We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Exploring the influence mechanisms of polystyrene-microplastics on sewage sludge composting
Summary
Researchers conducted a 30-day composting experiment adding 0%, 0.5%, and 1% polystyrene microplastics to sewage sludge to examine how PS-MPs affect the composting process. They found that PS-MP additions reduced compost temperature, microbial biomass carbon, and volatile solid degradation by 2.6-4.8%, suggesting interference with microbial decomposition activity during sludge treatment.
To explore the influence mechanisms of polystyrene-microplastics (PS-MPs) on sewage sludge composting and put forward relevant composting adjustment strategies, a 30-day sewage sludge (SS) composting experiment was conducted by adding 0%, 0.5%, and 1% (w/w) PS-MPs. The addition of PS-MPs reduced compost temperature, microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and the degradation of volatile solids (2.6%-4.8%), and inhibited the activities of key enzymes (β-glucosidase and alkaline phosphatase) but increased urease activity in the thermophilic phase. Moreover, PS-MPs altered the relative abundance of dominant bacteria and changed the relevance of main enzymes and bacterial communities. Moreover, high levels of PS-MPs inhibited the contribution of dominant bacterial to alkaline phosphatase and β-glucosidase. Redundancy analysis revealed that PS-MPs affected the composting process mainly through reduced MBC at the mesophilic phase and temperature at the thermophilic phase. Thus, regulating MBC and temperature in specific phases could help overcome the adverse effects of PS-MPs on composting.