Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastics in sewage sludge destined to anaerobic digestion: The potential role of thermal pretreatment

Researchers found that thermal pretreatment of sewage sludge at 120°C did not degrade conventional PET microplastics but did alter biodegradable microplastics, which also boosted methane production during anaerobic digestion, raising concerns about how different microplastic types behave in sludge treatment.

2022 Chemosphere 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparison of Thermophilic–Mesophilic and Mesophilic–Thermophilic Two-Phase High-Solid Sludge Anaerobic Digestion at Different Inoculation Proportions: Digestion Performance and Microbial Diversity

This paper is not relevant to microplastics research — it examines temperature sequencing strategies for anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge, focusing on methane production and microbial community dynamics.

2023 Microorganisms 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Conversion of Materials and Energy in Anaerobic Digestion of Sewage Sludge with High-Pressure Homogenization Pretreatment

Not a microplastics paper — this study evaluates high-pressure homogenization as a pretreatment for sewage sludge before anaerobic digestion, finding it increases methane gas yield by up to 57% while helping to optimize energy use in wastewater treatment.

2023 Processes 9 citations
Article Tier 2

MicroplasticDegradation through Thermal Hydrolysisin Sewage Sludge and Its Impact on the Anaerobic Process

Researchers investigated the fate of microplastics in sewage sludge during thermal hydrolysis pretreatment and found that temperatures of 140-180°C significantly degraded microplastics while also affecting subsequent anaerobic biogas production from the treated sludge.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

A novel dual circulating fluidized bed technology for thermal treatment of municipal sewage sludge with recovery of nutrients and energy

Researchers developed a dual circulating fluidized bed technology for thermally treating municipal sewage sludge that recovers both nutrients and energy while destroying harmful contaminants including pathogens, pharmaceutical residues, and microplastics.

2022 Waste Management 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of micro-nanoplastics on biochemical phases of anaerobic digestion in sewage sludge treatment: mechanistic insights and future prospects

Micro- and nanoplastics were found to disrupt the biochemical phases of anaerobic digestion, affecting the efficiency of the biological process used to treat organic waste. Understanding these impacts is important because anaerobic digestion is a common wastewater and sludge treatment method that may both receive and process microplastic-contaminated materials.

2025 International Journal of Theoretical and Applied Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Degradation through Thermal Hydrolysis in Sewage Sludge and Its Impact on the Anaerobic Process

Researchers found that thermal hydrolysis pretreatment of sewage sludge reduced microplastic concentrations from 206 particles/g to lower levels, with approximately 54% of microplastics initially in solid phase, and examined the implications for sludge management and microplastic fate.

2025 ACS ES&T Water
Article Tier 2

Sludge Thermal Hydrolysis for Mitigating Oxidative Stress of Polystyrene Nanoplastics in Anaerobic Digestion: Significance of the Solids Content

Thermal hydrolysis pretreatment of sewage sludge mitigated the oxidative stress caused by polystyrene nanoplastics in anaerobic digestion, with effectiveness varying by sludge solids content - reactive oxygen species increases were lower at 12% than at 4-8% total solids, improving methane production.

2023 ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Propagation of antibiotic resistance genes during anaerobic digestion of thermally hydrolyzed sludge and their correlation with extracellular polymeric substances

Researchers found that heating sewage sludge to 140°C before anaerobic digestion best reduced antibiotic resistance genes (DNA fragments that help bacteria survive antibiotics) while also boosting methane gas production by 40%. The study reveals that specific components of the sludge's protective matrix, called extracellular polymeric substances, play a key role in whether resistance genes are destroyed or persist.

2022 Scientific Reports 47 citations
Article Tier 2

Thermal hydrolysis alleviates polyethylene microplastic-induced stress in anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge

Scientists found that pretreating waste sludge with heat before anaerobic digestion reduced the negative effects that polyethylene microplastics have on the process. The thermal treatment improved methane production and helped maintain healthy microbial communities even in the presence of microplastics. The study suggests that thermal hydrolysis could be a practical strategy for wastewater treatment plants dealing with microplastic-contaminated sludge.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 28 citations
Article Tier 2

A perspective on hydrothermal processing of sewage sludge

Researchers reviewed hydrothermal processing as a strategy for treating sewage sludge, finding it can recover eleven times more energy than landfilling and, when integrated with anaerobic digestion, offers a scalable approach to converting the 79 million dry tons of liquid organic waste the US generates annually.

