Treatment of Synthetic Wastewater Containing Polystyrene (PS) Nanoplastics by Membrane Bioreactor (MBR): Study of the Effects on Microbial Community and Membrane Fouling

IF 3.3 4区工程技术 Q2 CHEMISTRY, PHYSICAL

Membranes Pub Date : 2024-08-09 DOI:10.3390/membranes14080174

Anamary Pompa-Pernía, S. Molina, Laura Cherta, Lorena Martínez-García, J. Landaburu-Aguirre

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The persistent presence of micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) in aquatic environments, particularly via effluents from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), poses significant ecological risks. This study investigated the removal efficiency of polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs) using a lab-scale aerobic membrane bioreactor (aMBR) equipped with different membrane types: microfiltration (MF), commercial ultrafiltration (c-UF), and recycled ultrafiltration (r-UF) membranes. Performance was assessed using synthetic urban wastewater spiked with PS-NPs, focusing on membrane efficiency, fouling behavior, and microbial community shifts. All aMBR systems achieved high organic matter removal, exceeding a 97% COD reduction in both the control and PS-exposed reactors. While low concentrations of PS-NPs did not significantly impact the sludge settleability or soluble microbial products initially, a higher accumulation increased the carbohydrate concentrations, indicating a protective bacterial response. The microbial community composition also adapted over time under polystyrene stress. All membrane types exhibited substantial NP removal; however, the presence of nano-sized PS particles negatively affected the membrane performance, enhancing the fouling phenomena and increasing transmembrane pressure. Despite this, the r-UF membrane demonstrated comparable efficiency to c-UF, suggesting its potential for sustainable applications. Advanced characterization techniques including pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) were employed for NP detection and quantification.

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利用膜生物反应器 (MBR) 处理含有聚苯乙烯 (PS) 纳米塑料的合成废水：研究对微生物群落和膜污垢的影响

微塑料和纳米塑料（MNPs）在水生环境中的持续存在，尤其是通过污水处理厂（WWTPs）排出的废水，对生态环境构成了重大风险。本研究使用实验室规模的好氧膜生物反应器（aMBR）研究了聚苯乙烯纳米塑料（PS-NPs）的去除效率，该反应器配备了不同类型的膜：微滤膜（MF）、商用超滤膜（c-UF）和再生超滤膜（r-UF）。使用添加了 PS-NPs 的合成城市污水对其性能进行了评估，重点关注膜效率、结垢行为和微生物群落变化。所有 aMBR 系统都实现了较高的有机物去除率，在对照组和 PS 暴露反应器中，COD 的去除率都超过了 97%。虽然低浓度的 PS-NPs 最初不会对污泥沉降性或可溶性微生物产物产生重大影响，但较高浓度的 PS-NPs 会增加碳水化合物的浓度，这表明细菌会做出保护性反应。在聚苯乙烯压力下，微生物群落组成也会随着时间的推移而调整。所有类型的膜都能大量去除 NP；然而，纳米级 PS 粒子的存在对膜的性能产生了负面影响，加剧了污垢现象并增加了跨膜压力。尽管如此，r-UF 膜仍表现出与 c-UF 相当的效率，这表明它具有可持续应用的潜力。先进的表征技术包括热解气相色谱/质谱法（Py-GC/MS），用于 NP 的检测和定量。

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来源期刊

Membranes Chemical Engineering-Filtration and Separation

CiteScore

6.10

自引率

16.70%

发文量

1071

审稿时长

11 weeks

期刊介绍： Membranes (ISSN 2077-0375) is an international, peer-reviewed open access journal of separation science and technology. It publishes reviews, research articles, communications and technical notes. Our aim is to encourage scientists to publish their experimental and theoretical results in as much detail as possible. There is no restriction on the length of the papers. Full experimental and/or methodical details must be provided.