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20 resultsShowing papers similar to Mitigation of microplastic-associated emerging pollutants by chlorination using field-collected microplastic: Antimicrobial-resistant genes and pathogens
ClearComprehensive assessment of chlorination disinfection on microplastic-associated biofilms
Researchers tested how well chlorine disinfection works against biofilms that form on microplastic surfaces in water. They found that while chlorination effectively killed bacteria on the microplastics, some resistant species survived and the process altered the microbial community structure. The findings suggest that microplastics in water systems may harbor bacteria that are harder to eliminate through standard disinfection methods.
The impact of chlorination on the tetracycline sorption behavior of microplastics in aqueous solution
Researchers found that chlorination, a common disinfection step in wastewater treatment, alters the surface chemistry of microplastics and changes their capacity to adsorb tetracycline antibiotics, with chlorinated microplastics showing modified sorption behavior that affects their role as antibiotic carriers.
Can microplastics and disinfectant resistance genes pose conceivable threats to water disinfection process?
This review examines how microplastics in water supplies interact with disinfection resistance genes (DRGs) in bacteria, creating a compounding threat to water safety. Microplastics provide surfaces where resistant bacteria can form biofilms and exchange resistance genes, and they can locally reduce the effective concentration of disinfectants — making standard water treatment less effective. The concern is that as both microplastic pollution and disinfectant use grow, we may be inadvertently breeding harder-to-kill pathogens in our drinking water systems.
Investigation of the effect of microplastics on the UV inactivation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in water
Researchers found that polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride microplastics significantly reduced UV disinfection effectiveness against antibiotic-resistant bacteria, as bacteria associated with microplastic surfaces were shielded from UV exposure, creating a potential public health concern.
Impact of chlorine and UV/H2O2 on microplastics in drinking water
Using chlorine and UV/hydrogen peroxide at dosages realistic for actual drinking water treatment plants, this study assessed whether standard disinfection processes alter microplastics in tap water. The work addresses a critical public health question — whether the water treatment people rely on to make tap water safe actually removes or changes the microplastics that have been detected in treated drinking water.
Distinguishing removal and regrowth potential of antibiotic resistance genes and antibiotic resistant bacteria on microplastics and in leachate after chlorination or Fenton oxidation
Researchers compared chlorination and Fenton oxidation for removing antibiotic resistance genes and antibiotic resistant bacteria from microplastics and surrounding landfill leachate, finding that target ARGs on microplastics were reduced significantly less than those in leachate. The study also characterized regrowth potential after treatment, highlighting microplastics as persistent ARG reservoirs.
Microplastic biofilms in water treatment systems: Fate and risks of pathogenic bacteria, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and antibiotic resistance genes
This review examines how microplastics in drinking water and wastewater treatment plants develop biofilms that harbor dangerous bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes. The biofilm-coated microplastics can protect pathogens from disinfection processes, allowing them to survive treatment and potentially reach tap water. This raises concerns about microplastics serving as vehicles for antibiotic-resistant bacteria in our water supply.
Effects of polyvinyl chloride microplastics and benzylalkyldimethylethyl compounds on system performance, microbial community and resistance genes in sulfur autotrophic denitrification system
Researchers found that PVC microplastics and a common disinfectant chemical in wastewater treatment systems promoted the spread of antibiotic resistance genes, with the disinfectant having an even stronger effect than the microplastics. The microplastic surfaces harbored disease-causing bacteria that carried these resistance genes. This is concerning because wastewater treatment plants could be releasing both microplastics and antibiotic-resistant pathogens into waterways, potentially threatening human health.
Size-dependent effects of microplastics on antibiotic resistance genes fate in wastewater treatment systems: The role of changed surface property and microbial assemblages in a continuous exposure mode
Researchers developed a continuous exposure method to evaluate how different sizes of microplastics affect antibiotic resistance gene fate in wastewater treatment, finding that smaller microplastics had greater impacts on microbial communities and resistance gene proliferation.
Contribution of microplastic particles to the spread of resistances and pathogenic bacteria in treated wastewaters
Researchers studied microplastic particles collected from treated wastewater effluents and found that MPs harbored significantly higher loads of antibiotic resistance genes and pathogenic bacteria compared to surrounding water, suggesting MPs facilitate their environmental spread.
