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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Fluid dynamics and cell‐bound Psl polysaccharide allows microplastic capture, aggregation and subsequent sedimentation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in water
ClearMicrobial–Enzymatic Combinatorial Approach to Capture and Release Microplastics
Researchers developed a microbial-enzymatic approach using evolved Pseudomonas aeruginosa to aggregate microplastics via biofilm formation for removal from polluted waters, then employed protease treatment to release captured plastics for downstream recovery.
Pseudomonas Stutzeri may alter the environmental fate of polystyrene nanoplastics by trapping them with increasing extracellular polymers
Researchers found that the denitrifying bacterium Pseudomonas stutzeri physically traps polystyrene nanoplastics within secreted extracellular polymers, which impairs bacterial growth and nitrogen removal gene expression while altering the particles' environmental fate and dispersal.
Microbial Dynamics on Different Microplastics in Coastal Urban Aquatic Ecosystems: The Critical Roles of Extracellular Polymeric Substances
Researchers investigated how microbial communities colonize different types of microplastics in urban coastal waters, forming distinct ecosystems known as plastispheres. They found that the type of plastic significantly shaped which bacteria grew on it and how much sticky extracellular material they produced. Understanding these microbial communities on microplastics matters because they can harbor harmful bacteria and influence how pollutants move through aquatic environments.
Interaction of Cyanobacteria with Nanometer and Micron Sized Polystyrene Particles in Marine and Fresh Water
Marine and freshwater cyanobacteria formed aggregates with polystyrene nanoplastics held together by extracellular polymeric substances, causing the particles to sink, with larger and faster aggregation in saltwater. Microplastics produced different-shaped aggregates linked by a small number of particles, neither causing cell death, showing that cyanobacteria can alter nanoplastic fate and distribution in aquatic systems.
Settling of microplastics in mucus-rich water column: The role of biologically modified rheology of seawater
Laboratory experiments showed that naturally occurring exopolymers secreted by marine algae and bacteria convert seawater into a non-Newtonian fluid that slows the sinking of microplastic particles, altering how and where they accumulate in the ocean water column. Understanding these biologically driven settling dynamics is important for predicting microplastic distribution and exposure risk for marine organisms at different depths.
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.
Characteristics of Initial Attachment and Biofilm Formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa on Microplastic Surfaces
Researchers characterized how Pseudomonas aeruginosa initially attaches to and forms biofilms on different microplastic surfaces, finding that polymer type and surface properties significantly influenced bacterial colonization patterns and biofilm development.
Impact of Heterosigma akashiwo on the environmental behavior of microplastics: Aggregation, sinking, and resuspension dynamics
The harmful microalga Heterosigma akashiwo promoted aggregation and sinking of microplastics through extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) rather than direct cell attachment, with aggregation causing low-density PE spheres to sink following a logistic curve—demonstrating how harmful algal blooms can alter microplastic vertical distribution.
Sinking of microbial-associated microplastics in natural waters
Researchers investigated how microbial biofilm colonization of microplastics affects their buoyancy and sinking behavior in natural waters, finding that biological ballasting from attached microorganisms can significantly increase particle density and promote vertical transport toward sediments. The results suggest that biofouling is a key mechanism driving the removal of microplastics from surface waters.
Hydrodynamics shape riverine biofilms on microplastics: insights from an in-situ incubation study
Researchers incubated polystyrene microplastics in the Rhine River under different water flow conditions and found that faster-flowing water produced much denser and more diverse microbial communities (called biofilms) on the plastic surfaces. Because biofilms change how microplastics move and interact with ecosystems, water flow conditions need to be considered when studying microplastic behavior in real rivers.
Enhanced settling of microplastics after biofilm development: A laboratory column study mimicking wastewater clarifiers
Researchers found that biofilm development on microplastics significantly enhances their settling velocity in laboratory columns mimicking wastewater clarifiers, suggesting that biological fouling is an important mechanism for microplastic removal during wastewater treatment and sedimentation in water bodies.
Extracellular polymeric substances in green alga facilitate microplastic deposition
Extracellular polymeric substances secreted by the green alga Spirogyra facilitated microplastic aggregation and deposition in lab experiments, with EPS forming physical bridges between plastic particles and sediment, suggesting that algal biofilm formation can accelerate the settling and burial of buoyant microplastics in aquatic environments.
Biosorption of sub-micron-sized polystyrene microplastics using bacterial biofilms
Researchers found that bacterial biofilms, particularly from Acinetobacter species, can effectively remove sub-micron-sized polystyrene microplastics through biosorption, suggesting biofilm-based approaches as a potential biological method for microplastic remediation in aquatic environments.
