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Mechanism of microplastics promoting sulfamethoxazole biodegradation in activated sludge as revealed by DNA-stable isotope probing
Summary
Researchers used isotope-labeling techniques to identify which bacteria in activated sludge actually degrade the common antibiotic sulfamethoxazole, discovering 13 previously unknown degrading bacterial genera. Adding microplastics to the sludge enhanced antibiotic breakdown by restructuring the microbial community, increasing the abundance of degrading bacteria, and promoting cooperative interactions between species. This finding is both promising — microplastics may inadvertently improve antibiotic removal in treatment plants — and concerning, as it reveals how plastic pollution reshapes the microbiology of wastewater systems in complex, unpredictable ways.
Microplastics (MPs) often coexist with sulfonamide antibiotics (SAs) in the activated sludge of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Microbial degradation is a crucial pathway for SAs removal in the activated sludge, though its response to MPs still yet to be disclosed. Here, we combined DNA-stable isotope probing (DNA-SIP), PICRUSt and MENA techniques to explore the impact of MPs on the microbial biodegradation of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) in the activated sludge. DNA-SIP revealed 20 genera were responsible for the SMX degradation in the activated sludge, with 13 of these genera being firstly linked with sulfonamide biodegradation. The potential SMX-degrading bacteria showed complex synergistic interaction with the other microbes. Eight degradation pathways were constructed based on the nine identified SMX-related degradation genes. MPs addition enhanced the SMX biodegradation by altering the structure of degrading microbes, increasing their relative abundance and promoting the synergistic interactions between potential SMX-degrading bacteria and other microbes in activated sludge. Besides, genes related to abundant energy production and biofilm formation were involved in SMX degradation in the activated sludge with MPs. Our study reveals the MPs influence on SMX biodegradation in activated sludge, and disclose the potential underlying mechanisms, which will benefit the regulation on antibiotic removal in WWTPs.