2020 Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health 107 citations
Article Tier 2

The occurrence and fate of microplastics in a mesophilic anaerobic digester receiving sewage sludge, grease, and fatty slurries

Researchers analyzed microplastic loads entering and leaving a mesophilic anaerobic digester at a wastewater treatment plant serving nearly 800,000 people. They found that the digester received approximately 7,326 kg of microplastics per year, with digested sludge containing about 30% less, though this reduction was within the variability of the measurements. The study provides important data on the fate of microplastics during sewage sludge treatment processes.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 52 citations
Article Tier 2

Farkli Çamur Dezentegrasyon Yöntemleri̇yle Mezofi̇li̇k Ve Termofi̇li̇k Çamur Çürütme Sirasinda Poli̇karbonat Mi̇kroplasti̇kleri̇n Etki̇leri̇ Ve Akibeti̇

Researchers investigated the fate and effects of polycarbonate microplastics during mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge under different sludge disintegration methods, finding that PC particles accumulate in digestate and can inhibit biogas production processes.

2025 OpenMETU (Middle East Technical University)
Article Tier 2

Pyrolysis behavior of sewage sludge coexisted with microplastics: Kinetics, mechanism, and product characteristics

Researchers investigated the co-pyrolysis behavior of sewage sludge mixed with polyethylene and polylactic acid microplastics. They found that the presence of microplastics improved the overall pyrolysis performance and altered the composition of the resulting bio-oil and gas products. The study suggests that understanding how microplastics in sewage sludge affect thermal treatment could help optimize waste processing at wastewater treatment plants.

2024 Journal of Environmental Management 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge on different polymers: Perspectives on the potential of the treatment to degrade microplastics

Researchers tested whether mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge could degrade common microplastic polymers. While they observed some surface changes and degradation signs in certain plastics, the process could not comprehensively break down any of the eight polymer types tested. The study concludes that anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge, under the conditions tested, is not an effective method for eliminating microplastics before sludge is applied to soil.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Is nitrification inhibition the bottleneck of integrating hydrothermal liquefaction in wastewater treatment plants?

This is not a microplastics study; it investigates how process water from hydrothermal liquefaction of sewage sludge inhibits nitrification in wastewater treatment plants, finding significant inhibition that could limit the technology's integration into conventional treatment systems.

2023 Journal of Environmental Management 12 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

Thermal Hydrolysis of Sludge Counteracts Polystyrene Nanoplastics-Induced Stress during Anaerobic Digestion

Thermal hydrolysis pretreatment of sewage sludge was found to counteract oxidative stress and process inhibition caused by polystyrene nanoplastics during anaerobic digestion, improving biogas production and microbial community resilience. The results suggest thermal hydrolysis as a practical strategy to protect anaerobic digestion systems from nanoplastic-induced disruption.

2022 ACS ES&T Engineering 46 citations
Article Tier 2

Influência da temperatura no sistema de tratamento de efluentes por lodos ativados

A literature review examined how temperature influences activated sludge wastewater treatment systems, finding temperature significantly affects microbial activity, organic matter degradation, and nutrient removal efficiency in these widely used treatment processes.

2024 Environmental Scientiae 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Amplifiers of environmental risk of microplastics in sewage sludge: Thermal drying treatment

Researchers found that thermal drying of sewage sludge increased microplastic abundance by approximately 10-fold compared to undried sludge, with enhanced fragmentation into smaller particles. This finding identifies thermal drying as a treatment process that amplifies rather than reduces the environmental risk of microplastics in sludge.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Research progress and perspective on sludge anaerobic digestion technology: A bibliometric analysis

This paper is not about microplastics; it is a bibliometric analysis of three decades of research on anaerobic digestion as a wastewater sludge treatment technology, mapping publication trends and identifying key research themes.

2024 Water Science & Technology 2 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
Article Tier 2

Mesophilic anaerobic digestion of mixed sludge in CSTR and AnMBR systems: A perspective on microplastics fate

Researchers compared how two types of anaerobic digesters used in wastewater treatment affect the fate of microplastics in sewage sludge. They found that while digestion reduced some types of microplastics, it also fragmented larger particles into smaller ones, and a membrane bioreactor retained more microplastics than a conventional stirred tank. The study suggests that current wastewater treatment processes may not fully eliminate microplastics and could even create smaller, harder-to-remove particles.

2025 Journal of Environmental Management 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Overcoming micro/nanoplastics-induced inhibition in anaerobic digestion: Advances in remediation techniques

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics inhibit anaerobic digestion performance — reducing biogas yield and organic removal — and surveys remediation strategies including physical, chemical, and biological approaches to overcome their disruptive effects in waste treatment systems.

2025 Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews