Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Biochar amendment to advance contaminant removal in anaerobic digestion of organic solid wastes: A review

This review examined how biochar amendment improves anaerobic digestion of organic solid wastes by enhancing biodegradation, reducing inhibitory substances, and facilitating removal of contaminants such as antibiotics, heavy metals, microplastics, and PAHs, proposing mechanisms by which biochar's porous and conductive properties drive these benefits.

2021 Bioresource Technology 54 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation the impact of polystyrene micro and nanoplastics on the methane generation by anaerobic digestion

Researchers tested the effect of polystyrene microplastics and their leached chemical additives on anaerobic digestion systems, finding that microplastic presence reduced methane generation efficiency and disrupted microbial community function.

2020 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 102 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of aged biochar after microbial fermentation on antibiotics removal: Key roles of microplastics and environmentally persistent free radicals

Researchers prepared biochar from sludge containing varying amounts of polystyrene and tested its ability to remove antibiotics after microbial aging. The study found that while aging reduced biochar's surface area and removal efficiency by 6-14%, increasing the polystyrene content actually improved antibiotic removal due to the positive effects of environmentally persistent free radicals.

2023 Bioresource Technology 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Methanosarcina thermophila bioaugmentation and its synergy with biochar growth support particles versus polypropylene microplastics in thermophilic food waste anaerobic digestion

Researchers found that combining biochar with Methanosarcina thermophila bioaugmentation improved methane yields in thermophilic anaerobic digestion of food waste, while polypropylene microplastics used as a comparison growth support showed different performance, highlighting biochar as a promising additive for optimizing digestion systems.

2022 Bioresource Technology 39 citations
Article Tier 2

The effect of bulk-biochar and nano-biochar amendment on the removal of antibiotic resistance genes in microplastic contaminated soil

Researchers tested whether bulk-biochar and nano-biochar amendments could reduce antibiotic resistance genes in microplastic-contaminated soil. They found that microplastics initially increased the abundance of resistance genes, but both biochar types effectively inhibited their spread regardless of microplastic presence. The study suggests that biochar amendment is a promising strategy for managing antibiotic resistance in soils co-contaminated with microplastics.

2023 Environmental Research 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of polypropylene microplastics on digestion performance, microbial community, and antibiotic resistance during microbial anaerobic digestion

Researchers studied how polypropylene microplastics affect the anaerobic digestion process used to treat wastewater sludge. While small amounts of microplastics slightly increased methane production, they also promoted the spread of antibiotic resistance genes among bacteria in the digesters. This means microplastics in wastewater systems could contribute to the growing problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which poses a serious threat to human health.

2024 Bioresource Technology 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Granular activated carbon remediates antibiotic resistance propagation and methanogenic inhibition induced by polystyrene nanoplastics in sludge anaerobic digestion

Researchers found that adding granular activated carbon to sludge anaerobic digestion systems can counteract the negative effects caused by polystyrene nanoplastics, including the spread of antibiotic resistance genes and reduced methane production. The study suggests that granular activated carbon promotes direct interspecies electron transfer, offering a practical approach to remediate nanoplastic contamination in wastewater treatment.

2023 Bioresource Technology 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Size-dependent effects of polystyrene microplastics on anaerobic digestion performance of food waste: Focusing on oxidative stress, microbial community, key metabolic functions

Researchers investigated how polystyrene microplastics of different sizes affect anaerobic digestion of food waste and found that smaller particles caused greater inhibition of methane production, with reductions up to 33%. The study suggests that small microplastics induce more oxidative stress in microbial communities and suppress key enzymes involved in methane-producing metabolic pathways.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 65 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics shape microbiome and functional metabolism in anaerobic digestion

Researchers studied how polystyrene nanoplastics and microplastics affect the microbial communities and biochemical processes in anaerobic digestion systems used for waste treatment. They found that nanoplastics had a more disruptive effect than microplastics, significantly altering the composition and metabolic functions of the microbial community. The study suggests that plastic contamination in waste streams could reduce the efficiency of anaerobic digestion, a widely used waste processing technology.

2022 Water Research 88 citations
Article Tier 2

Black carbon derived from pyrolysis of maize straw and polystyrene microplastics affects soil biodiversity

Researchers found that black carbon produced from co-pyrolysis of maize straw and polystyrene microplastics alters soil microbial diversity and community structure, with effects depending on the ratio of straw to microplastic feedstock, raising concerns about using pyrolysis biochar in agricultural soils.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Biochar and Granular Activated Carbon Mitigate Polystyrene Nanoplastics Inhibition in Dark Biohydrogen Fermentation of Sludge

Researchers found that nanoplastics commonly present in sewage sludge inhibit biohydrogen production during fermentation, but adding biochar or granular activated carbon can counteract this effect. Granular activated carbon was especially effective, recovering up to 64% of lost biohydrogen production by reducing the oxidative stress caused by the nanoplastics. The study demonstrates a practical approach to maintaining bioenergy recovery from sludge even when it is contaminated with plastic particles.

2024 ACS ES&T Engineering 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Deciphering the role of polystyrene microplastics in waste activated sludge anaerobic digestion: Changes of organics transformation, microbial community and metabolic pathway

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics in sewage sludge affected the anaerobic digestion process used to treat waste, with low concentrations slightly boosting methane production but high concentrations reducing it by up to 11%. The microplastics disrupted key bacterial communities and enzyme activities needed for proper waste breakdown. This matters because wastewater treatment plants handle enormous volumes of microplastic-laden sludge, and impaired digestion could reduce treatment effectiveness and release more pollutants into the environment.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 43 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluating the role of biochar in mitigating the inhibition of polyethylene nanoplastics on anaerobic granular sludge

Researchers found that biochar addition effectively mitigated the inhibitory effects of polyethylene nanoplastics on anaerobic granular sludge, restoring methane production by reducing oxidative stress and improving microbial community stability.

