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Effect of Microplastics Pollution on Hydrogen Production from Biomass: A Comprehensive Review
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This review examines how microplastics affect biohydrogen production from biomass fermentation, finding that the impact depends on both particle size and concentration — nanoplastics consistently suppress hydrogen yields, while microplastics can either increase or decrease production depending on their quantity.
Hydrogen production from biomass and organic wastes is considered as a potential alternative energy source and is known as a clean and CO2-free fuel energy carrier. H2 is considered very promising among the other energy sources; therefore, the effective conversion of biomass and organic solid waste to this secondary energy source is urgently sought. As a result, it is of importance to assess the impact of the existence of microplastics (MPs) pollution in biomass during its fermentation. It was found that, besides the number of plastic particles present in biomass, the size of them plays the most important role in the yield of hydrogen. While plastics in nanoparticle sizes always suppress the production of H2, depending on their concentration, MPs may increase or reduce it. For example, the presence of 60 particles/L of micrometer-sized polyethylene terephthalate reduces hydrogen production by 30%, while 200 particles of it yields 63.6% more hydrogen. This Review examines all available literature on the effects of the presence of various MPs on biohydrogen production.
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Microplastics and heavy metals often team up in our environment, with tiny plastic particles acting like rafts that carry toxic metals into water, soil, and eventually our bodies, making the combined pollution potentially more harmful than either one alone. This review pulls together a decade of research on eco-friendly cleanup solutions, showing how bacteria, algae, fungi, and plants can naturally break down or trap these pollutants instead of relying on costly, harsh chemical treatments. While these biological methods are still mostly tested in labs, they offer a promising, sustainable path toward cleaner water and food systems in the future.
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