Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Bioelectrochemistry promotes microbial activity and accelerates wastewater methanogenesis in anaerobic digestion under combined exposure to antibiotics and microplastics

Researchers tested a bioelectrochemical system for treating wastewater contaminated with both antibiotics and microplastics, achieving 14% better treatment efficiency and methane recovery than standard methods. The electrical stimulation helped beneficial microbes thrive despite the pollutants, though it also increased some antibiotic resistance genes. This study is relevant because it addresses a real-world challenge of treating water containing multiple contaminants, including microplastics, before it reaches the environment.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Bioelectrochemical anaerobic digestion mitigates microplastic pollution and promotes methane recovery of wastewater treatment in biofilm system

Researchers found that bioelectrochemical systems can simultaneously break down microplastics in wastewater and recover methane gas for energy. The systems enhanced the degradation of polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride particles while maintaining healthy biofilm communities on the electrodes. The study suggests that combining electrochemistry with biological treatment could offer a practical approach to both microplastic removal and renewable energy recovery from wastewater.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Humic acid synergistic bioelectrochemical system for treating high-concentration ammonia nitrogen wastewater enriched with various antibiotics and microplastics

Researchers built a composite-polluted wastewater treatment system containing high-ammonia, multiple antibiotics, and microplastics, and tested whether adding humic acid to a bioelectrochemical reactor improved treatment outcomes. The humic acid-enhanced system achieved superior removal of all three contaminant types compared to the standard bioelectrochemical approach.

2025 Bioresource Technology
Article Tier 2

Electrochemically Coupled Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor Facilitates Remediation of Microplastic-Containing Wastewater

Researchers tested an electrochemically coupled anaerobic membrane bioreactor for treating microplastic-containing wastewater and found that electrical stimulation effectively counteracted the inhibitory effects of microplastics on microbial metabolism. The system improved methane production, microbial viability, and enzyme activity compared to conventional anaerobic treatment in the presence of microplastics. The study suggests that combining electrochemical and biological approaches could improve both wastewater treatment efficiency and energy recovery when microplastics are present.

2024 Water 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Insights into the impact of polyethylene microplastics on methane recovery from wastewater via bioelectrochemical anaerobic digestion

Researchers found that polyethylene microplastics inhibited methane recovery in bioelectrochemical anaerobic digestion systems by disrupting microbial communities and electrochemical performance, though low concentrations had less severe effects.

2022 Water Research 84 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of single and hybrid microplastic exposures on anaerobic sludge in microbial electrochemical technology (MET)

Researchers studied how single and mixed types of microplastics affect wastewater treatment performance in microbial electrochemical systems. They found that microplastics significantly impaired methane production, reduced pollutant removal efficiency, and increased oxidative stress in microbial communities, with PVC causing the strongest inhibition. Mixed microplastic exposure under electrical stimulation caused even greater disruption to key microbial populations involved in wastewater treatment.

2025 Journal of Environmental Management 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Dissecting the effects of co-exposure to microplastics and sulfamethoxazole on anaerobic digestion

Researchers examined how microplastics combined with the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole affect the anaerobic digestion process used in wastewater treatment. They found that the combination reduced methane production and altered microbial communities, while also promoting widespread antibiotic resistance among the microorganisms. The study highlights concerns about how co-occurring microplastics and antibiotics in sewage could undermine wastewater treatment efficiency.

2024 Journal of Environmental Management 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of multi-microplastic mixtures on the performance of constructed wetland microbial fuel cells for wastewater treatment

Researchers tested how mixtures of four common microplastic types affect the performance of constructed wetland microbial fuel cells used for wastewater treatment. They found that while microplastics had minimal impact on organic matter removal, nitrogen removal efficiency dropped by about 20% due to suppression of key denitrifying bacteria. Interestingly, microplastics enhanced electricity generation by enriching electroactive bacteria like Geobacter in the fuel cell systems.

2025 Bioelectrochemistry 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Electric stimulation mitigated the mixed microplastic inhibition to anaerobic digestion during wastewater treatment

Researchers found that a mixture of common microplastics significantly inhibited methane production and pollutant removal during anaerobic wastewater treatment. By applying a mild electrical current through a process called microbial electrosynthesis, they were able to partially restore the system's performance by boosting microbial activity and electron transfer. The study suggests that electrical stimulation could be a practical tool for maintaining wastewater treatment efficiency in the presence of microplastic contamination.

2024 Environmental Pollution 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluating Microplastic Effects on Performance and Electrochemistry of Microbial Fuel Cells for Wastewater Treatment

Researchers evaluated how microplastics affect the performance of microbial fuel cells used for wastewater treatment. They found that low concentrations of microplastics actually improved chemical oxygen demand reduction and power production compared to wastewater without microplastics. However, at higher concentrations the beneficial effects diminished, suggesting that microplastic levels in wastewater could influence the efficiency of bioelectrochemical treatment systems.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Toxic and Radioactive Waste 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Anaerobic granular sludge and biofilms in anaerobic wastewater fermentation remodeled by co-exposure to microplastics and antibiotics

Researchers compared how granular sludge and biofilm-based anaerobic digestion systems respond to combined microplastic and antibiotic stress, finding that prolonged dual exposure reduced methane production and led to different microbial adaptation strategies in each sludge type.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics accumulation and antibiotics contamination in anaerobic membrane bioreactors for municipal wastewater treatment

This study found that when aged PVC microplastics and the antibiotic ciprofloxacin are both present in wastewater treatment systems, they interact to make each other's harmful effects worse. The combination cut treatment efficiency in half and disrupted the microbes needed for wastewater processing, raising concerns about how microplastic pollution could undermine water treatment that protects public health.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Using dual chamber microbial fuel cells for coupled microplastic biodegradation and bioelectricity production: assessing the effect of substrate

Researchers investigated using dual-chamber microbial fuel cells to simultaneously biodegrade PET microplastics and generate bioelectricity. The study found that microbial consortia in the fuel cell setup could break down microplastics while producing usable electrical energy, offering a potentially sustainable approach to microplastic remediation in wastewater treatment.

