Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Impacts of Microplastics on Anammox Systems: A Comprehensive Review of Mechanisms and Influences

This review examines how microplastics affect anammox wastewater treatment systems, which are used for biological nitrogen removal. The study found that low concentrations of microplastics can actually enhance system performance by acting as biofilm carriers, while high concentrations inhibit the process through physical clogging, toxic effects, and oxidative stress.

2026 Public health and environment.
Article Tier 2

A review of microplastics on anammox: Influences and mechanisms

This review summarizes how microplastics affect anammox, a key biological process used in wastewater treatment to remove nitrogen. Microplastics disrupt the microbial communities that perform this process, reducing treatment efficiency depending on plastic concentration, size, and type. Since wastewater treatment is a critical barrier preventing pollutants from reaching drinking water sources, any reduction in treatment performance could increase human exposure to contaminants.

2024 Journal of Environmental Management 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Insight into response characteristics and inhibition mechanisms of anammox granular sludge to polyethylene terephthalate microplastics exposure

This study tested how PET microplastics affect the anammox process, a key biological method used in wastewater treatment to remove nitrogen. At higher concentrations, PET particles reduced treatment efficiency by about 16% and weakened the structure of the bacterial granules that perform the process. The findings matter because microplastics in sewage could impair the very systems designed to clean our wastewater.

2023 Bioresource Technology 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Deciphering anammox response characteristics and potential mechanisms to polyethylene terephthalate microplastic exposure

This study tested how PET microplastics affect the bacteria used in wastewater treatment for removing nitrogen pollutants. Long-term exposure to high concentrations of PET microplastics reduced the nitrogen removal efficiency by nearly 29%, though the system partially recovered over three months. The findings matter because compromised wastewater treatment means more pollutants could end up in waterways that supply drinking water.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Inhibition of anammox activity by municipal and industrial wastewater pollutants: A review

This review compiles research on how various wastewater pollutants, including microplastics and emerging contaminants, inhibit anammox bacteria used for nitrogen removal in water treatment. Researchers found that pollutant type, concentration, and exposure duration all influence the degree of inhibition, potentially reducing treatment efficiency. The study highlights the importance of understanding pollutant interactions with biological treatment processes as new contaminants continue to appear in wastewater.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 76 citations
Article Tier 2

Study on acute exposure of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics on the performance of anammox granular sludge

Researchers studied how short-term exposure to PET microplastics of different sizes affects the performance of anaerobic ammonia-oxidizing (anammox) bacteria used in wastewater treatment. Surprisingly, acute exposure to PET microplastics actually promoted the denitrification rate of the reactor and increased the activity of key enzymes. The findings suggest that brief microplastic exposure may temporarily boost certain biological wastewater treatment processes, though long-term effects remain unknown.

2025 Anaerobe 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Unveiling the plastisphere in anammox process: Physicochemical evolution of microplastics and microbial succession dynamics

Researchers tracked how polyethylene terephthalate microplastics change physically and chemically over 30 days in an anaerobic wastewater treatment system. They found that while the microplastics had minimal impact on nitrogen removal efficiency, they developed distinct microbial communities on their surfaces that evolved over time. The study provides new insights into how microplastics interact with beneficial microbes in wastewater treatment processes.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of biodegradable polybutylene succinate and non-biodegradable polyvinyl chloride microplastics on anammox sludge: Performance evaluation, suppression effect and metagenomic analysis

Researchers found that both biodegradable polybutylene succinate (PBS) and non-biodegradable polyvinyl chloride (PVC) microplastics reduced nitrite removal efficiency of anammox sludge in wastewater treatment, with metagenomic analysis revealing suppression of key anammox microbial communities and metabolic pathways.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 96 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 polyethylene microplastics on the nitrogen removal and bacterial community in sequencing batch reactor at different hydraulic retention times

Researchers examined how polyethylene microplastics affect nitrogen removal performance in biological wastewater treatment at different hydraulic retention times. The study found that the presence of microplastics amplified the negative effects of shortened treatment times on nitrogen removal efficiency and altered bacterial communities and enzyme levels involved in nitrification and denitrification, offering new insights into how microplastics interfere with wastewater treatment processes.

