Microbial Succession on Microplastics in Wastewater Treatment Plants: Exploring the Complexities of Microplastic-Microbiome Interactions.

Despite some effectiveness of wastewater treatment processes, microplastics accumulate in sewage sludge and their further use may contribute to the release of plastic microplastics into the environment. There is an urgent need to reduce the amount of microplastics in sewage sludge. Plastic particles serve as solid substrates for various microorganisms, promoting the formation of microbial biofilms with different metabolic activities. The biofilm environment associated with microplastics will determine the efficiency of treatment processes, especially biological methods, and the mechanisms of organic compound conversion. A significant source of microplastics is the land application of sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plants. The detrimental impact of microplastics affects soil enzymatic activity, soil microorganisms, flora, fauna, and plant production. This review article summarizes the development of research related to microplastics and discusses the issue of microplastic introduction from sewage sludge. Given that microplastics can contain complex composite polymers and form a plastisphere, further research is needed to understand their potential environmental impact, pathogenicity, and the characteristics of biofilms in wastewater treatment systems. The article also discusses the physicochemical properties of microplastics in wastewater treatment plants and their role in biofilm formation. Then, the article explained the impact of these properties on the possibility of the formation of biofilms on their surface due to the peculiar structure of microorganisms and also characterized what factors enable the formation of specific plastisphere in wastewater treatment plants. It highlights the urgent need to understand the basic information about microplastics to assess environmental toxicity more rationally, enabling better pollution control and the development of regulatory standards to manage microplastics entering the environment.

Occurrence and analysis of microplastics in municipal wastewater, Poland.

Microplastics are a growing environmental threat and wastewater treatment plants have been identified as significant conduits for these pollutants. This study addresses microplastic loading in the influent of a large urban wastewater treatment plant, presenting a detailed analysis of their prevalence and characteristics. Our findings reveal a concentration of 4.09 microplastic particles per litre in the tributary. We performed a detailed statistical comparison of the microplastic particles, categorising them by shape, size, colour, and polymer type. Using Fourier transform total reflectance infrared spectroscopy, we identified 13 different polymer types, with polyethylene terephthalate, rubber, and polyethylene predominating. The analysis showed that textile fibres, mainly from clothing, are the most prevalent form of microplastic in wastewater, followed by fragments from the breakdown of larger plastic objects and films. This research highlights the critical need for strategic interventions to mitigate microplastic pollution at municipal sources.