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Article

Effects of Polyethylene Terephthalate Microplastics on Anaerobic Mono-Digestion and Co-Digestion of Fecal Sludge from Septic Tank

by
Tingting Ma
1,
Nana Liu
1,*,
Yuxuan Li
2,
Ziwang Ye
1,
Zhengxian Chen
1,
Shikun Cheng
1,*,
Luiza C. Campos
2 and
Zifu Li
1
1
Beijing Key Laboratory of Resource-Oriented Treatment of Industrial Pollutants, School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Xueyuan Road No. 30, Beijing 100083, China
2
Department of Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Molecules 2024, 29(19), 4692; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29194692
Submission received: 15 August 2024 / Revised: 22 September 2024 / Accepted: 30 September 2024 / Published: 3 October 2024
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wastewater Treatment: Functional Materials and Advanced Technology, 2nd Edition)
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Abstract

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is one of the most significant processes for treating fecal sludge. However, a substantial amount of microplastics (MPs) have been identified in septic tanks, and it remains unclear whether they impact the resource treatment of feces. To investigate this, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was used as an indicator of MPs to study their effect on the anaerobic digestion of fecal sludge (FS). Two digestion systems were developed: FS mono-digestion and FS co-digestion with anaerobic granular sludge. The results indicated that the effects of PET varied between the two systems. PET inhibited volatile fatty acid synthesis in both systems, but the inhibition period differed. During mono-digestion, PET slightly increased gas and methane production, in contrast to the co-digestion system, where PET reduced methane production by 75.18%. Furthermore, in the mono-digestion system, PET increased soluble chemical oxygen demand and ammonia nitrogen concentrations while blocking phosphorus release, whereas the co-digestion system showed the opposite effects. Ultimately, the choice of digestion method is crucial for the resource utilization of septic tank sludge, and the impact of MPs on AD cannot be ignored.
Keywords: microplastics; anaerobic digestion; polyethylene terephthalate; fecal sludge; methane production; manure resource utilization microplastics; anaerobic digestion; polyethylene terephthalate; fecal sludge; methane production; manure resource utilization

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MDPI and ACS Style

Ma, T.; Liu, N.; Li, Y.; Ye, Z.; Chen, Z.; Cheng, S.; Campos, L.C.; Li, Z. Effects of Polyethylene Terephthalate Microplastics on Anaerobic Mono-Digestion and Co-Digestion of Fecal Sludge from Septic Tank. Molecules 2024, 29, 4692. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29194692

AMA Style

Ma T, Liu N, Li Y, Ye Z, Chen Z, Cheng S, Campos LC, Li Z. Effects of Polyethylene Terephthalate Microplastics on Anaerobic Mono-Digestion and Co-Digestion of Fecal Sludge from Septic Tank. Molecules. 2024; 29(19):4692. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29194692

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ma, Tingting, Nana Liu, Yuxuan Li, Ziwang Ye, Zhengxian Chen, Shikun Cheng, Luiza C. Campos, and Zifu Li. 2024. "Effects of Polyethylene Terephthalate Microplastics on Anaerobic Mono-Digestion and Co-Digestion of Fecal Sludge from Septic Tank" Molecules 29, no. 19: 4692. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29194692

APA Style

Ma, T., Liu, N., Li, Y., Ye, Z., Chen, Z., Cheng, S., Campos, L. C., & Li, Z. (2024). Effects of Polyethylene Terephthalate Microplastics on Anaerobic Mono-Digestion and Co-Digestion of Fecal Sludge from Septic Tank. Molecules, 29(19), 4692. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29194692

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