Papers

20 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

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

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

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

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

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

Synergistic analysis of performance, microbial community, and metabolism in aerobic granular sludge under polyacrylonitrile microplastics stress

Researchers found that low concentrations of polyacrylonitrile microplastics had minimal impact on aerobic granular sludge wastewater treatment, but 100 mg/L severely damaged granule structure and inhibited denitrification and membrane transport gene expression.

2023 Bioresource Technology 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Adaptation responses of microalgal-bacterial granular sludge to polystyrene microplastic particles in municipal wastewater

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics of varying sizes did not significantly impair organic, ammonia, or phosphorus removal in microalgal-bacterial granular sludge systems treating municipal wastewater, though the microplastics did alter microbial community composition.

2022 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 28 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

Influence of polyether sulfone microplastics and bisphenol A on anaerobic granular sludge: Performance evaluation and microbial community characterization

This study found that polyether sulfone (PES) microplastics and bisphenol A (BPA) together disrupted the performance of anaerobic granular sludge in wastewater treatment, altering microbial communities and reducing organic matter removal efficiency. The results suggest that microplastics and plastic chemical additives entering wastewater treatment systems can impair the biological processes that clean the water.

2020 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 57 citations
Article Tier 2

Responses of performance, antibiotic resistance genes and bacterial communities of partial nitrification system to polyamide microplastics

Short- and long-term exposure of a partial nitrification bioreactor to polyamide microplastics found that while overall treatment performance was minimally affected, chronic exposure elevated ammonia oxidation rates and shifted bacterial community composition, with enrichment of microplastic-colonizing taxa potentially altering nitrogen removal pathways over time.

2021 Bioresource Technology 59 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

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

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

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

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

Effects of microplastics accumulation on performance of membrane bioreactor for wastewater treatment

Researchers simulated the long-term accumulation of polypropylene microplastics in membrane bioreactors used for wastewater treatment. They found that while microplastic accumulation did not reduce the removal of key pollutants like COD and ammonia nitrogen, it did increase membrane fouling and alter the composition of microbial communities in the reactor. The study suggests that microplastic buildup in wastewater treatment systems may affect operational efficiency over time.

2021 Chemosphere 77 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of phenolic-formaldehyde resin microplastics on anaerobic granular sludge: EPS interaction mechanisms and impacts on reactor performance

Researchers studied how microplastics made from phenolic-formaldehyde resin affect wastewater treatment systems that use anaerobic granular sludge. They found that smaller microplastic particles provided new surfaces for bacteria to grow on, initially boosting treatment performance, but over time the increased microbial activity weakened the structure of the sludge granules. The study reveals a trade-off where microplastics can temporarily improve wastewater processing while ultimately destabilizing the treatment system.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 26 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

Effects 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.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 44 citations