2026 Microbial Cell Factories
Article Tier 2

Enhanced Co-degradation of chloramphenicol and polyvinyl chloride in water by bioelectrochemical systems

Researchers used microbial fuel cells — devices where bacteria break down pollutants and generate electricity — to simultaneously degrade the antibiotic chloramphenicol and PVC microplastics, finding that adding a bacterial communication molecule (quorum sensing signal 3OC8-HSL) increased antibiotic removal by 78% and power output by 81% by enriching specialized degrading bacteria.

2025 Water Research
Article Tier 2

Sustainable control of microplastics in wastewater using the electrochemically enhanced living membrane bioreactor

Researchers evaluated a novel living membrane bioreactor for removing polyethylene microplastics from wastewater and found it achieved 95% removal, comparable to conventional membrane bioreactors. Adding an electrochemical enhancement slightly decreased microplastic mass removal but significantly improved the consistency of nutrient removal even in the presence of microplastics. The study suggests that electrochemically enhanced living membrane systems offer a sustainable approach to simultaneous microplastic and conventional pollutant removal in wastewater treatment.

2024 Journal of Environmental Management 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Long-term effect of polyethylene microplastics on the bioelectrochemical nitrogen removal process

Researchers explored how polyethylene microplastics affect nitrogen removal in bioelectrochemical wastewater treatment systems over long-term exposure. The study found that microplastic exposure reduced nitrogen removal efficiency by decreasing biofilm viability, lowering extracellular polymeric substance content, and significantly shifting the microbial community structure responsible for nitrogen processing.

2023 Chemical Engineering Journal 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Biochemical insights into the alleviated inhibition on nitrogen metabolism by micro-and nano-plastics at the biocathode of bioelectrochemical systems

A lab study investigated how microplastics and nanoplastics inhibit nitrogen removal (denitrification) at the biological cathode of a bioelectrochemical treatment system, and found that adding algal biochar largely reversed this inhibition, increasing nitrate removal from 51% to 76%. This is relevant for wastewater treatment, suggesting that biochar amendments could protect microbial treatment processes from the disrupting effects of microplastic contamination in sewage.

2026 Bioresource Technology
Article Tier 2

The exploitation of bio-electrochemical system and microplastics removal: Possibilities and perspectives

This review explores bio-electrochemical systems as a sustainable alternative for removing microplastics from water, since current removal methods are costly, energy-intensive, and can release toxic chemicals. Bio-electrochemical systems use microorganisms to generate electricity while simultaneously treating wastewater, offering a cleaner approach. Though still in early research stages, this technology could provide an efficient and environmentally friendly way to reduce microplastic contamination in water supplies.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined environmental pressure induces unique assembly patterns of micro-plastisphere biofilm microbial communities in constructed wetlands

Researchers studied how biofilm communities form on microplastic surfaces within constructed wetlands used for wastewater treatment. They found that environmental stressors like antibiotics and organic matter created unique microbial communities on microplastics that differed from those on natural surfaces. The study suggests that constructed wetlands, while effective at trapping microplastics, may also foster distinct microbial ecosystems on plastic surfaces that warrant further investigation.

2024 Water Research 26 citations
Article Tier 2

New Advances in Bioelectrochemical Systems in the Degradation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons: Source, Degradation Pathway, and Microbial Community

This review examined how bioelectrochemical systems can degrade polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, persistent pollutants found alongside microplastics in contaminated environments. Researchers found that these systems combine biological metabolism with electrochemical processes to break down pollutants while recovering energy. The study highlights an emerging technology that could simultaneously address multiple types of environmental contamination.

2025 Energies 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Less toxic combined microplastics exposure towards attached Chlorella sorokiniana in the presence of sulfamethoxazole while massive microalgal nitrous oxide emission under multiple stresses

Researchers studied how microplastics from different plastic types (polyethylene, PVC, and polyamide) interact with an antibiotic in a microalgae-based wastewater treatment system. They found that combining different types of microplastics together was more harmful to the algae than mixing microplastics with the antibiotic. The study also showed that stressed algae released more nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas, meaning microplastic pollution in wastewater could worsen climate change.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Sustainable removal of contaminants of emerging concern from wastewater by the living membrane bioreactor: effect of the co-occurrence of microplastics and antibiotics

Researchers investigated a living membrane bioreactor (LMBR) for removing the antibiotic ofloxacin and oxidized polyethylene microplastics from urban wastewater, finding that the biological membrane effectively retained both contaminants of emerging concern and that microplastics acted as antibiotic carriers, with their co-presence influencing overall removal efficiency.

2025 Global NEST International Conference on Environmental Science & Technology
Article Tier 2

Responses of syntrophic microbial communities and their interactions with polystyrene nanoplastics in a microbial electrolysis cell

Researchers investigated how polystyrene nanoplastics affect microbial communities in a microbial electrolysis cell, a technology used for energy recovery during wastewater treatment. They found that nanoplastics disrupted the biofilm structure and altered the composition of the microbial communities responsible for breaking down waste. The study suggests that nanoplastic contamination in wastewater could reduce the efficiency of these promising electrochemical treatment systems.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Electrochemical and microbiological response of exoelectrogenic biofilm to polyethylene microplastics in water

Researchers found that polyethylene microplastics impaired exoelectrogenic biofilms used in microbial electrochemical water treatment by reducing electroactive bacteria abundance, suppressing electron transfer genes, and increasing system resistance.

2022 Water Research 97 citations