Papers

20 results
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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

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

Single-chamber differs from dual-chamber bioelectrochemical systems in wastewater treatment and methane recovery under combined exposure to microplastics and antibiotics

This study compared how single-chamber and dual-chamber bioelectrochemical systems perform when treating wastewater contaminated with both microplastics and antibiotics. Single-chamber systems significantly enhanced methane production by over 21% compared to conventional treatment, while dual-chamber systems struggled due to ammonia buildup. The research found that microplastic and antibiotic contamination dramatically altered microbial communities, highlighting the complex challenges of treating polluted wastewater.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 1 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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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

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

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

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

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
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

Effect of microplastics on the degradation of tetracycline in a soil microbial electric field

Researchers explored how microplastics affect the degradation of the antibiotic tetracycline in soil microbial electrochemical systems. The study found that polylactic acid and polyvinyl chloride microplastics enhanced the electrical output of soil systems and accelerated tetracycline breakdown, with microplastic surfaces acting as hotspots for antibiotic degradation due to their distinct microbial communities.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 30 citations
Article Tier 2

From wastewater to sludge: The role of microplastics in shaping anaerobic digestion performance and antibiotic resistance gene dynamics

This review examines how microplastics in wastewater treatment plants affect the anaerobic digestion process used to break down sewage sludge, finding that certain plastic types can either boost or reduce biogas production depending on conditions. Importantly, microplastics increased the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes by up to 514%, raising serious concerns that wastewater treatment -- meant to protect public health -- may instead become a breeding ground for antibiotic-resistant bacteria when microplastics are present.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 17 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

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