Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Performance and bacterial community profiles of sequencing batch reactors during long-term exposure to polyethylene terephthalate and polyethylene microplastics

Researchers examined how PET and polyethylene microplastics affect wastewater treatment in sequencing batch reactors, finding that microplastics alone did not significantly impair treatment performance but did alter bacterial community composition over long-term exposure.

2021 Bioresource Technology 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Long-term impacts of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastics in membrane bioreactor

Researchers evaluated the long-term impact of PET microplastics on membrane bioreactor performance for wastewater treatment. The study found that while biological removal efficiency remained largely unaffected, the accumulation of PET particles adversely impacted sludge settling and dewatering properties and increased extracellular polymer production, suggesting long-term operational concerns for treatment facilities.

2022 Journal of Environmental Management 45 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

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

Exploring the effects of polyethylene and polyester microplastics on biofilm formation, membrane Fouling, and microbial communities in Modified Ludzack-Ettinger-Reciprocation membrane bioreactors

Researchers investigated how polyethylene pellets and polyester fibers affect membrane bioreactor performance in wastewater treatment. They found that PE pellets increased membrane fouling rates 2-3 times faster, while polyester fibers reduced nitrate removal efficiency from 99.6% to 90.9% and decreased beneficial denitrifying bacteria. The study also found that microplastics in treatment systems can harbor pathogens and alter microbial community structures.

2024 Bioresource Technology 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of polypropylene microplastics on the performance of membrane bioreactors in wastewater treatment

Researchers studied how polypropylene microplastics affect membrane bioreactors, a type of wastewater treatment system. They found that while these systems can effectively filter out microplastics, higher concentrations and smaller particle sizes caused membrane clogging and reduced treatment efficiency over time, which is important for designing better wastewater treatment facilities.

2025 Environmental Research 14 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

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

Impact of polyethylene microplastics on the nitrogen removal and bacterial community in sequencing batch reactor at different hydraulic retention times

Researchers examined how polyethylene microplastics affect nitrogen removal performance in biological wastewater treatment at different hydraulic retention times. The study found that the presence of microplastics amplified the negative effects of shortened treatment times on nitrogen removal efficiency and altered bacterial communities and enzyme levels involved in nitrification and denitrification, offering new insights into how microplastics interfere with wastewater treatment processes.

2025 Journal of Environmental Management 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Determinants of microbial colonization on microplastics through wastewater treatment processes: The role of polymer type and sequential treatment

This study examined how polymer type (HDPE vs. PET) and sequential versus individual deployment at each wastewater treatment stage affect microbial colonization on microplastics. The stage of wastewater treatment was found to profoundly influence the bacterial communities colonizing microplastic surfaces.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 6 citations
Article Tier 2

The impact of PET microplastic fibres on PVDF ultrafiltration performance – A short-term assessment of MP fouling in simple and complex matrices

Researchers found that short PET microplastic nanofibers significantly foul polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) ultrafiltration membranes in wastewater treatment, with fouling effects amplified when combined with humic acid, highlighting a gap in current wastewater treatment plant removal capabilities.

2022 Chemosphere 27 citations
Article Tier 2

The entering of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics into biological wastewater treatment system affects aerobic sludge digestion differently from their direct entering into sludge treatment system

Researchers found that PET microplastics entering a biological wastewater treatment system before the sludge treatment stage affected aerobic sludge digestion differently than microplastics added directly to the sludge, highlighting that the treatment pathway determines the nature of microplastic impacts on sludge processing systems.

2020 Water Research 84 citations
Article Tier 2

Biomass formation and organic carbon migration potential of microplastics from a PET recycling plant: Implication of biostability

PET microplastics from a recycling plant promoted bacterial growth in freshwater, with particles smaller than 100 microns supporting up to 1.05 x 10^9 bacteria per gram and shifting microbial diversity by favoring Burkholderiaceae, highlighting pollution risks from the mechanical PET recycling industry.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of Membrane Fouling by Microplastic Particles in Tertiary Wastewater Treatment Processes

Researchers evaluated membrane fouling caused by microplastic particles during tertiary wastewater treatment, finding that microplastics contributed to fouling through pore blocking and cake layer formation, which reduced membrane performance and treatment efficiency.

2022 ACS ES&T Water 39 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics affect membrane biofouling and microbial communities during gravity-driven membrane filtration of primary wastewater

Researchers investigated how microplastics of different sizes and concentrations affect gravity-driven membrane filtration systems used for decentralized wastewater treatment. The study found that microplastics reduced permeate flux by 9 to 54% and altered biofilm microbial communities on the membrane surface, potentially compromising treatment performance.

2024 Chemosphere 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastic accumulation on floc characteristics and fouling behavior in a membrane bioreactor

Researchers found that accumulating microplastics in membrane bioreactors over 124 days decreased sludge floc size, floc hydrophobicity, and extracellular polymeric substance molecular size while increasing EPS concentration and negative surface charge, altering microbial community composition and increasing membrane fouling severity.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 99 citations
Article Tier 2

Role of microparticles on the filamentous bulking of activated sludge

This study found that PET microparticles contribute to the filamentous bulking problem in wastewater treatment plant activated sludge, where excess filamentous bacteria cause settling failures. Microplastics can disrupt the biological treatment processes that wastewater plants rely on to remove pollutants before discharge.

2023 Research Square (Research Square)
Article Tier 2

Insight into response characteristics and inhibition mechanisms of anammox granular sludge to polyethylene terephthalate microplastics exposure

This study tested how PET microplastics affect the anammox process, a key biological method used in wastewater treatment to remove nitrogen. At higher concentrations, PET particles reduced treatment efficiency by about 16% and weakened the structure of the bacterial granules that perform the process. The findings matter because microplastics in sewage could impair the very systems designed to clean our wastewater.

2023 Bioresource Technology 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Antibiotic-driven shifts in bacterial dynamics of the polyethylene terephthalate and low density polyethylene plastisphere in wastewater treatment systems

Researchers studied how antibiotic exposure shifts the bacterial communities colonizing PET and LDPE microplastic surfaces in activated sludge from wastewater treatment plants, finding that antibiotics altered plastisphere microbial composition and increased antibiotic resistance gene prevalence.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials