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Sampling, Sorting, and Characterizing Microplastics in Aquatic Environments with High Suspended Sediment Loads and Large Floating Debris
Published on: July 28, 2018
Response mechanisms of enhanced biological phosphorus removal systems to microplastics stress
Mingwan Yang1, Li Tian2, Qihao Li2
1College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China.
Abstract:
Enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) systems play a vital role in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) for controlling phosphorus discharge into urban water bodies and mitigating eutrophication risks. The accumulation of microplastics (MPs) in WWTPs has raised concerns about their potential impact on EBPR performance. This study investigated the effects of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) MPs on EBPR functionality and associated microbial communities. The results demonstrate that MPs enhance EBPR stability and significantly improve phosphorus removal efficiency while simultaneously inhibiting nitrogen removal. Microbial community analysis and functional gene profiling revealed that MP-exposed groups exhibited higher ratios of polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs) to glycogen accumulating organisms (GAOs) and reduced denitrification gene abundance, which collectively explain the observed enhancement in EBPR stability and decline in nitrogen removal. Furthermore, Candidatus Accumulibacter vicinus was identified as the dominant lineage in the EBPR system, challenging the conventional focus on Ca. Accumulibacter phosphatis. Notably, pathogens were enriched in free-living activated sludge (AS), whereas antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) accumulated on microplastic surfaces. This study elucidates the response mechanisms and potential ecological risks of EBPR systems under microplastic stress.
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