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Divergent responses of microalgal-bacterial granular sludge to two typical microplastics polystyrene and polybutylene succinate during the treatment of sulfamethoxazole-containing wastewater

Journal of Environmental Management 2025 6 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 63 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Meixing Xiao, Meixing Xiao, Meixing Xiao, Meixing Xiao, Huiyin Zhang, Huiyin Zhang, Xiaoman He, Li Wu, Yaxin Wu, Yaxin Wu, Yaxin Wu, Xiaoman He, Xiaoman He, Bolin Li Bolin Li Xiaoguo Chen, Xiaoguo Chen, Lie Yang, Bolin Li

Summary

This study tested how two types of microplastics, polystyrene and biodegradable polybutylene succinate, affected a biological wastewater treatment system designed to remove antibiotics. The biodegradable plastic actually helped break down the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole more effectively, while polystyrene slightly reduced the system's cleaning performance. The findings suggest that the type of microplastic present in wastewater can change how well treatment plants remove pharmaceutical pollutants.

Polymers

Study Type Environmental

This study evaluated the mechanisms by which biodegradable microplastics (polystyrene, PS MPs) and non-biodegradable microplastics (polybutylene succinate, PBS MPs), affect the performance of microalgal-bacterial granular sludge in sulfamethoxazole (SMX)-containing wastewater. Macroscopically, microalgal-bacterial granular sludge adapted to PS MPs more significantly and rapidly than PBS MPs. PS MPs slightly inhibited the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and NH-N, with the average removal rate reduced by 4.54% and 3.65%, respectively. Nonetheless, PBS MPs facilitated the degradation of SMX with the main pathway being the breakage of N-S bonds. At the microscopic level, the inhibition of Proteobacteria and Cyanobacteria abundance by PS MPs emerged as a significant factor affecting the performance of granular sludge. Conversely, the enrichment of Desulfobacterota promoted by PBS MPs favorably impacted the removal and degradation of pollutants. Overall, PBS MPs showed better environmental compatibility and lower ecotoxicity for microalgal-bacterial granular sludge treatment of antibiotic-containing wastewater.

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