We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Papers
61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Effect of single and hybrid microplastic exposures on anaerobic sludge in microbial electrochemical technology (MET)
ClearBioelectrochemical 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.
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.
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.
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.
An in-depth analysis of microbial response to exposure to high concentrations of microplastics in anaerobic wastewater fermentation
This study investigated how high concentrations of three common microplastic types affect the microbes used in anaerobic wastewater treatment, finding that microplastics reduced methane production by up to 56%. PVC had the most damaging effect on the microbial communities that break down waste, while polyethylene was somewhat less disruptive. The findings matter because impaired wastewater treatment means more pollutants, including microplastics themselves, could escape into waterways that feed human water supplies.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Long-Term Effects of Polyvinyl Chloride Microplastics on Anaerobic Granular Sludge for Recovering Methane from Wastewater
Researchers studied the long-term effects of PVC microplastics on anaerobic granular sludge used in wastewater treatment over 264 days. They found that microplastic exposure significantly reduced organic matter removal efficiency by up to 35.5% and decreased methane production by up to 32.3%, while disrupting the protective biofilm around sludge granules. The study demonstrates that microplastic contamination in wastewater can impair the biological treatment processes that cities rely on for waste management and energy recovery.
Unraveling the effects and mechanisms of microplastics on anaerobic fermentation: Exploring microbial communities and metabolic pathways
Researchers investigated how five types of microplastics affect the anaerobic fermentation process used to treat sewage sludge. They found that polyethylene microplastics caused the greatest reduction in volatile fatty acid production, while polyvinyl chloride had the least impact, and all types disrupted microbial communities in distinct ways. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in wastewater could meaningfully interfere with sludge treatment efficiency.
Revealing the Mechanisms of Polyethylene Microplastics Affecting Anaerobic Digestion of Waste Activated Sludge
Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics affect the anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge, a common wastewater treatment process. They found that higher concentrations of microplastics significantly reduced methane production by disrupting microbial communities and enzyme activities essential for digestion. The study reveals that microplastic contamination in wastewater systems can undermine the efficiency of sludge treatment and biogas generation.
Succession of bacterial community during electroactive methanogenic biofilm development under microplastic manipulation
Researchers studied how PET microplastics affect the formation and function of methane-producing biofilms used in waste-to-energy systems. The study found that microplastic exposure reduced the proportion of living cells in the biofilm and shifted the microbial community composition, ultimately decreasing methane production efficiency.
Revealing How Polyvinyl Chloride Microplastic Physicochemically Affect the Anaerobic Digestion of Waste Activated Sludge
PVC microplastics in sewage sludge change the surface chemistry of sludge flocs, raising the energy barrier between sludge and the microbes that break it down and causing microbial communities to reorganise. At low concentrations PVC initially increases contact efficiency, but at higher concentrations it coats sludge surfaces and blocks microbial access, ultimately reducing methane production in anaerobic digesters — a finding relevant to the performance and safety of wastewater treatment plants receiving plastic-contaminated sludge.
Understanding and mitigating the distinctive stresses induced by diverse microplastics on anaerobic hydrogen-producing granular sludge
Researchers compared how polyethylene, PET, and PVC microplastics differentially stress anaerobic hydrogen-producing granular sludge, finding that PVC caused the greatest inhibition of hydrogen production (reduced to 66.6% of control) due to its more toxic leachates. Adding biochar to the sludge mitigated MP-induced inhibition by adsorbing leached chemicals, restoring hydrogen production efficiency.
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.
Systematic study of microplastics on methane production in anaerobic digestion: Performance and microbial response
Microplastics are increasingly found in wastewater treatment systems, and this study systematically examined how different types, concentrations, and sizes of microplastics affect the anaerobic digestion process used to break down sewage sludge and generate biogas. Polyethylene microplastics were found to inhibit methane production, with finer particles and higher concentrations causing greater disruption to the microbial communities driving digestion. The findings matter because microplastics in sewage sludge can impair the treatment process and also end up spread on agricultural land when sludge is used as fertilizer.
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.
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.
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.
Impact of preozonation on biogas potential of PVC microplastics-containing waste sludge
Researchers evaluated the impact of preozonation on anaerobic digestion of wastewater sludge contaminated with PVC microplastics, measuring biogas and methane yields to determine whether ozone pretreatment could overcome the inhibitory effect that insoluble PVC particles exert on sludge-degrading microorganisms.
Microplastics decrease the toxicity of cadmium to methane production from anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge
Researchers investigated the combined effects of PVC microplastics and cadmium on methane production during anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge. The study found that while both pollutants individually inhibit methane production, microplastics at certain concentrations actually decreased cadmium toxicity and helped recover methane yields, suggesting complex interactions between these co-occurring contaminants in wastewater systems.
Impact of alkaline thermal hydrolysis on anaerobic digestion of mixed sludge contaminated with microplastics
Researchers tested alkaline thermal hydrolysis pretreatment on sludge containing polyethylene and PVC microplastics before anaerobic digestion, finding that the pretreatment altered how microplastics affected subsequent methane production, with effects varying by polymer type and concentration.