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Effects of polypropylene microplastics on digestion performance, microbial community, and antibiotic resistance

Yu Xiao1, Yan Qin1, Xiaoying Jiang1

  • 1College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China.

Bioresource Technology
|August 27, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Polypropylene microplastics (PP-MPs) enhanced methane production in anaerobic digesters by altering microbial communities and increasing antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). This study reveals microplastic impacts on digestion processes.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Science
  • Microbiology
  • Biotechnology

Background:

  • Microplastics (MPs) are emerging global pollutants with increasing environmental concern.
  • Understanding the impact of specific microplastic types, like polypropylene (PP), on engineered ecosystems is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of PP-MPs on anaerobic digestion performance.
  • To analyze the shifts in microbial community structure and function in response to PP-MPs.
  • To assess the changes in antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) under PP-MP exposure.

Main Methods:

  • Microbial anaerobic digesters were treated with varying concentrations of PP-MPs.
  • Methane production was monitored.
  • Microbial community composition was analyzed using molecular techniques.
  • Abundance of ARGs and MGEs was quantified.

Main Results:

  • Addition of PP-MPs increased methane production by 10.8% at 300 particles/g TSS.
  • PP-MPs enriched key acetogenic (Syntrophobacter, Syntrophorhabdus, Syntrophomonas) and methanogenic (Methanobacterium, Methanosaeta) microbial communities.
  • Specific ARGs (tetX, parC) and MGEs (ISCR1, intI1) were significantly enriched, suggesting increased horizontal gene transfer.

Conclusions:

  • Polypropylene microplastics can positively influence anaerobic digestion efficiency by modulating microbial consortia.
  • PP-MPs contribute to the proliferation and spread of antibiotic resistance genes within anaerobic digesters.
  • These findings highlight the complex ecological implications of microplastic contamination in biological treatment systems.
Keywords:
Antibiotic resistance genesHorizontal gene transferMethane productionMobile gene elementsWaste sludge

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