Effect of polyethylene microplastics on activated sludge process - Accumulation in the sludge and influence on the process and on biomass characteristics

According to previous research, it has been proved that wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) can retain more than 90 % of the MPs contained in wastewater. However, a significant fraction removed WWTPs is retained sludge floc and this may lead an environmental issue since biosolids be used as fertilizers. The purpose research was evaluate how presence polyethylene (PE) could interfere with activated performance. For this, sequencing batch reactor (SBR) continuously fed during 93 days synthetic sewage PE microbeads. It observed 98 ± 2% total amount entered SBR accumulated sludge. Despite high accumulation sludge, depuration performance not compromised. decreased richness (Chao1) abundance-based coverage estimators (ACE) diversity (Shannon) bacterial community on day 93. Based analysis indices relative abundances microbial taxa, concluded had selective effects community. did affect abundance nitrifying denitrifying bacteria