Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 1, 2026

Synthesis of Bimetallic Pt/Sn-based Nanoparticles in Ionic Liquids
Published on: August 23, 2018
Responses of flocculated activated sludge to bimetallic Ag-Fe nanoparticles toxicity: Performance, activity
Ahmad Reza Yazdanbakhsh1, Mohammad Rafiee1, Hasti Daraei1
1Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract:
Ever-increasing production and use of nanoparticles (NPs) have aroused overarching concerns for their toxic effects on the environment and human. In the present study, the toxic effects of Silver (Ag) and Iron (Fe) NPs on the performance of activated sludge were investigated under continuous aerobic/anoxic/anaerobic conditions in laboratory-scale sequencing batch reactors (SBRs).Activated sludge was exposed to various concentrations (5-100 mg/L) of Ag-Fe NPs for 60 days and its response was assessed through the enzymatic activity, COD, nitrogen (TN) and phosphorus (TP) removal, toxicity tests, as well as variations in bacterial community. Compared with the pristine control sample, the exposure to NPs suppressed TN and TP removal efficiencies. Indeed, the respiration rate and biomass concentration were significantly affected by the NPs. Although the simultaneous exposure to Ag-Fe NPs did affect the integrity of cell membrane (LDH) and key enzymes activities, the higher concentration induced an increased generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The metagenome analysis revealed a marked shift in the microbial community structure suggesting that both heterotrophic and autotrophic communities were affected by the presence of Ag-Fe NPs. Our results provide some evidence for compounded effects of NPs in their simultaneous presence, and generate new leads for future research efforts.
More Related Videos
06:00Experimental Protocol for Using Drosophila As an Invertebrate Model System for Toxicity Testing in the Laboratory
Published on: July 10, 2018
09:27Measuring the Shape and Size of Activated Sludge Particles Immobilized in Agar with an Open Source Software Pipeline
Published on: January 30, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Co-activators and Co-repressors
Secondary Active Transport
Eukaryotic Transcription Activators
The binding domains are capable of recognizing and interacting with regulatory sequences on the DNA. These...
tRNA Activation
Activation Energy
What are Populations and Communities?