Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Micro- and nanoplastics in granular sludge systems: mechanisms of disruption, retention, and microbial adaptation in wastewater treatment technologies

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics disrupt the biological systems used to treat wastewater, focusing on granular sludge technologies. Plastic particles damage the microbial communities that break down waste by causing oxidative stress and breaking apart the protective structures that hold bacteria together. This matters because if wastewater treatment becomes less effective due to plastic contamination, more pollutants including microplastics could pass through into waterways that supply drinking water.

2025 Water Research X 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Response of aerobic granular sludge under polyethylene microplastics stress: Physicochemical properties, decontamination performance, and microbial community

Researchers investigated the impact of polyethylene microplastics on aerobic granular sludge used in wastewater treatment. The study found that microplastics significantly disrupted sludge structure, settling properties, and enzyme activities related to denitrification and phosphorus removal, with increased reactive oxygen species and cell membrane damage at higher concentrations.

2022 Journal of Environmental Management 79 citations
Article Tier 2

Response of aerobic granular sludge under acute inhibition by polystyrene microplastics: Activity, aggregation performance, and microbial analysis

Researchers investigated how different concentrations of polystyrene microplastics affect the performance of aerobic granular sludge used in wastewater treatment. The study found that increasing microplastic concentrations inhibited nitrogen removal rates and disrupted the microbial community structure within the sludge. Evidence indicates that microplastic contamination in wastewater can compromise the effectiveness of biological treatment processes.

2024 Environmental Pollution 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Polyethylene Terephthalate Microplastics on Aerobic Granular Sludge Structure and EPS Composition in Wastewater Treatment

Researchers investigated how PET microplastics affect the structure and function of aerobic granular sludge used in wastewater treatment. Higher microplastic concentrations led to changes in granule size, altered the composition of extracellular polymeric substances, and shifted microbial community structure. The findings suggest that microplastic contamination in wastewater could compromise the stability and efficiency of biological treatment processes.

2025 Water 6 citations
Article Tier 2

[Change in Granulation Potential and Microbial Enrichment Characteristics of Sludge Induced by Microplastics].

This study found that polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastics accelerate the formation of granular sludge in wastewater treatment plants by increasing sticky protein secretions, but continuous exposure ultimately degrades treatment performance and disrupts the microbial communities responsible for removing nitrogen. This matters because it suggests microplastics entering sewage systems could compromise the efficiency of the very facilities designed to filter them out.

2023 PubMed
Article Tier 2

The Effects of Microplastics on Floc Formation, Nutrient Removal and Settleability in Wastewater Treatment

Researchers examined the interactions of microplastics with activated sludge in wastewater treatment plants, investigating effects on floc formation, nutrient removal efficiency, and settleability to understand how microplastic contamination may compromise treatment performance.

2024
Article Tier 2

Revealing the influencing mechanisms of polystyrene microplastics (MPs) on the performance and stability of the algal-bacterial granular sludge

Researchers investigated how polystyrene microplastics affect algal-bacterial granular sludge used in wastewater treatment, finding that the sludge removed over 96% of incoming microplastics but that microplastics inhibited COD removal by 2.6 to 4.1% and total phosphorus removal by 2.9 to 5.8%. Structural stability was compromised through oxidative stress, altered protein composition, and reduced abundance of key functional bacteria.

2022 Bioresource Technology 73 citations
Article Tier 2

The Effects of Microplastics on Floc Formation, Nutrient Removal and Settleability in Wastewater Treatment

Researchers investigated how microplastics affect floc formation, nutrient removal, and settleability in wastewater treatment systems, examining the mechanisms by which these ubiquitous anthropogenic pollutants entering via packaging, cosmetics, and other production sectors disrupt activated sludge processes.

2024
Article Tier 2

Mechanism Involved in Polyvinyl Chloride Nanoplastics Induced Anaerobic Granular Sludge Disintegration: Microbial Interaction Energy, EPS Molecular Structure, and Metabolism Functions

Researchers investigated why polyvinyl chloride nanoplastics cause anaerobic granular sludge used in wastewater treatment to break apart. They found that the nanoplastics weakened microbial interactions, altered the structure of key biological compounds, and disrupted metabolic functions essential for sludge stability. The study matters because sludge disintegration reduces wastewater treatment efficiency, potentially allowing more pollutants to enter the environment.

2024 Environmental Science & Technology 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on granular sludge: A review

This review examined how microplastics affect granular sludge properties and wastewater treatment efficiency in biological treatment systems, with wastewater plants considered major sinks for microplastics. The review found that harmful effects on granular characteristics are closely associated with microplastic size and concentration, summarizing how MPs disrupt granule formation and settleability.

2024 E3S Web of Conferences
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

Synergistic analysis of performance, microbial community, and metabolism in aerobic granular sludge under polyacrylonitrile microplastics stress

Researchers found that low concentrations of polyacrylonitrile microplastics had minimal impact on aerobic granular sludge wastewater treatment, but 100 mg/L severely damaged granule structure and inhibited denitrification and membrane transport gene expression.

2023 Bioresource Technology 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of the concentration and type of microplastics on the treatment efficiency and biomass structure in aerobic granular sludge reactors

Researchers investigated how polyethylene terephthalate and polyethylene microplastics at varying concentrations affect treatment efficiency, granule morphology, extracellular polymer production, microbial species composition, and metabolic activity in aerobic granular sludge reactors used for wastewater treatment. The study tested four hypotheses regarding MP effects on both the biological performance and structural integrity of aerobic granular sludge as a promising technology for MP-contaminated wastewater.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Microplastics reshape frozen algal-bacterial granular reactivation: Decoding structural collapse and microbial drivers of nutrient removal

Researchers investigated how co-existing PET, PVC, and polyethylene microplastics affect the reactivation of frozen algal-bacterial granular sludge used in wastewater treatment, finding that moderate MP concentrations enhanced granular compactness and nitrogen and phosphorus removal while elevated concentrations disrupted structural stability and microbial dynamics. The study identifies MP concentration thresholds critical for maintaining granular sludge function after frozen storage.

2025 Bioresource Technology
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

Long-term exposure to nanoplastics reshapes the microbial interaction network of activated sludge

Researchers found that long-term nanoplastic exposure over 140 days progressively degraded activated sludge treatment performance, reducing nitrogen and phosphorus removal by reshaping microbial interaction networks into smaller, less complex structures.

2022 Environmental Pollution 39 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on the properties of different types of sewage sludge and strategies to overcome the inhibition: A review

This review examined how microplastics trapped in sewage sludge during wastewater treatment affect sludge properties, microbial communities, and treatment efficiency, while discussing strategies to overcome microplastic-induced inhibition of sludge processing.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Role of extracellular polymeric substances in the acute inhibition of activated sludge by polystyrene nanoparticles

Researchers investigated how extracellular polymeric substances — the sticky biofilm matrix produced by bacteria — affected the acute inhibition of activated sludge by microplastics, finding that these substances played a protective role by reducing microplastic toxicity in wastewater treatment systems.

2018 Environmental Pollution 157 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

The impacts of biodegradable and non-biodegradable microplastic on the performance and microbial community characterization of aerobic granular sludge

Researchers compared the effects of biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics and non-biodegradable polyethylene microplastics on aerobic granular sludge used in wastewater treatment. They found that high concentrations of both types impaired the sludge's ability to remove organic pollutants, but both actually enhanced nitrogen and phosphorus removal at moderate levels. The study reveals that even biodegradable microplastics can disrupt wastewater treatment processes in unexpected ways.

2024 Frontiers in Microbiology 14 citations