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Investigating potential auxiliary anaerobic digestion activity of phage under polyvinyl chloride microplastic stress
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This study found that viruses (phages) in wastewater sludge may help counteract the negative effects of PVC microplastics on the waste digestion process. The phages carry genes that support key steps in breaking down organic waste, and these genes remained active even under microplastic stress. This suggests that naturally occurring viruses could play a role in helping wastewater treatment systems cope with microplastic contamination.
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) microplastics present in sewage were trapped in sludge, thereby hindering anaerobic digestion performance of waste active sludge (WAS). Phages regulate virocell metabolism by encoding auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs) related to energy acquisition and material degradation, supporting hosts survive in harsh environments and play a crucial role in biogeochemical cycles. This study investigated the potential effects of phages on the recovery of WAS anaerobic digestion under PVC stress. We observed a significant alteration in the phage community induced by PVC microplastics. Phages encoded AMGs related to anaerobic digestion and cell growth probably alleviate PVC microplastics inhibition on WAS anaerobic digestion, and 54.2 % of hydrolysis-related GHs and 40.8 % of acidification-related AMGs were actively transcribed in the PVC-exposed group. Additionally, the degradation of chitin and peptidoglycan during hydrolysis and the conversion of glucose to pyruvate during acidification were more susceptible to phages. Prediction of phage-host relationship indicated that the phyla Pseudomonadota were predominantly targeted hosts by hydrolysis-related and acidification-related phages, and PVC toxicity had minimal impact on phage-host interaction. Our findings highlight the importance of phages in anaerobic digestion and provide a novel strategy for using phages in the functional recovery of microplastic-exposed sludge.
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Researchers investigated how five types of microplastics affect the anaerobic fermentation process used to treat sewage sludge. They found that polyethylene microplastics caused the greatest reduction in volatile fatty acid production, while polyvinyl chloride had the least impact, and all types disrupted microbial communities in distinct ways. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in wastewater could meaningfully interfere with sludge treatment efficiency.
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.
Mechanistic insights into the impact of multi-dimensional microplastic stress on nitrogen removal by heterotrophic nitrifying-aerobic denitrifying bacteria: A meta-transcriptomic analysis
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Researchers studied how different types of microplastics affect bacteria that are used to remove nitrogen from wastewater. They found that PVC microplastics were particularly disruptive, interfering with enzyme function and gene expression needed for denitrification. The study provides molecular-level insights into how microplastic pollution could undermine biological wastewater treatment systems.
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Researchers exposed buckwheat and its rhizosphere microbiome to polylactic acid microplastics, lead, and their combination, finding that co-contamination suppressed bacterial carbon and phosphorus metabolism while enriching viral auxiliary metabolic genes—including a newly identified carbohydrate esterase confirmed to hydrolyze PLA ester bonds—suggesting viruses may play an underappreciated role in biodegradable microplastic degradation in soil.
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