Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Evaluation of microplastic polyvinylchloride and antibiotics tetracycline co-effect on the partial nitrification process

This study investigated the combined effects of PVC microplastics and the antibiotic tetracycline on nitrification — the biological process by which wastewater treatment plants remove ammonia from sewage. Both pollutants reduced nitrification efficiency, and their combined presence caused greater disruption than either alone, complicating the treatment of wastewater that contains multiple contaminants.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of polyvinylchloride microplastics on the toxicity of nanoparticles and antibiotics to aerobic granular sludge: Nitrogen removal, microbial community and resistance genes

Researchers examined how PVC microplastics affect wastewater treatment systems that also contain copper oxide nanoparticles and the antibiotic ciprofloxacin. They found that low concentrations of microplastics actually reduced some toxic effects of the other pollutants, but higher concentrations worsened nitrogen removal efficiency and increased antibiotic resistance genes. The study highlights the complex ways microplastics can alter the behavior of other contaminants in water treatment.

2023 Environmental Research 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics accumulation and antibiotics contamination in anaerobic membrane bioreactors for municipal wastewater treatment

This study found that when aged PVC microplastics and the antibiotic ciprofloxacin are both present in wastewater treatment systems, they interact to make each other's harmful effects worse. The combination cut treatment efficiency in half and disrupted the microbes needed for wastewater processing, raising concerns about how microplastic pollution could undermine water treatment that protects public health.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics accelerate nitrification, shape the microbial community, and alter antibiotic resistance during the nitrifying process

Researchers found that adding microplastics to wastewater treatment systems actually sped up nitrification (a key step in processing sewage) but also promoted the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Even biodegradable PLA plastics, often considered more environmentally friendly, significantly increased antibiotic resistance genes. This study warns that microplastics in wastewater systems could be accelerating the spread of antibiotic resistance, a major public health threat.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of polyvinyl chloride microplastics and benzylalkyldimethylethyl compounds on system performance, microbial community and resistance genes in sulfur autotrophic denitrification system

Researchers found that PVC microplastics and a common disinfectant chemical in wastewater treatment systems promoted the spread of antibiotic resistance genes, with the disinfectant having an even stronger effect than the microplastics. The microplastic surfaces harbored disease-causing bacteria that carried these resistance genes. This is concerning because wastewater treatment plants could be releasing both microplastics and antibiotic-resistant pathogens into waterways, potentially threatening human health.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Distinct bacterial communities and resistance genes enriched by triclocarban-contaminated polyethylene microplastics in antibiotics and heavy metals polluted sewage environment

Researchers investigated how triclocarban contamination on polyethylene microplastics affects bacterial biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) profiles in sewage contaminated with antibiotics and heavy metals. Triclocarban-contaminated microplastics hosted more potential pathogens and resistant bacteria and promoted higher ARG abundance in both biofilms and surrounding water compared to clean microplastics.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 44 citations
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

The responses of microbial metabolic activity, bacterial community and resistance genes under the coexistence of nanoplastics and quaternary ammonium compounds in the sewage environment

Researchers examined how the coexistence of nanoplastics and quaternary ammonium compounds in sewage affects microbial metabolic activity, bacterial community structure, and resistance gene abundance, finding significant changes over a 30-day incubation period.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic biofilm may shape microbial community enriched with antibiotic resistance genes to enhance nitrogen transformation under antibiotic stress

This study found that biofilms growing on PVC microplastics in water helped remove nitrogen pollutants but also concentrated antibiotic resistance genes, with the same bacteria often carrying both pollution-cleaning and drug-resistance capabilities. The findings raise concerns that microplastic pollution in waterways could accelerate the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which poses a growing threat to human health.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Synergistic Pollution: Interactions Among Polyethylene, Surfactants, and Antibiotics in an Aquatic Environment

Researchers investigated synergistic pollution effects among polyethylene microplastics, surfactants, and antibiotics in aquatic systems, finding that co-presence enhanced the environmental persistence and bioavailability of antibiotics beyond what microplastics or surfactants caused individually.

2025
Article Tier 2

Responses of nitrogen removal, microbial community and antibiotic resistance genes to biodegradable microplastics during biological wastewater treatment

Researchers compared the effects of three biodegradable microplastics on nitrogen removal and microbial communities in activated sludge wastewater treatment. They found that PHA and PLA at higher concentrations enhanced denitrification but also promoted antibiotic resistance genes, while PBS had minimal effects. The study suggests that the breakdown of biodegradable plastics into microplastics in wastewater systems may have complex and sometimes counterintuitive effects on treatment performance.

