Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Influence of nanoplastic type on the short-cut nitrification-denitrification in a sequencing batch reactor: Elucidating the metabolic relationship of nitrogen, extracellular polymeric substances, and oxidative stress

Researchers compared the effects of biodegradable (PBAT) and non-biodegradable (polyethylene) nanoplastics on nitrogen-removing bacteria in a wastewater reactor, finding that both types disrupted nitrogen metabolism, extracellular polymer production, and oxidative stress pathways, with non-biodegradable polyethylene causing more severe inhibition of the treatment process.

2026 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

(Micro) nanoplastics promote the risk of antibiotic resistance gene propagation in biological phosphorus removal system

The presence of microplastics and nanoplastics in a biological phosphorus removal system used in wastewater treatment promoted the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes, while also disrupting phosphorus removal efficiency. The study links micro- and nanoplastic contamination of treatment systems to both reduced process performance and increased antimicrobial resistance risk.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 45 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact and microbial mechanism of continuous nanoplastics exposure on the urban wastewater treatment process

Researchers investigated the effects of continuous nanoplastic exposure on wastewater treatment over 200 days, finding that while total nitrogen removal was not significantly inhibited, nanoplastics altered microbial community composition and affected nitrification and denitrification processes.

2022 Water Research 37 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics shaped performance, microbial ecology and community assembly in simultaneous nitrification, denitrification and phosphorus removal process

This study found that polystyrene and PVC microplastics disrupted the performance of wastewater treatment systems designed to remove nitrogen and phosphorus, reducing nitrogen removal by up to 10%. The microplastics altered microbial communities, decreased cooperation between beneficial bacteria, and blocked important biological pathways. Since wastewater treatment is a key barrier against pollution reaching drinking water, microplastic interference with these systems could indirectly increase human exposure to harmful contaminants.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 12 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

Long-term effect of polyethylene microplastics on the bioelectrochemical nitrogen removal process

Researchers explored how polyethylene microplastics affect nitrogen removal in bioelectrochemical wastewater treatment systems over long-term exposure. The study found that microplastic exposure reduced nitrogen removal efficiency by decreasing biofilm viability, lowering extracellular polymeric substance content, and significantly shifting the microbial community structure responsible for nitrogen processing.

2023 Chemical Engineering Journal 24 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

Insight into effect of polyethylene microplastic on nitrogen removal in moving bed biofilm reactor: Focusing on microbial community and species interactions

Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics affect nitrogen removal in wastewater treatment bioreactors and found that low concentrations slightly improved the process, while higher concentrations disrupted it. The microplastics changed the microbial communities responsible for breaking down nitrogen in wastewater. This matters because less effective wastewater treatment means more nitrogen pollution in waterways, and microplastics entering treatment plants could reduce their ability to clean water effectively.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Long-term exposure of polytetrafluoroethylene-nanoplastics on the nitrogen removal and extracellular polymeric substances in sequencing batch reactor

Researchers investigated the long-term effects of polytetrafluoroethylene nanoplastics on nitrogen removal and extracellular polymeric substances in a sequencing batch reactor system. The study found that PTFE nanoplastics reduced the efficiency of chemical oxygen demand and ammonia nitrogen removal, and altered microbial activity and the composition of extracellular polymers in the biological wastewater treatment process.

2023 Enzyme and Microbial Technology 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Complex behavior between microplastic and antibiotic and their effect on phosphorus-removing Shewanella strain during wastewater treatment

Researchers examined how microplastics and antibiotics interact in wastewater treatment, finding that their combined stress disrupted phosphorus removal by Shewanella bacteria through altered adsorption behavior and metabolic interference.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics perturb nitrogen removal, microbial community and metabolism mechanism in biofilm system

Researchers found that polystyrene and PET microplastics reduced total nitrogen removal by 7-16% in biofilm wastewater treatment systems by causing cell damage, altering microbial community structure, and suppressing key genes involved in denitrification and nitrogen conversion.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 57 citations
Article Tier 2

System-dependent effects and mechanisms of microplastics/nanoplastics on nitrogen and phosphorus removal from wastewater treatment and N2O emission

Researchers reviewed the system-dependent effects of microplastics and nanoplastics on nitrogen and phosphorus removal efficiency across various wastewater treatment systems, including activated sludge, constructed wetlands, and membrane bioreactors. The study found that these plastic particles also impact nitrous oxide emissions, with effects varying significantly depending on the treatment technology used.

2026 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Toxic effects of nanoplastics on biological nitrogen removal in constructed wetlands: Evidence from iron utilization and metabolism

Researchers found that nanoplastics in wastewater disrupt biological nitrogen removal in constructed wetlands by interfering with intracellular iron homeostasis, which cripples the key enzymes and electron transport chains that microbes use for nitrogen metabolism, reducing nitrogen removal efficiency by about 30%.

2024 Water Research 59 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyethylene microplastics increase extracellular polymeric substances production in aerobic granular sludge

Polyethylene microplastics at concentrations of 1-50 mg/L did not impair biological nutrient removal efficiency in aerobic granular sludge but stimulated production of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), including alginate, by up to several-fold. The EPS response may represent a defensive microbial adaptation that also affects sludge settling behavior in wastewater treatment.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 64 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Nanoplastics on Freshwater Biofilm Microbial Metabolic Functions as Determined by BIOLOG ECO Microplates

Nanoplastics were found to significantly alter the metabolic functions of freshwater biofilm microbial communities, as measured by BIOLOG ECO microplates, with effects varying by concentration and polymer type. The disruption of biofilm microbial metabolism by nanoplastics could have cascading effects on nutrient cycling in freshwater ecosystems.

2019 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 52 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

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

Responses of nitrogen removal under microplastics versus nanoplastics stress in SBR: Toxicity, microbial community and functional genes

Researchers compared the effects of microplastics versus nanoplastics on nitrogen removal in sequencing batch reactors used in wastewater treatment. The study found that microplastics had no significant effect on nitrogen removal, while high concentrations of nanoplastics impaired the process by disrupting microbial communities and functional gene expression. The results suggest that nanoplastics may pose a greater threat to biological wastewater treatment performance than microplastics.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 73 citations
Article Tier 2

Nitrogen removal performance of bioretention cells under polyethylene (PE) microplastic stress

Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics affect the nitrogen removal performance of bioretention cells used to filter stormwater runoff. The study found that microplastic accumulation reduced overall nitrogen removal efficiency by up to 28% while altering the microbial community structure responsible for denitrification.

2023 Environmental Pollution 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of polystyrene nanoplastics on extracellular polymeric substance composition of activated sludge: The role of surface functional groups

Researchers investigated how three types of polystyrene nanoplastics with different surface functional groups affect activated sludge used in wastewater treatment. All three types significantly reduced total protein production in the sludge and caused cellular oxidative stress and membrane damage, with positively charged particles causing the most harm. The findings suggest that nanoplastic contamination in wastewater could impair the biological processes essential for effective sewage treatment.

2021 Environmental Pollution 79 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of microplastics and nanoplastics on the operation of biological wastewater treatment reactors

This review examines the effects of microplastics and nanoplastics on the performance of biological wastewater treatment reactors, focusing on how their hydrophobicity enables adsorption of microorganisms and pollutants. Researchers found that wastewater treatment plants are primary emitters of micro- and nanoplastics to aquatic ecosystems, while the particles also disrupt microbial communities within treatment systems.

2022 e_Buah
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 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

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