2025 Journal of Environmental Management 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and anammox: Unravelling the hidden threats to nitrogen cycling and microbial resilience

This review examined how microplastics disrupt nitrogen cycling in soil by interfering with specialized bacteria that remove nitrogen from the environment. Researchers found that microplastics alter microbial habitats, destabilize bacterial communities, and attract heavy metals that further inhibit these essential soil processes, with effects varying based on soil acidity and organic matter content.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 2 citations
Article Tier 2

How anammox responds to the emerging contaminants: Status and mechanisms

This review synthesizes research on how emerging contaminants including antibiotics, nanomaterials, heavy metals, and microplastics affect anammox bacteria used in wastewater nitrogen removal, identifying inhibition thresholds and possible recovery mechanisms.

2021 Journal of Environmental Management 52 citations
Article Tier 2

Insights into combined stress mechanisms of microplastics and antibiotics on anammox: A critical review

This review examines how microplastics and antibiotics together affect anammox bacteria, which are important for removing nitrogen from wastewater. Researchers found that combined exposure disrupts the bacteria through oxidative stress, cell membrane damage, and interference with key enzymes, often more severely than either pollutant alone. The study highlights that microplastic and antibiotic contamination in wastewater could undermine biological treatment processes.

2025 Journal of Environmental Management 3 citations
Article Tier 2

System-dependent effects and mechanisms of microplastics/nanoplastics on nitrogen and phosphorus removal from wastewater treatment and N2O emission

Researchers reviewed the system-dependent effects of microplastics and nanoplastics on nitrogen and phosphorus removal efficiency across various wastewater treatment systems, including activated sludge, constructed wetlands, and membrane bioreactors. The study found that these plastic particles also impact nitrous oxide emissions, with effects varying significantly depending on the treatment technology used.

2026 Journal of Hazardous Materials
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

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

Insights into N2O turnovers under polyethylene terephthalate microplastics stress in mainstream biological nitrogen removal process

Long-term exposure of biological nitrogen removal (BNR) wastewater systems to polyethylene terephthalate microplastics at concentrations up to 500 micrograms per liter altered nitrous oxide (N2O) production and reduction during denitrification over 100-plus days of treatment. The findings suggest MPs in municipal wastewater could inadvertently increase greenhouse gas emissions from wastewater treatment plants.

2022 Water Research 56 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoparticles regulate microbial stress response and cold adaptation in mainstream anammox process at low temperature

Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics at concentrations above 0.5 mg/L significantly impair nitrogen removal by anammox bacteria (microbes that convert ammonia to nitrogen gas) in wastewater treatment, with nanoplastics inducing oxidative stress, damaging cell membranes, and binding to cold-shock proteins that are critical for low-temperature bacterial performance.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in granular sequencing batch reactors: Effects on pollutant removal dynamics and the microbial community

Researchers investigated how polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate microplastics affect pollutant removal in granular sludge wastewater treatment reactors. They found that microplastic type and concentration influenced nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic compound removal rates, with PET particles showing a stronger tendency to accumulate within the biomass. The study indicates that microplastic contamination in wastewater treatment systems may compromise treatment efficiency and alter microbial community dynamics.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 12 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

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 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

Mechanisms of inhibition and recovery under multi-antibiotic stress in anammox: A critical review

This review examines how antibiotics, alongside other emerging pollutants like microplastics and nanomaterials, inhibit the anammox process used in wastewater treatment for nitrogen removal. The researchers detail multiple mechanisms by which antibiotics disrupt these specialized bacteria, including damage to cell membranes, enzyme inhibition, and interference with key metabolic pathways. Understanding these mechanisms is important for developing strategies to maintain effective wastewater treatment in the face of increasing antibiotic contamination.

2024 Journal of Environmental Management 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Responses of performance, antibiotic resistance genes and bacterial communities of partial nitrification system to polyamide microplastics

Short- and long-term exposure of a partial nitrification bioreactor to polyamide microplastics found that while overall treatment performance was minimally affected, chronic exposure elevated ammonia oxidation rates and shifted bacterial community composition, with enrichment of microplastic-colonizing taxa potentially altering nitrogen removal pathways over time.

2021 Bioresource Technology 59 citations