College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China.
College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China; Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agro-environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China.
Sci Total Environ. 2023 Dec 15;904:166473. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166473. Epub 2023 Sep 1.
In this study, a combination of property analysis and high-throughput sequencing was used to investigate the microbial colonization ability and their community structures and functions in polypropylene microplastics (PPMPs), polystyrene microplastics (PSMPs) and montmorillonite (MMT), respectively as the representatives of artificial and natural substrates in aerobic sludge treatment. After 45 d of incubation, the surface properties of substrates were altered with the increased oxygen functional groups and surface roughness, indicating microbial settlement. Moreover, MPs had different microbial structures from that of MMT, and PSMPs exhibited higher microbial diversity and abundance than PPMPs and MMT. Also, these substrates changed the inherent ecological niche in sludge. Especially, the abundance of some pathogens (e.g., Pseudomonas, Klebsiella and Flavobacterium) was increased in MPs, and the disease risk of Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes metabolic pathway (e.g., Infectious diseases: Bacterial, Infectious diseases: Parasitic and Immune diseases) was higher. Also, the presence of MPs inhibited the decomposition of organic matter including soluble chemical oxygen demand and protein compared to natural substrates. The findings revealed the crucial vector role of MPs for microbes and the effect on aerobic sludge treatment, highlighting the necessity of MP removal in sludge.
在这项研究中，采用性质分析和高通量测序相结合的方法，分别研究了微生物在聚丙烯微塑料（PPMPs）、聚苯乙烯微塑料（PSMPs）和蒙脱石（MMT）中的定殖能力及其群落结构和功能。在 45 天的孵育后，由于氧官能团和表面粗糙度的增加，导致底物表面性质发生了改变，表明微生物已经定殖。此外，MPs 与 MMT 的微生物结构不同，PSMPs 比 PPMPs 和 MMT 具有更高的微生物多样性和丰度。这些底物也改变了污泥中固有的生态位。特别是，一些病原体（如假单胞菌、克雷伯氏菌和黄杆菌）在 MPs 中的丰度增加，京都基因与基因组百科全书代谢途径（如传染病：细菌、传染病：寄生虫和免疫疾病）的疾病风险更高。此外，与天然底物相比，MPs 的存在抑制了包括可溶性化学需氧量和蛋白质在内的有机物的分解。研究结果揭示了 MPs 对微生物的关键载体作用及其对好氧污泥处理的影响，强调了在污泥中去除 MPs 的必要性。
