the treatment process and also end up spread on agricultural land when sludge is used as fertilizer.
Polyvinyl Chloride Microplastics Affect Methane Production from the Anaerobic Digestion of Waste Activated Sludge through Leaching Toxic Bisphenol-A
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PVC microplastics were added to anaerobic sludge digestion systems at concentrations of 10–60 particles/g, finding that low concentrations (10 particles/g) slightly increased methane production (+5.9%) while higher concentrations inhibited it by up to 24.2%, with inhibition linked to bisphenol-A leaching from PVC. The study reveals a non-linear dose-dependent effect of PVC microplastics on biogas production in wastewater treatment.
Long-Term Effects of Polyvinyl Chloride Microplastics on Anaerobic Granular Sludge for Recovering Methane from Wastewater
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Researchers studied the long-term effects of PVC microplastics on anaerobic granular sludge used in wastewater treatment over 264 days. They found that microplastic exposure significantly reduced organic matter removal efficiency by up to 35.5% and decreased methane production by up to 32.3%, while disrupting the protective biofilm around sludge granules. The study demonstrates that microplastic contamination in wastewater can impair the biological treatment processes that cities rely on for waste management and energy recovery.
Revealing How Polyvinyl Chloride Microplastic Physicochemically Affect the Anaerobic Digestion of Waste Activated Sludge
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PVC microplastics in sewage sludge change the surface chemistry of sludge flocs, raising the energy barrier between sludge and the microbes that break it down and causing microbial communities to reorganise. At low concentrations PVC initially increases contact efficiency, but at higher concentrations it coats sludge surfaces and blocks microbial access, ultimately reducing methane production in anaerobic digesters — a finding relevant to the performance and safety of wastewater treatment plants receiving plastic-contaminated sludge.
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