Responses of nitrogen removal, microbial community and antibiotic resistance genes to biodegradable microplastics during biological wastewater treatment

IF 3.7 3区生物学 Q2 BIOTECHNOLOGY & APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY

Biochemical Engineering Journal Pub Date : 2025-03-25 DOI:10.1016/j.bej.2025.109732

Yiwei Zhou , Shaochen Bian , Hua Wang , Yixuan Chu , Lei Zheng , Yali Song , Chengran Fang

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Biodegradable plastics decompose more easily into microplastics (MPs) as alternatives to traditional plastics. However, the effects of biodegradable microplastics (BMPs) on the aerobic biological treatment process in activated sludge need further investigation. This study compared the effects of three BMPs (Polylactic acid (PLA), Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) and Polybutylene succinate (PBS)) with 1, 10 and 50 mg/L on nitrogen removal, microbial community and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in activated sludge. The results demonstrated that 10 and 50 mg/L PHA and 50 mg/L PLA enhanced specific nitrate and specific nitrite reduction rates, promoting total nitrogen removal. The positive effects on denitrification-related functional genes (such as napA, nirK, nirS) were also identified. Additionally, 10 mg/L PLA and PHA stimulated the production of loosely bound extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). However, 50 mg/L PLA and PHA decreased the tightly and loosely bound EPS contents. The response of nitrogen removal and EPS were attributed to the shifts of dominant bacteria abundance including Bacteroidota, Chloroflexi and Acidobacteriota. Moreover, PHA and PLA promoted the abundance of ARGs and intI1 in activated sludge, particularly at high concentrations. However, PBS did not affect the nitrogen removal, EPS and microbial communities. The results might shed light on the influence of BMPs on activated sludge.

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来源期刊

Biochemical Engineering Journal 工程技术-工程：化工

CiteScore

7.10

自引率

5.10%

发文量

380

审稿时长

34 days

期刊介绍： The Biochemical Engineering Journal aims to promote progress in the crucial chemical engineering aspects of the development of biological processes associated with everything from raw materials preparation to product recovery relevant to industries as diverse as medical/healthcare, industrial biotechnology, and environmental biotechnology. The Journal welcomes full length original research papers, short communications, and review papers* in the following research fields: Biocatalysis (enzyme or microbial) and biotransformations, including immobilized biocatalyst preparation and kinetics Biosensors and Biodevices including biofabrication and novel fuel cell development Bioseparations including scale-up and protein refolding/renaturation Environmental Bioengineering including bioconversion, bioremediation, and microbial fuel cells Bioreactor Systems including characterization, optimization and scale-up Bioresources and Biorefinery Engineering including biomass conversion, biofuels, bioenergy, and optimization Industrial Biotechnology including specialty chemicals, platform chemicals and neutraceuticals Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering including bioartificial organs, cell encapsulation, and controlled release Cell Culture Engineering (plant, animal or insect cells) including viral vectors, monoclonal antibodies, recombinant proteins, vaccines, and secondary metabolites Cell Therapies and Stem Cells including pluripotent, mesenchymal and hematopoietic stem cells; immunotherapies; tissue-specific differentiation; and cryopreservation Metabolic Engineering, Systems and Synthetic Biology including OMICS, bioinformatics, in silico biology, and metabolic flux analysis Protein Engineering including enzyme engineering and directed evolution.