Papers

61,005 results
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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

Mechanisms underlying the detrimental impact of micro(nano)plastics on the stability of aerobic granular sludge: Interactions between micro(nano)plastics and extracellular polymeric substances

Researchers found that both micro- and nanoplastics at realistic concentrations harmed the performance of aerobic granular sludge, a technology used for wastewater treatment, by reducing its ability to remove nitrogen. The plastic particles interacted with the sticky substances that hold the sludge granules together, weakening their structural integrity. The study reveals a specific mechanism by which plastic pollution can undermine wastewater treatment systems that communities rely on for clean water.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 31 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

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

Exposure to polyamide 66 microplastic leads to effects performance and microbial community structure of aerobic granular sludge

Polyamide 66 microplastics were introduced into aerobic granular sludge bioreactors at varying concentrations, initially reducing contaminant removal efficiency but recovering to near-control levels by the end of the experiment. The study shows that while microplastics transiently disrupt biological wastewater treatment, the microbial community can adapt over time.

2019 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 101 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

The effect of tire microplastics on aerobic granular sludge performance

Researchers exposed aerobic granular sludge — a wastewater treatment microbe community — to tire-derived microplastics and found that while nutrient removal stayed largely intact, tire particles built up to over half the biomass at high doses and altered the microbial community in ways that increase antibiotic resistance genes. The results show that tire microplastics reaching wastewater plants pose a hidden challenge for sludge management and microbial safety.

2025 Emerging contaminants 3 citations
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

Evaluation of characteristics and microbial community of anaerobic granular sludge under microplastics and aromatic carboxylic acids exposure

Researchers exposed anaerobic granular sludge to polyether sulfone microplastics combined with aromatic carboxylic acids and found that both contaminants impaired sludge granule stability, reduced methane production, and shifted microbial community composition toward less efficient fermenters.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 28 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
Article Tier 2

Effects of exposure to polyether sulfone microplastic on the nitrifying process and microbial community structure in aerobic granular sludge

Scientists added polyether sulfone microplastics to aerobic granular sludge bioreactors at different concentrations and found only minor effects on ammonia removal but an increase in total nitrogen removal efficiency of 5.6%, along with shifts in nitrifying microbial community structure.

2020 Bioresource Technology 110 citations
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

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

Insights into the microbial response of anaerobic granular sludge during long-term exposure to polyethylene terephthalate microplastics

Researchers investigated how polyethylene terephthalate microplastics affect anaerobic granular sludge used in wastewater treatment over 84 days. The study found that at relatively low concentrations, PET microplastics had minimal impact, but at higher concentrations they disrupted the microbial community structure and reduced the efficiency of the anaerobic treatment process.

2020 Water Research 182 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

Multiple microplastics induced stress on anaerobic granular sludge and an effectively overcoming strategy using hydrochar

Researchers investigated the effects of multiple types of microplastics simultaneously on anaerobic granular sludge used in wastewater treatment. The study found that combined microplastics caused significant stress on the sludge, reducing treatment efficiency, but that adding hydrochar effectively mitigated these negative effects and restored system performance.

2022 Water Research 43 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluating effects of tetrabromobisphenol A and microplastics on anaerobic granular sludge: Physicochemical properties, microbial metabolism, and underlying mechanisms

Researchers investigated the combined effects of the flame retardant tetrabromobisphenol A and two types of microplastics on anaerobic granular sludge used in wastewater treatment. They found that co-exposure altered the physicochemical properties, microbial communities, and metabolic activity of the sludge. The study suggests that the interaction between microplastics and other emerging contaminants may compound their effects on wastewater treatment processes.

2024 Journal of Environmental Management 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Laboratory-scale study of a biodegradable microplastic polylactic acid stabilizing aerobic granular sludge system

Researchers found that adding biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics to aerobic granular sludge systems at low-to-moderate concentrations actually stabilized granule formation and improved pollutant removal by stimulating extracellular polymer secretion.

2022 Environmental Pollution 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial and physicochemical responses of anaerobic hydrogen-producing granular sludge to polyethylene micro(nano)plastics

Researchers found that polyethylene micro- and nanoplastics disrupted anaerobic hydrogen-producing granular sludge in a concentration- and size-dependent manner, inhibiting microbial activity and altering community structure, with nanoplastics causing greater harm than larger microplastic particles.

2022 Water Research 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of degradable and non-degradable microplastics on SPNEDPR-AGS system: Sludge characteristics, nutrient transformation, key enzyme, and microbial community

Researchers examined how degradable and non-degradable microplastics affect an aerobic granular sludge (AGS) wastewater treatment system, measuring impacts on granule formation, microbial community, and treatment performance. Degradable microplastics caused more pronounced disruption to the AGS system than conventional non-degradable plastics.

2024 Bioresource Technology 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics reshape the anaerobic granular sludge for recovering methane from wastewater

Researchers investigated the long-term effects of polystyrene nanoplastics on anaerobic granular sludge used for methane recovery from wastewater over a 120-day continuous test. The study found that while low nanoplastic concentrations had minimal impact, higher concentrations reshaped the microbial community structure and altered sludge performance, raising concerns about nanoplastic effects on wastewater treatment processes.

2020 Water Research 170 citations
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

The effects of microplastics and nanoplastics on nitrogen removal, extracellular polymeric substances and microbial community in sequencing batch reactor

Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics and microplastics impaired nitrogen removal in sequencing batch reactors by reducing denitrification rates, altering extracellular polymeric substances, and shifting microbial community composition in activated sludge.

2023 Bioresource Technology 54 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Tire Microplastics on Aerobic Granular Sludge Structure and EPS Composition Under Continuous and Intermittent Aeration

Researchers added tire microplastics at concentrations of 50–500 mg/L to aerobic granular sludge reactors and found that increasing concentrations reduced granule size under continuous aeration but increased it under intermittent aeration, while total extracellular polymeric substances declined across both conditions.

2025 Applied Sciences