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Effect of tire wear particle accumulation on nitrogen removal and greenhouse gases abatement in bioretention systems: Soil characteristics, microbial community, and functional genes
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This study found that tire wear particles, a major type of microplastic in road runoff, significantly reduced the ability of bioretention systems (rain garden-like structures) to remove nitrogen from stormwater. The tire particles changed the soil's microbial communities, reducing populations of bacteria that process nitrogen and altering greenhouse gas emissions. Since bioretention systems are widely used to treat urban stormwater before it enters waterways, this research shows that tire-derived microplastics can undermine water treatment efforts.
Tire wear particles (TWPs), as predominant microplastics (MPs) in road runoff, can be captured and retained by bioretention systems (BRS). This study aimed to investigate the effect of TWPs accumulation on nitrogen processes, focusing on soil characteristics, microbial community, and functional genes. Two groups of lab-scale bioretention columns containing TWPs (0 and 100 mg g) were established. The removal efficiencies of NH-N and TN in BRS significantly decreased by 7.60%-24.79% and 1.98%-11.09%, respectively, during the 101 days of TWPs exposure. Interestingly, the emission fluxes of NO and CO were significantly decreased, while the emission flux of CH was substantially increased. Furthermore, prolonged TWPs exposure significantly influenced the contents of soil organic matter (increased by 27.07%) and NH-N (decreased by 42.15%) in the planting layer. TWPs exposure also significantly increased dehydrogenase activity and substrate-induced respiration rate, thereby promoting microbial metabolism. Microbial sequencing results revealed that TWPs decreased the relative abundance of nitrifying bacteria (Nitrospira and Nitrosomonas) and denitrifying bacteria (Dechloromonas and Thauera), reducing the nitrification rate by 42.24%. PICRUSt2 analysis further indicated that TWPs changed the relative abundance of functional genes related to nitrogen and enzyme-coding genes.
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Tire wear particles induce a functional trade-off in bioretention systems: Coupled effects on nitrogen removal and greenhouse gas emissions
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Tiny bits of tire rubber that wash into roadside rain gardens (a common green infrastructure used to filter stormwater) can throw off the delicate microbial balance that normally removes nitrogen pollution from the water, making these systems less effective at cleaning runoff before it reaches rivers and streams. Interestingly, the same rubber particles also reduced greenhouse gas emissions from these systems, showing there's a trade-off — you can't fully win on water quality and climate benefits at the same time. As tire particles keep building up in urban environments, this research suggests we may need to redesign these green infrastructure systems to ke
Impact of Tire-Derived Microplastics on Microbiological Activity of Aerobic Granular Sludge
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This study examined how tire wear particle microplastics — a ubiquitous contaminant in urban stormwater — affect the bacteria responsible for removing nitrogen from wastewater in biological treatment reactors. At increasing tire particle concentrations, bacteria that convert ammonia to nitrate became more active, while bacteria that complete denitrification (converting nitrogen to harmless gas) were significantly suppressed. This imbalance could cause wastewater treatment plants to release more nitrogen into receiving waterways, potentially worsening nutrient pollution and algal blooms. The findings underscore a previously underappreciated way that tire microplastics can impair wastewater treatment infrastructure.
Nitrogen removal performance of bioretention cells under polyethylene (PE) microplastic stress
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Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics affect the nitrogen removal performance of bioretention cells used to filter stormwater runoff. The study found that microplastic accumulation reduced overall nitrogen removal efficiency by up to 28% while altering the microbial community structure responsible for denitrification.
Bioswales as potential sinks for tyre wear particle pollution
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Researchers investigated the role of bioswale green infrastructure in capturing tyre wear particle microplastics from road runoff, presenting data from bioswales constructed in 2010 and quantifying their effectiveness as sinks for tyre-derived microplastic pollution.
Thermal aging effects on tire wear particle migration and nitrogen and phosphorus removal in bioretention systems
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Lab column experiments tested how tiny tire wear particles, heated or unheated, move through soil-like filters used in stormwater systems. Heated particles stayed mostly near the surface while unheated ones moved deeper, and both reduced the system's ability to remove nitrogen, though phosphorus removal was unaffected.
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