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Response of wastewater treatment performance and bacterial community to original and aged polyvinyl chloride microplastics in sequencing batch reactors
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This study found that PVC microplastics, both fresh and aged, severely harmed wastewater treatment processes by reducing the removal of harmful chemicals like ammonia and organic pollutants. The microplastics shifted the bacterial communities in the treatment system, reducing helpful nitrogen-removing bacteria while promoting other types. This means microplastic contamination of wastewater plants could lead to poorer water treatment quality, allowing more pollutants to reach rivers and drinking water sources.
Microplastics (MPs) are prevalent in wastewater treatment systems, and their behavior is further complicated after undergoing aging processes. This study explored the impact of original and aged polyvinyl chloride (PVC) MPs on wastewater treatment performance and bacterial communities. Results revealed that Fenton-aging treatment induced surface roughening of the MPs and altered their chemical properties. Prolonged exposure to original and aged PVC MPs severely inhibited the removal of chemical oxygen demand and NH-N, along with lower sludge concentrations. Additionally, PVC MPs increased the production of loosely-bound extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and decreased protein levels in tightly-bound fractions. The presence of PVC MPs also shifted the bacterial community, reducing nitrogen removal bacteria while enriching EPS-forming bacteria. Furthermore, exposure to PVC MPs led to a decrease in the abundance of key genes involved in nitrogen metabolism. These findings offer insights into the effects of MPs, especially aged variants, on wastewater treatment processes.
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Microplastics shaped performance, microbial ecology and community assembly in simultaneous nitrification, denitrification and phosphorus removal process
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This study found that polystyrene and PVC microplastics disrupted the performance of wastewater treatment systems designed to remove nitrogen and phosphorus, reducing nitrogen removal by up to 10%. The microplastics altered microbial communities, decreased cooperation between beneficial bacteria, and blocked important biological pathways. Since wastewater treatment is a key barrier against pollution reaching drinking water, microplastic interference with these systems could indirectly increase human exposure to harmful contaminants.
Reactor performance and microbial responses of sulfate-reducing bacteria sludge under stepwise polyvinyl chloride microplastic exposure
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Scientists tested how tiny PVC plastic particles (the kind found in some plastic products) affect bacteria used in wastewater treatment plants to clean up sulfate-polluted water. They found that at high microplastic levels, the treatment process temporarily struggled but bounced back as bacteria adapted, though the plastic also caused mild cell stress and released chemical additives like BPA (a compound linked to hormone disruption in humans). This matters because it shows that microplastic pollution could disrupt the wastewater treatment systems we rely on to keep our water clean, and it may also release additional harmful chemicals into the environ
Ecological Impact of PVC Microplastics on Microbial Communities in Wet Waste Treatment Systems
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Researchers reviewed how PVC microplastics disrupt microbial communities in wet waste treatment systems through a combination of surface aging, preferential colonization, and time-dependent leaching of chlorinated additives and plasticizers, with chronic stress — rather than acute toxicity — emerging as the dominant mechanism impairing methane production.
Effects of microplastics accumulation and antibiotics contamination in anaerobic membrane bioreactors for municipal wastewater treatment
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This study found that when aged PVC microplastics and the antibiotic ciprofloxacin are both present in wastewater treatment systems, they interact to make each other's harmful effects worse. The combination cut treatment efficiency in half and disrupted the microbes needed for wastewater processing, raising concerns about how microplastic pollution could undermine water treatment that protects public health.
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.
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