Spatial heterogeneity of EPS-mediated microplastic aggregation in phycosphere shapes polymer-specific Trojan horse effects
Researchers investigated how algal communities in water aggregate different types of microplastics through sticky extracellular substances they produce. They found that the binding behavior varied significantly by plastic type and by the layer of the algal colony, with some plastics being captured more effectively than others. The study reveals that these natural aggregation processes can concentrate pollutants on microplastic surfaces, creating a "Trojan horse" effect that increases risks to organisms that consume the clumps.
Effects of organic matter on interaction forces between polystyrene microplastics: An experimental study
Researchers examined how organic matter in seawater affects the aggregation and adhesion forces between polystyrene microplastics, finding that organic coatings alter surface interaction forces in ways that influence whether microplastics clump together and sink or remain dispersed in the water column.
Integrated effects of polymer type, size and shape on the sinking dynamics of biofouled microplastics
Researchers investigated how polymer type, size, and shape interact with biofouling to influence microplastic sinking dynamics, finding that biofilm growth altered buoyancy and settling rates in ways that depend on the physical characteristics of each particle.
[Influence of Polystyrene Microplastics on the Formation and Structural Change of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilm].
Laboratory experiments exposing Pseudomonas aeruginosa — a medically significant opportunistic pathogen — to polystyrene microplastics found that MPs inhibited biofilm formation, with smaller particles (0.1 µm) causing stronger inhibition by disrupting the quorum sensing communication system that bacteria use to coordinate behavior. Microplastics caused physical damage to bacterial cells and reduced the expression of virulence-related genes. These findings suggest that environmental microplastic contamination could alter the behavior of pathogenic bacteria in ways that are difficult to predict.
Effects of microplastics on the rheological properties of sediment slurries in aquatic environments
Microplastics altered the rheological properties of cohesive sediment slurries in aquatic environments, reducing viscosity at low concentrations and modifying flow dynamics, with implications for understanding how microplastic-laden sediment slurries transport and deposit these contaminants.
Polystyrene nanoparticles induce biofilm formation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Researchers found that polystyrene nanoparticles caused the common bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa to form thicker biofilms and become more resistant to antibiotics. The nanoplastics damaged bacterial cell membranes and triggered a stress response, prompting the bacteria to produce more protective biofilm as a defense mechanism. This is concerning for human health because it suggests nanoplastic pollution could make disease-causing bacteria harder to treat with existing antibiotics.
Distinctive patterns of bacterial community succession in the riverine micro-plastisphere in view of biofilm development and ecological niches
Scientists studied how bacterial communities develop on microplastics versus natural materials in river water and found that plastics support a distinct pattern of microbial colonization. The research identified specific bacteria capable of degrading microplastics and revealed that competition among microbes on plastic surfaces follows unexpected patterns compared to natural substrates.
Migration of natural organic matter and Pseudomonas fluorescens-associated polystyrene on natural substrates in aquatic environments
This study examined how a coating of natural organic matter or bacterial biofilm changes the way microplastic particles attach to and move through aquatic surfaces, finding that both coatings altered particle behavior in ways that depended on water salt concentration. Understanding how environmental coatings affect microplastic transport helps predict where particles will ultimately end up — and which organisms are most likely to be exposed.
Rapid aggregation of biofilm-covered microplastics with marine biogenic particles
Researchers demonstrated that biofilm-covered microplastics rapidly aggregate with marine biogenic particles such as algal cells and fecal pellets, which accelerates their sinking from surface waters. The study helps explain why microplastic concentrations at the ocean surface are lower than expected — biofouling causes the particles to be transported to deeper waters and sediments faster than previously assumed.
Effects of polystyrene microplastics on the metabolic level of Pseudomonas aeruginosa
This study examined how polystyrene microplastics affect the metabolism of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a common water bacterium that can cause serious infections in humans. The microplastics significantly disrupted the bacteria's metabolism, reducing its ability to process lipids, amino acids, and energy-producing molecules. These metabolic changes could alter how this pathogen behaves in the environment and potentially affect its ability to cause disease.
Structural and Functional Characteristics of Microplastic Associated Biofilms in Response to Temporal Dynamics and Polymer Types
Researchers found that biofilm structural and functional characteristics on microplastics differ significantly depending on polymer type (polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene) and change over time, with implications for understanding microbial colonization and the plastisphere.