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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Effects of microplastics on substance transformation, sludge characteristics, toxicological effect, and microbial communities in different biochemical sludge systems: A review
ClearEffects 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.
Fate of microplastics in sewage sludge and in agricultural soils
Researchers reviewed how microplastics accumulate in sewage sludge at wastewater treatment plants and then spread into agricultural soils when that sludge is applied as fertilizer, finding that sludge treatment processes can alter microplastic size and shape but do not eliminate them. The review calls for standardized methods to study how different sludge treatments affect microplastic properties and their downstream risks to soil health.
[Microplastics in wastewater treatment: current status and future trends].
This review summarizes current research on microplastic occurrence, removal, and fate in wastewater treatment plants, noting that while plants capture most microplastics in activated sludge, significant numbers still escape into effluent. The sludge itself then becomes a major pathway for microplastics to enter agricultural soils when applied as fertilizer. Future treatment improvements and sludge management policies are needed to reduce these release pathways.
Microplastics in sewage sludge: Distribution, toxicity, identification methods, and engineered technologies
This review examines how microplastics accumulate in sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plants, which then becomes a major pathway for spreading these particles into the environment. Researchers found that sludge can contain extremely high concentrations of microplastics, ranging from thousands to hundreds of thousands of particles per kilogram. The study evaluates current detection methods and emerging technologies for removing microplastics from sludge before it is applied to agricultural land or disposed of.
Extent and impact of microplastics on soil nutrients and biota: a trade-off assessment
This review examines the extent of microplastic inputs from sewage sludge applied to agricultural soils, synthesizing evidence on how sludge-derived microplastics affect soil nutrient availability, soil biota, plant performance, and crop productivity, concluding that the benefits of sludge as a soil amendment must be weighed against its role as a vector for microplastic contamination.
Microplastics in Sewage Sludge: A review
This review examines the presence and fate of microplastics in sewage sludge from municipal wastewater treatment plants, a topic that has received less attention than microplastics in the water treatment line. The study highlights that agricultural application of sewage sludge is a primary source of microplastic contamination in soils, and provides a comprehensive overview of detection methods, concentrations, and the environmental implications of sludge-borne microplastics.
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.
Variation in microplastic concentration, characteristics and distribution in sewage sludge & biosolids around the world
Researchers systematically reviewed 65 studies on microplastics in sewage sludge and biosolids from wastewater treatment plants around the world. They found that while treatment processes remove 57% to 99% of microplastics from wastewater, the removed particles concentrate in sludge that is often applied to agricultural land. The review highlights that land application of biosolids may be a significant, underappreciated pathway for microplastic pollution in soils.
Microplastics in Sewage Sludge: A Known but Underrated Pathway in Wastewater Treatment Plants
This review finds that wastewater treatment plants effectively transfer microplastics from effluent into sewage sludge, creating a significant but underrated pathway for MP contamination when sludge is applied to agricultural soils.
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.
Microplastic contamination in sewage sludge: Abundance, characteristics, and impacts on the environment and human health
This review focuses on microplastics found in sewage sludge, which is often spread on agricultural land as fertilizer. The practice introduces microplastics directly into farm soil, where they can be taken up by crops or leach into groundwater. This creates a pathway for microplastics to reach human food and drinking water, raising concerns about the safety of using sewage sludge in agriculture.
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.
Occurrence of Microplastics in Waste Sludge of Wastewater Treatment Plants: Comparison between Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) and Conventional Activated Sludge (CAS) Technologies
Microplastics were compared in sludge from wastewater treatment plants using conventional activated sludge and membrane bioreactor technologies, finding that both produced sludge with significant plastic contamination and that the MBR system showed somewhat different microplastic profiles. The results indicate that sludge disposal is a key route by which microplastics captured in treatment plants are transferred to agricultural land.
Microplastics in Sewage Sludge: Effects of Treatment
This study examined the effects of various sewage sludge treatment processes on microplastic content, finding that treatment methods differ substantially in their ability to reduce microplastic concentrations before sludge is disposed of or land-applied.
Source, occurrence, migration and potential environmental risk of microplastics in sewage sludge and during sludge amendment to soil
This review examines microplastics in sewage sludge and the risks of applying sludge as agricultural fertilizer, finding that sludge acts as both a sink for sewage microplastics and a source when spread on fields. Co-accumulated heavy metals, antibiotics, and antibiotic resistance genes on microplastics further complicate the environmental risks of sludge amendment to soils.
Removal of Microplastic Pollution through Waste Water Treatment: A Review
This review examines how wastewater treatment plants reduce microplastic contamination, comparing biological and advanced treatment methods and highlighting that residual microplastics in sewage sludge applied to agricultural land remain a significant pathway for environmental release.
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.
Contemporary Drift in Emerging Micro(nano)plastics Removal and Upcycling Technologies from Municipal Wastewater Sludge: Strategic Innovations and Prospects
This review evaluates both conventional and advanced methods for removing microplastics from sewage sludge before it is applied to farmland as fertilizer. Current treatment processes like anaerobic digestion and composting reduce but do not eliminate microplastics, and some methods can actually fragment larger plastics into more numerous smaller pieces. The authors identify emerging technologies and upcycling strategies that could better address this pathway of microplastic contamination in agricultural soils.
Microplastics in Wastewater and Environmental Aspects
This review covers the occurrence and environmental behavior of microplastics in wastewater, examining removal efficiencies across different treatment technologies and the fate of plastics that pass through or are retained in sludge. The authors assess tertiary filtration and coagulation as the most effective removal steps and highlight sludge land application as a major pathway for microplastics entering agricultural soils.
Possible effects on plants due to microplastics in soils from wastewater effluent reuse or sewage sludge application
This book chapter reviews potential effects of microplastics on plants when microplastic-containing wastewater or sewage sludge is applied to agricultural land. The research addresses how land application of treated sewage can introduce microplastics into soil where they may affect crop growth and food safety.
Effect of Emerging Micropollutants on the Anaerobic Digestion of Sewage Sludge
This review examines how emerging pollutants, including microplastics, affect the anaerobic digestion process used to treat sewage sludge at wastewater plants. Microplastics can interfere with the bacteria that break down sludge and produce biogas, potentially reducing treatment efficiency. This is concerning because sewage sludge is often applied to farmland as fertilizer, and if microplastics disrupt the treatment process, the resulting biosolids may contain higher levels of both microplastics and other harmful substances.
Identification and quantification of microplastics in wastewater treatment plant effluent: Investigation of the fate and biological effects
This study identified and quantified microplastics in wastewater treatment plant effluents and sludge, finding particles in all samples with fibers being the dominant type. The research contributes to understanding how much microplastic reaches surface waters via wastewater discharge and how much is captured in sludge that is subsequently applied to agricultural land.
Approaching the environmental problem of microplastics: Importance of WWTP treatments
This review examines the role of wastewater treatment plants as sources and sinks of microplastics, noting that while treatment removes significant quantities, remaining particles concentrate in sewage sludge which is then applied to agricultural land as fertilizer. The authors survey available technologies for improving microplastic removal and call for better policy to address this gap.
The fate of microplastic in sludge management systems
This review assessed the fate of microplastics in sewage sludge management systems, finding that standard stabilization processes including anaerobic digestion and composting do not substantially reduce MP concentrations. Land application of MP-rich sludge was identified as a major pathway for plastic particles entering agricultural soils, with the review calling for alternative sludge disposal strategies aligned with circular economy principles.