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Impact of polyethylene microplastics on the nitrogen removal and bacterial community in sequencing batch reactor at different hydraulic retention times
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Researchers examined how polyethylene microplastics affect nitrogen removal performance in biological wastewater treatment at different hydraulic retention times. The study found that the presence of microplastics amplified the negative effects of shortened treatment times on nitrogen removal efficiency and altered bacterial communities and enzyme levels involved in nitrification and denitrification, offering new insights into how microplastics interfere with wastewater treatment processes.
Both hydraulic retention time (HRT) and microplastics (MPs) are factors affecting the performance of biological wastewater treatment processes, but how MPs affect the role of HRT in biological wastewater treatment performance has not been investigated. In this study, the effects of polyethylene MPs (PE-MPs) on the nitrogen removal performance in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) at different HRTs were investigated by analyzing the changes in the content and composition of extracellular polymer substances (EPS) and in the bacterial communities and metabolic pathways. In the PE-MPs absence, the HRT was shortened from 1440 to 720 min, resulting in a decrease in the average elimination of chemical oxygen demand and ammonia nitrogen by 13.21 % and 3.78 %, respectively. Whereas the presence of 0.5 mg/L PE-MPs enhanced the reduction by 73.36 % and 93.85 %, respectively. PE-MPs did not change the promotional impacts of HRT shortening on the levels of protein (PN) and polysaccharide (PS) within EPS, while amplified this effect. Aromatic PN of EPS was more sensitive to PE-MPs and HRT than tryptophan-like PN. PE-MPs resulted in a lower enzyme level in nitrification and denitrification metabolism pathways at different HRTs compared to no PE-MPs. This research offers novel perspectives for understanding how PE-MPs intervene in the influence of HRT on biological wastewater treatment performance.
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Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics and microplastics impaired nitrogen removal in sequencing batch reactors by reducing denitrification rates, altering extracellular polymeric substances, and shifting microbial community composition in activated sludge.
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