Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Impact of separate concentrations of polyethylene microplastics on the ability of pollutants removal during the operation of constructed wetland-microbial fuel cell

Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics at different concentrations affect constructed wetland microbial fuel cells over 360 days, finding that COD and phosphorus removal remained stable but nitrogen removal and power generation declined as microplastic concentrations increased.

2023 Journal of Environmental Management 52 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

Investigation of the influence of polystyrene microplastics in wastewater on anode biofilm viability and electron transfer in microbial fuel cells performance

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics in wastewater reduce the electricity-generating ability of microbial fuel cells — devices that use bacteria to turn waste into power — by disrupting the bacterial biofilms that transfer electrons to electrodes. Carbon-based electrodes were more resistant to microplastic interference than metal ones, suggesting material choice matters when designing systems treating microplastic-contaminated water.

2025 Environmental Sciences Europe 3 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

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

Unveiling the microplastic perturbation on surface flow constructed wetlands with macrophytes of different life forms: Responses of nitrogen removal and sensory quality

Polystyrene microplastics initially boosted nitrogen removal in constructed wetlands used for water treatment, but over time they reduced removal efficiency by 25-34% and harmed the beneficial bacteria responsible for cleaning the water. This means microplastic contamination could undermine natural water treatment systems that communities rely on for clean water.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 42 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

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

Insight into effect of polyethylene microplastic on nitrogen removal in moving bed biofilm reactor: Focusing on microbial community and species interactions

Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics affect nitrogen removal in wastewater treatment bioreactors and found that low concentrations slightly improved the process, while higher concentrations disrupted it. The microplastics changed the microbial communities responsible for breaking down nitrogen in wastewater. This matters because less effective wastewater treatment means more nitrogen pollution in waterways, and microplastics entering treatment plants could reduce their ability to clean water effectively.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of microplastics on the treatment performance of constructed wetlands: Based on substrate characteristics and microbial activities

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastic accumulation in constructed wetlands initially improved nitrogen removal efficiency but ultimately impaired treatment performance over a 370-day experiment, altering substrate characteristics and microbial community activities.

2022 Water Research 90 citations
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

Microplastic interference influences Pseudomonas fluorescens in denitrification efficiency of wastewater treatment

Researchers investigated how microplastics interfere with Pseudomonas fluorescens activity in denitrification processes at wastewater treatment plants, finding that microplastic contamination disrupted microbial performance and could compromise nitrogen removal from wastewater.

2025
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics Disturb Nitrogen Removal in Constructed Wetlands: Responses of Microbes and Macrophytes

The impact of nanosized plastics on nitrogen removal in constructed wetlands was investigated by examining microbial community responses and denitrification processes. Nanoplastics disturbed biological nitrogen removal in the wetland system, with microorganisms showing altered community structure and reduced denitrification efficiency.

2020 Environmental Science & Technology 270 citations
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

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

Effect evaluation of microplastics on activated sludge nitrification and denitrification

Researchers found that microplastics entering wastewater treatment plants interfere with the nitrification and denitrification processes carried out by activated sludge microbes, potentially reducing the effectiveness of nutrient removal in sewage treatment. This effect could undermine water quality if microplastic loads in wastewater continue to increase.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 172 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics accumulation in lab-scale vertical flow constructed wetlands: impacts and fate

Researchers tested how polystyrene microplastics affect constructed wetlands, a nature-based system used to treat wastewater. They found that while the wetlands still removed most pollutants effectively, nitrogen removal decreased by up to 5% in the presence of microplastics, and the particles accumulated mainly in the upper layers of the wetland substrate. The study suggests that microplastics can alter the microbial communities responsible for breaking down nitrogen in these treatment systems.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Nitrogen removal performance of bioretention cells under polyethylene (PE) microplastic stress

Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics affect the nitrogen removal performance of bioretention cells used to filter stormwater runoff. The study found that microplastic accumulation reduced overall nitrogen removal efficiency by up to 28% while altering the microbial community structure responsible for denitrification.

2023 Environmental Pollution 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics shaped performance, microbial ecology and community assembly in simultaneous nitrification, denitrification and phosphorus removal process

This study found that polystyrene and PVC microplastics disrupted the performance of wastewater treatment systems designed to remove nitrogen and phosphorus, reducing nitrogen removal by up to 10%. The microplastics altered microbial communities, decreased cooperation between beneficial bacteria, and blocked important biological pathways. Since wastewater treatment is a key barrier against pollution reaching drinking water, microplastic interference with these systems could indirectly increase human exposure to harmful contaminants.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics perturb nitrogen removal, microbial community and metabolism mechanism in biofilm system

Researchers found that polystyrene and PET microplastics reduced total nitrogen removal by 7-16% in biofilm wastewater treatment systems by causing cell damage, altering microbial community structure, and suppressing key genes involved in denitrification and nitrogen conversion.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 57 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics occurrence and fate in full-scale treatment wetlands

Researchers assessed microplastic occurrence and fate across full-scale treatment wetlands, finding that constructed wetlands effectively remove a significant proportion of MPs from wastewater but that removal efficiency varies with wetland design and MP characteristics.

2023 Water Research 34 citations
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

Optimization of microplastic removal based on the complementarity of constructed wetland and microalgal-based system

This review examines how constructed wetlands and microalgal-based systems can each remove microplastics from wastewater, along with the limitations of using either approach alone. Researchers found that microplastic accumulation can block wetland substrates and inhibit nitrogen removal, while microalgae face separation challenges in effluent. The study proposes combining both biotechnologies to expand the size range of microplastics removed and improve long-term wastewater treatment sustainability.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 13 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