EFFECTS OF AEROBIC/ANAEROBIC ENVIRONMENTS ON MICROBIAL DEGRADATION EFFICIENCY OF TYPICAL MICROPLASTICS

BI Xinqi; GONG Zhiwei; MA Jie; ZHOU Lichang; JIANG Jinqi; GUO Gang

doi:10.13205/j.hjgc.202407009

Volume 42 Issue 7

Jul. 2024

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Article Navigation > ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING > 2024 > 42(7): 88-97

ZHOU Lichang, LI Zhaoling, CHEN Lei, LIN Ya'nan, GONG Zhiwei, LIN Qingshan, MA Jie, WANG Zongping, GUO Gang. SHORT-TERM EFFECT OF THIOSULFATE ON COMPETITION BETWEEN SULFUR BACTERIA AND GLYCOGEN ACCUMULATING ORGANISMS IN SULFUR-CONTAINING WASTEWATER[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2023, 41(8): 26-32. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202308004

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BI Xinqi, GONG Zhiwei, MA Jie, ZHOU Lichang, JIANG Jinqi, GUO Gang. EFFECTS OF AEROBIC/ANAEROBIC ENVIRONMENTS ON MICROBIAL DEGRADATION EFFICIENCY OF TYPICAL MICROPLASTICS[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2024, 42(7): 88-97. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202407009

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EFFECTS OF AEROBIC/ANAEROBIC ENVIRONMENTS ON MICROBIAL DEGRADATION EFFICIENCY OF TYPICAL MICROPLASTICS

doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202407009

1. School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China;
2. China Railway Siyuan Survey and Design Group Co., Ltd., Wuhan 430063, China;
3. Faculty of Resource and Environmental Science, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China

Received Date: 2023-09-01
Available Online: 2024-12-02

Abstract

Abstract

This study evaluated the degradation efficiency of three typical microplastics (PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate), PLA (polylactic acid), and PVC (polyvinyl chloride)) under different aerobic and anaerobic environments in ambient temperatures. The experimental results of scanning electron microscope (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), average mass, and microbial activity ratio analysis showed that PHA exhibited similar degradation rates in both aerobic and anaerobic environments, approximately 25.72 mg C/d. The surface of PHA microplastic exhibited prominent grooves and cracks, along with decreased ester group abundance, crystallinity, and average mass. On the other hand, PLA and PVC practically did not degrade due to their intrinsic structural stability and great crystallinity. Calculations of the carbon balance when PHA was degraded showed that the carbon was predominantly broken down into CH₃COOH, CH₄, and carbon in biomass. The proportions of these three products in aerobic and anaerobic environments differed significantly, namely 5.23% vs. 0.27%, 4.28% vs. 12.24%, and 87.05% vs. 82.50%, respectively. This may be due to different microbial numbers and critical enzyme activity involved in PHA breakdown between the aerobic and anaerobic environments. This study investigated the effects of aerobic and anaerobic settings on degradation rates and product variations of microplastics in detail, which may help formulate important theoretical guidelines for determining the environmental risk of microplastics.
- microplastics,
- aerobic environment,
- anaerobic environment,
- polyhydroxyalkanoate,
- microbial degradation

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References

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