2022 Water Research 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Deciphering the inhibitory mechanisms of polystyrene microplastics on thermophilic methanogens from the insights of microbial metabolite profiling and metagenomic analyses

Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics affect methane production during the thermophilic anaerobic digestion of food waste. They found that increasing microplastic concentrations reduced methane yield by up to 47.8%, driven by the accumulation of reactive oxygen species that inhibited key enzymes in the digestion process. Metagenomic analysis revealed that microplastics downregulated genes involved in methane metabolism, providing new insights into how plastic contamination can disrupt waste treatment systems.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of excess sludge composting process, environmentally persistent free radicals, and microplastics on antibiotics degradation efficiency of aging biochar

Researchers examined how microplastics (specifically polystyrene) added to sewage sludge affect a biochar's long-term ability to degrade antibiotics in compost environments. After composting, the antibiotic-degrading efficiency of biochar decreased — and decreased more when polystyrene microplastics were present — primarily because composting reduced the reactive free radicals that drive antibiotic breakdown. This matters because biochar is increasingly proposed as a tool for removing antibiotic contaminants from waste streams, and microplastic co-contamination of sludge could undermine this function over time.

2023 Bioresource Technology 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of microplastic type on the fate of antibiotic resistance genes and horizontal gene transfer mechanism during anaerobic digestion

Researchers examined how three types of microplastics affect antibiotic resistance genes during the anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge. They found that while microplastics actually increased methane production, they also decreased the overall abundance of antibiotic resistance genes but changed how those genes spread between bacteria. The study reveals a complex interaction where microplastics may reduce some resistance genes while promoting the horizontal transfer of others during waste treatment.

2024 Journal of Environmental Management 24 citations
Article Tier 2

[Effects of Typical Microplastics on Methanogenesis and Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Anaerobic Digestion of Sludge].

Researchers explored the impacts of polyamide, polyethylene, and polypropylene microplastics on methanogenesis and antibiotic resistance gene dynamics during anaerobic digestion of waste sludge, examining how microplastic contamination affects both biogas production and resistance gene enrichment.

2025 PubMed
Article Tier 2

Advances and prospects of biochar in improving soil fertility, biochemical quality, and environmental applications

This review examines how biochar, a charcoal-like material made from organic waste, can improve soil health and clean up pollutants including microplastics. Biochar's ability to absorb and trap contaminants makes it a promising tool for reducing microplastic pollution in agricultural soil. The findings suggest biochar could help limit the amount of microplastics that enter the food chain through crops grown in contaminated soil.

2023 Frontiers in Environmental Science 127 citations
Article Tier 2

Biochar's Effects and Operations on Microbial Life within the Soil Ecosystem- A Review

Not directly relevant to microplastics — this review examines how biochar additions to soil affect microbial community structure, enzymatic activity, and contaminant transformation, without a specific focus on microplastics.

2023 International Journal of Plant & Soil Science
Article Tier 2

Insight into effects of polyethylene microplastics in anaerobic digestion systems of waste activated sludge: Interactions of digestion performance, microbial communities and antibiotic resistance genes

Polyethylene microplastics in anaerobic digestion systems processing waste activated sludge increased hydrolysis efficiency at 1 mm particle sizes but also altered microbial community composition and enriched antibiotic resistance genes. The findings suggest that MPs in sludge management pose risks for spreading ARGs through land application of digested biosolids.

2022 Environmental Pollution 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhancing microplastics biodegradation during composting using livestock manure biochar

Researchers tested whether adding livestock manure biochar to composting systems could enhance the breakdown of biodegradable microplastics. They found that biochar significantly accelerated the decomposition of polyhydroxyalkanoate microplastics by enriching beneficial microbial communities and improving composting conditions. The study suggests that biochar-enhanced composting could be a practical strategy for reducing biodegradable microplastic contamination in organic waste.

2022 Environmental Pollution 86 citations
Article Tier 2

Biochar counteracts the negative effects of microplastics on physiological and biochemical characteristics and leaf metabolism in Zea mays L

Researchers studied whether biochar could counteract the harmful effects of microplastics on maize plant growth and soil health. They found that adding biochar to microplastic-contaminated soil restored antioxidant enzyme balance, improved beneficial metabolic pathways in leaves, and increased bacterial community diversity. The study suggests biochar may help plants resist microplastic-induced stress by boosting glucose metabolism in root systems.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Performance and Mechanism of Sulfathiazole Adsorption by Magnetic Biochar: Promoting Effect of Co-existing Polystyrene and Simultaneous Removal

Researchers synthesized a magnetic biochar and tested its ability to remove the antibiotic sulfathiazole from water containing polystyrene microplastics, finding that the biochar achieved efficient removal of both contaminants simultaneously, with the microplastics actually promoting antibiotic adsorption.

2025
Article Tier 2

Exposure to polystyrene nanoplastic leads to inhibition of anaerobic digestion system

Researchers showed that polystyrene nanoplastics inhibit methane production in sewage sludge digesters in a concentration-dependent manner, reducing methane yield by up to 14% and delaying the process start-up while shifting microbial community composition away from key methane-producing archaea.

2017 The Science of The Total Environment 212 citations