Modifications to sorption and sinking capability of microplastics after chlorination
Researchers found that chlorination disinfection at both low and high doses modified the surface chemistry of PE, PET, PS, and PVC microplastics, increasing surface area and reducing hydrophobicity while weakening their capacity to sorb contaminants like ciprofloxacin. The study concluded that chlorination generally reduces the role of microplastics as transport vectors for organic pollutants, though effects on buoyancy varied by polymer type.
Effects of microplastics on water disinfection and formation of disinfection by-products
This review examines how the presence of microplastics in drinking water and wastewater interferes with chlorination and ozonation disinfection processes, potentially reducing their effectiveness and generating harmful disinfection by-products. Microplastics can leach dissolved organic carbon that reacts with disinfectants, and they serve as refuges for antibiotic-resistant bacteria that may survive standard treatment. The authors call for more realistic laboratory experiments and field studies to properly assess the real-world risks that microplastics pose inside water treatment plants.
Disinfection impacts: Effects of different disinfection treatments on common polymer types to guide the identification of polymers of concern in the water industry
Researchers tested how common water disinfection methods, including chlorination and chloramination, affect seven types of plastic particles at different doses and pH levels. They found that both treatments caused measurable physical and chemical changes to the polymers, with some plastics showing significant surface degradation and chemical alterations. The findings suggest that water treatment processes may unintentionally transform microplastics in ways that could affect their environmental behavior and potential health impacts.
Growth and prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in microplastic biofilm from wastewater treatment plant effluents
Researchers studied antibiotic-resistant bacteria growing in biofilms on microplastic surfaces in wastewater treatment plant effluent. The study found that microplastic biofilms accumulated antibiotic-resistant bacteria including Pseudomonas, Aeromonas, and Bacillus, and that these biofilms harbored higher concentrations of resistance genes compared to surrounding water, suggesting microplastics may serve as reservoirs for antibiotic resistance.
Impact of Chlorine or UV/H2O2 on Microplastics Under Conditions Representative of Drinking Water Treatment
Researchers exposed low- and high-density polyethylene microplastics to chlorine and UV/H2O2 at drinking-water-relevant doses and found that surface changes and cytotoxicity increases reported in earlier studies occurred only at far higher doses than used in practice.
Sodium hypochlorite residual in the environment facilitated the spread of antibiotic resistance genes: through microplastics as a medium
Researchers investigated how the combination of microplastics and sodium hypochlorite residuals from wastewater treatment plants affects the spread of antibiotic resistance genes. The study found that microplastics serving as a medium significantly amplified antibiotic resistance gene abundance, especially under NaClO stress, suggesting that co-exposure to these common pollutants accelerates the spread of antimicrobial resistance in the environment.
Fragmented Microplastics Synergize with Biological Treatment To Potentiate Antibiotic Resistance Dissemination during Sewage Treatment
Researchers used metagenomic sequencing and high-throughput qPCR across a full sewage treatment chain to show that fragmented microplastics preferentially concentrate clinically relevant antibiotic resistance genes, with MP-bound genes contributing up to 43% of intracellular resistance genes detected in treated effluent, and Acinetobacter emerging as a key resistance indicator.
Chlorine disinfection enhances the degradation of biodegradable microplastics into nanoplastics and dissolved organic carbon in a simulated disinfection process
Lab experiments showed that the chlorine disinfectant used in wastewater treatment plants actively breaks down biodegradable microplastics (PLA and PBAT), generating nanoplastics and dissolved organic carbon in the process. This finding is concerning because it suggests that standard disinfection, while killing pathogens, may inadvertently create smaller and potentially more bioavailable plastic particles that then enter waterways.
Antibiotic resistance fate in the full-scale drinking water and municipal wastewater treatment processes: A review
This review examines how antibiotic-resistant bacteria and resistance genes move through drinking water and wastewater treatment processes, finding that conventional treatment does not fully eliminate resistance. Microplastics in water systems act as surfaces that harbor and potentially transfer antibiotic resistance genes, making microplastic removal from water treatment an important co-benefit for antibiotic resistance management.
Microplastics enhanced the resistant genes spread under disinfectant replacement exposure in partial nitrification-anammox systems
Researchers investigated how alternating disinfectant exposure affects the spread of antibiotic resistance genes on microplastic biofilms in wastewater treatment systems. They found that switching between different disinfectants increased the risk of resistance gene transmission, with PET and polyethylene microplastics serving as vectors for both resistant bacteria and nitrogen-removing microorganisms. The study raises concerns that microplastics in wastewater systems may accelerate the spread of antimicrobial resistance under common disinfection practices.