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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to An in-depth analysis of microbial response to exposure to high concentrations of microplastics in anaerobic wastewater fermentation
ClearUnraveling 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Different responses of mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge to PVC microplastics
This study found that PVC microplastics have opposite effects on methane production depending on digestion temperature: low concentrations of PVC boosted methane yield in mesophilic (37°C) anaerobic digestion while inhibiting it under thermophilic (55°C) conditions. These effects were linked to changes in the microbial communities responsible for breaking down organic matter, with PVC disrupting key propionate-oxidizing and methanogenic bacteria at higher temperatures. The findings are important for wastewater treatment facilities that use anaerobic digestion, as microplastics in sewage sludge could affect energy recovery efficiency.
Response of wastewater treatment performance and bacterial community to original and aged polyvinyl chloride microplastics in sequencing batch reactors
This study found that PVC microplastics, both fresh and aged, severely harmed wastewater treatment processes by reducing the removal of harmful chemicals like ammonia and organic pollutants. The microplastics shifted the bacterial communities in the treatment system, reducing helpful nitrogen-removing bacteria while promoting other types. This means microplastic contamination of wastewater plants could lead to poorer water treatment quality, allowing more pollutants to reach rivers and drinking water sources.
Effects of Different Microplastics on Methane Production and Microbial Community Structure in Anaerobic Digestion of Cattle Manure
Researchers tested how four types of microplastics affect methane production during anaerobic digestion of cattle manure. They found that polyethylene microplastics increased cumulative methane production by nearly 12% by enriching methane-producing microorganisms, while polyhydroxyalkanoate microplastics inhibited methane production by suppressing key methanogenic communities.
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.
Deciphering the role of polystyrene microplastics in waste activated sludge anaerobic digestion: Changes of organics transformation, microbial community and metabolic pathway
Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics in sewage sludge affected the anaerobic digestion process used to treat waste, with low concentrations slightly boosting methane production but high concentrations reducing it by up to 11%. The microplastics disrupted key bacterial communities and enzyme activities needed for proper waste breakdown. This matters because wastewater treatment plants handle enormous volumes of microplastic-laden sludge, and impaired digestion could reduce treatment effectiveness and release more pollutants into the environment.
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.
Polyvinyl Chloride Microplastics Affect Methane Production from the Anaerobic Digestion of Waste Activated Sludge through Leaching Toxic Bisphenol-A
PVC microplastics were added to anaerobic sludge digestion systems at concentrations of 10–60 particles/g, finding that low concentrations (10 particles/g) slightly increased methane production (+5.9%) while higher concentrations inhibited it by up to 24.2%, with inhibition linked to bisphenol-A leaching from PVC. The study reveals a non-linear dose-dependent effect of PVC microplastics on biogas production in wastewater treatment.
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.
Mechanistic insights into the impact of multi-dimensional microplastic stress on nitrogen removal by heterotrophic nitrifying-aerobic denitrifying bacteria: A meta-transcriptomic analysis
Researchers studied how different types of microplastics affect bacteria that are used to remove nitrogen from wastewater. They found that PVC microplastics were particularly disruptive, interfering with enzyme function and gene expression needed for denitrification. The study provides molecular-level insights into how microplastic pollution could undermine biological wastewater treatment systems.
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.
Response of denitrifying anaerobic methane oxidation processes in freshwater and marine sediments to polyvinyl chloride microplastics
Researchers investigated how polyvinyl chloride microplastics affect denitrifying anaerobic methane oxidation (n-DAMO) processes in freshwater and marine sediments. They found that the presence of microplastics significantly increased n-DAMO rates compared to controls, with marine sediments showing a more pronounced response. The study provides the first evidence that PVC microplastics may actually enhance methane-consuming microbial processes in sediments.
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.
Inhibition of aged microplastics and leachates on methane production from anaerobic digestion of sludge and identification of key components
Researchers investigated the effects of aged microplastics and their leachates on sludge anaerobic digestion, finding that aged PVC and PET significantly inhibited methane production, with phthalate esters and bisphenol A identified as key inhibitory components.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Polystyrene nanoplastics shape microbiome and functional metabolism in anaerobic digestion
Researchers studied how polystyrene nanoplastics and microplastics affect the microbial communities and biochemical processes in anaerobic digestion systems used for waste treatment. They found that nanoplastics had a more disruptive effect than microplastics, significantly altering the composition and metabolic functions of the microbial community. The study suggests that plastic contamination in waste streams could reduce the efficiency of anaerobic digestion, a widely used waste processing technology.