2025 Biochemical Engineering Journal 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics affect the ammonia oxidation performance of aerobic granular sludge and enrich the intracellular and extracellular antibiotic resistance genes

Exposure of aerobic granular sludge to PVC, PA, PS, and PE microplastics at 10 mg/L inhibited ammonia oxidation but nitrification recovered over time; all four MP types enriched intracellular and extracellular antibiotic resistance genes and suppressed ammonia-oxidizing bacteria.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 104 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxic effects of triclosan in aquatic organisms: A review focusing on single and combined exposure of environmental conditions and pollutants

This review examines how triclosan, an antibacterial chemical found in many personal care products, harms aquatic organisms both on its own and in combination with other pollutants including microplastics. When triclosan and microplastics are present together in water, they can produce combined toxic effects that are worse than either alone. Since triclosan is widely used and microplastics are everywhere, their interaction in the environment is an important consideration for both ecosystem and human health.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 39 citations
Article Tier 2

Research progress on the origin, fate, impacts and harm of microplastics and antibiotic resistance genes in wastewater treatment plants

This review explores how microplastics and antibiotic resistance genes interact in wastewater treatment plants, where they can survive treatment and enter the environment together. The concern for human health is that these contaminants can travel through the food chain, potentially increasing illness from antibiotic-resistant infections.

2024 Scientific Reports 49 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

Deterioration of sludge characteristics and promotion of antibiotic resistance genes spread with the co-existing of polyvinylchloride microplastics and tetracycline in the sequencing batch reactor

Co-existence of PVC microplastics and tetracycline in sequencing batch reactors treating pharmaceutical wastewater was found to worsen sludge settleability and promote the spread of antibiotic resistance genes, compounding the treatment challenges in wastewater systems receiving both contaminant types.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Growth and prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in microplastic biofilm from wastewater treatment plant effluents

Researchers studied antibiotic-resistant bacteria growing in biofilms on microplastic surfaces in wastewater treatment plant effluent. The study found that microplastic biofilms accumulated antibiotic-resistant bacteria including Pseudomonas, Aeromonas, and Bacillus, and that these biofilms harbored higher concentrations of resistance genes compared to surrounding water, suggesting microplastics may serve as reservoirs for antibiotic resistance.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactions of microplastics and organic compounds in aquatic environments: A case study of augmented joint toxicity

Researchers investigated how polystyrene microplastics interact with the antimicrobial compound triclosan in simulated environmental and cellular conditions. They found that surface-functionalized microplastics adsorbed significantly more triclosan and released it under cellular conditions, with the combination producing greater toxicity to human intestinal cells than either contaminant alone. The study suggests that microplastics can amplify the harmful effects of co-occurring organic pollutants.

2021 Chemosphere 77 citations
Article Tier 2

Co-impacts of the microplastic polyamide and sertraline on the denitrification function and microbial community structure in SBRs

Researchers found that combining polyamide microplastics with the antidepressant sertraline in sequencing batch reactors significantly impaired nitrogen removal and disrupted microbial community structure in activated sludge, with stronger negative effects observed when the two pollutants were present simultaneously.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Sustainable removal of contaminants of emerging concern from wastewater by the living membrane bioreactor: effect of the co-occurrence of microplastics and antibiotics

Researchers investigated a living membrane bioreactor (LMBR) for removing the antibiotic ofloxacin and oxidized polyethylene microplastics from urban wastewater, finding that the biological membrane effectively retained both contaminants of emerging concern and that microplastics acted as antibiotic carriers, with their co-presence influencing overall removal efficiency.

2025 Global NEST International Conference on Environmental Science & Technology
Article Tier 2

The combined effect of microplastics and tetracycline on soil microbial communities and ARGs

Researchers studied how simultaneous exposure to microplastics and tetracycline affects soil microbial communities, finding that the combination disrupted microbial diversity, altered functional gene expression, and promoted horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes beyond the effects of either pollutant alone.

2025 Environmental Pollution 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactions of microplastics, antibiotics and antibiotic resistant genes within WWTPs

This review examined the interactions between microplastics, antibiotics, and antibiotic resistance genes within wastewater treatment plants, analyzing how MPs serve as carriers for antimicrobial compounds and facilitate the spread of resistance in microbial communities.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 145 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics enhanced the resistant genes spread under disinfectant replacement exposure in partial nitrification-anammox systems

Researchers investigated how alternating disinfectant exposure affects the spread of antibiotic resistance genes on microplastic biofilms in wastewater treatment systems. They found that switching between different disinfectants increased the risk of resistance gene transmission, with PET and polyethylene microplastics serving as vectors for both resistant bacteria and nitrogen-removing microorganisms. The study raises concerns that microplastics in wastewater systems may accelerate the spread of antimicrobial resistance under common disinfection practices.

2025 Chemical Engineering Journal 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and antibiotic resistance genes nexus in sewage sludge: impact of thermal hydrolysis process- anaerobic digestion

Researchers reviewed the interactions between microplastics, antibiotic resistance genes, and biofilm-embedded microbial communities in sewage sludge treatment processes. The study found that these contaminants persist through wastewater treatment including thermal hydrolysis and anaerobic digestion, posing environmental and public health risks when treated biosolids are applied to agricultural land.

2026 Bioresource Technology