Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

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.

2025 Journal of environmental chemical engineering 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Unraveling synergistic cascade inhibition of methane production in anaerobic digestion system by polyethylene microplastics and domestic sewage: Physical adsorption, metabolic disruption, and microbial community decoupling

Researchers systematically explored how the co-presence of polyethylene microplastics and domestic sewage inhibits methane production in anaerobic digestion systems, finding that physical adsorption of microplastics, propionic acid accumulation, and microbial community decoupling identified via multi-omics analysis collectively suppressed cumulative CH4 production by 41.8% compared to controls.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Effects of Micro(nano)plastics on Anaerobic Digestion and Their Influencing Mechanisms

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics from organic waste streams affect anaerobic digestion (AD) performance, covering impacts on methane production, microbial community structure, and enzyme activity. It identifies plastic polymer type and concentration as key variables determining whether MPs stimulate or inhibit digestion processes.

2025 Microorganisms 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation the impact of polystyrene micro and nanoplastics on the methane generation by anaerobic digestion

Researchers tested the effect of polystyrene microplastics and their leached chemical additives on anaerobic digestion systems, finding that microplastic presence reduced methane generation efficiency and disrupted microbial community function.

2020 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 102 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 18 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2019 Environmental Science & Technology 351 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
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on humification and fungal community during cow manure composting

Researchers studied how polyethylene, PVC, and biodegradable PHA microplastics affect the composting process of cow manure. They found that all types of microplastics reduced humification quality, decreased fungal community diversity during peak composting temperatures, and some types increased the relative abundance of plant-pathogenic fungi.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 97 citations
Article Tier 2

Fate and Impacts of Microplastics in Sludge Anaerobic Digestion: Effects on Methanogenic and Acidogenic Pathways

This review examined how microplastics in sewage sludge influence anaerobic digestion performance, covering effects on methane production, volatile fatty acid accumulation, and microbial community function. MPs inhibited methanogenesis at higher concentrations by altering microbial community structure and disrupting electron transfer pathways in the anaerobic digestion process.

2025 ChemistrySelect
Article Tier 2

Effect of microplastic on anaerobic digestion of wasted activated sludge

This study investigated how varying doses of microplastics affect methane production during anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge, testing concentrations from 0 to 100,000 particles per gram. Higher microplastic doses progressively inhibited methane production, suggesting that high microplastic loads in wastewater treatment sludge can impair biogas recovery.

2020 Chemosphere 147 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Comprehensive meta-analysis reveals the impact of non-biodegradable plastic pollution on methane production in anaerobic digestion

This meta-analysis found that microplastics and nanoplastics interfere with anaerobic digestion, a process used to treat organic waste and produce methane. Smaller nanoplastics had a greater impact, suggesting that plastic contamination in waste could reduce the efficiency of this important waste treatment and energy recovery method.

2024 Chemical Engineering Journal 22 citations
Article Tier 2

A review of mechanisms underlying the impacts of (nano)microplastics on anaerobic digestion

This review summarized mechanisms by which nano- and microplastics affect anaerobic digestion in wastewater treatment, covering inhibition and enhancement pathways, impacts on biogas production and methane yield, and effects on microbial community structure.

2021 Bioresource Technology 130 citations
Article Tier 2

Responses of anaerobic hydrogen-producing granules to acute microplastics exposure during biological hydrogen production from wastewater

Researchers examined how anaerobic hydrogen-producing granules respond to microplastic exposure during biological hydrogen production from wastewater, finding that multiple coexisting microplastic types reduced hydrogen yields and altered microbial community composition.

2022 Water Research 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Size-dependent effects of polystyrene microplastics on anaerobic digestion performance of food waste: Focusing on oxidative stress, microbial community, key metabolic functions

Researchers investigated how polystyrene microplastics of different sizes affect anaerobic digestion of food waste and found that smaller particles caused greater inhibition of methane production, with reductions up to 33%. The study suggests that small microplastics induce more oxidative stress in microbial communities and suppress key enzymes involved in methane-producing metabolic pathways.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 65 citations
Article Tier 2

Beyond simple inhibition: Unveiling the non-monotonic impact and multi-level mechanisms of aged microplastics on sludge anaerobic digestion

Researchers used plasma treatment to precisely control polypropylene microplastic aging and tested its effects on anaerobic sludge digestion, finding that while unaged microplastics strongly inhibited methane production, optimally aged microplastics at a carbonyl index of 0.219 recovered methane yield to 83%.

2025 Water Research 2 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2024 Chemical Engineering Journal 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Concentration-dependent effects of polystyrene microplastics on methanogenic activity and microbial community shifts in sewer sediment

This study tested how polystyrene microplastics affect methane-producing microbes in sewer sediments and found that low concentrations boosted methane production by over 200%, while higher concentrations had a smaller stimulating effect. The findings matter for wastewater management because microplastics entering sewer systems could alter greenhouse gas emissions and disrupt the microbial processes that treatment plants rely on.

2025 Bioresource Technology 11 citations
Article Tier 2

A Study of the Effects of Microplastics on Microbial Communities in Marine Sediments

This study investigated how the presence of microplastics in marine sediments affects microbial communities and, specifically, the methane cycle, finding that microplastics significantly altered microbial community structure and function. Since marine sediment microbes play a critical role in regulating greenhouse gas emissions, microplastic contamination could have broader climate-relevant effects beyond direct toxicity.

2024 Highlights in Science Engineering and Technology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Fate and effect of Polyamide-6 microplastics in mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion

This study examined the fate and impact of polyamide-6 microplastics during mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion, finding that digestion temperature affects polymer degradation rates and that microplastics influence methane production and microbial communities.

2024 Environmental Pollution 6 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 24 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

Thermally aged PET microplastics disrupt methanogenic syntrophy via toxic leachates: Microbial assembly dynamics unravel biotoxicity in anaerobic digestion

Researchers found that thermally aged PET microplastics disrupted methane production during anaerobic digestion more severely than pristine microplastics. The aging process increased reactive oxygen species levels and released toxic chemical compounds that interfered with the microbial communities responsible for biogas production, with longer aging periods causing greater inhibition of methane upgrading.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Resilience and functional redundancy of methanogenic digestion microbiome safeguard recovery of methanogenesis activity under the stress induced by microplastics

Researchers studied how microplastics and nanoplastics affect the microbiome responsible for methane production during anaerobic digestion of wastewater sludge. The study found that while plastic particles initially disrupted methanogenesis, the microbial community showed resilience and functional redundancy that allowed methane production to recover over time.

2023 mLife 12 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2025 Journal of Water Process Engineering