Abstract:
Nanoplastics are anticipated to be ubiquitous in various environmental compartments. However, challenges in analytical methods hinder our understanding of risks related to specific nanplastics characteristics such as size and chemical compositions, and interactions between nanoplastics and microorganisms. In this study, we applied fit-for-purpose analytical methods and techniques to understand how nanoplastic chemical composition influences their interaction with bacteria collected from activated sludge. When exposed to polystyrene (PS) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) nanoplastics for 5 days, the nanoplastics attached to the bacteria. Specifically, on day 1, there was a significant predominance of PS nanoplastics over PVC ones of similar size and shape, possibly due to differences in their chemical composition. After 5 days, there is a substantial decrease in nanoplastics attached to bacteria, suggesting bacterial defence mechanisms may reduce particles attachment over time. The overall bacterial community structure demonstrated a high degree of resilience. This resilience highlights the ability of microbial communities to maintain their structure despite nanoplastic stressors, as evidenced by consistent alpha diversity, PCoA, and PERMANOVA results. Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for assessing nanoplastic fate and thus environmental impacts.
摘要:
预期纳米塑料在各种环境隔室中普遍存在。然而,分析方法的挑战阻碍了我们对与特定纳米塑料特性(如尺寸和化学成分)相关的风险的理解,以及纳米塑料和微生物之间的相互作用。在这项研究中,我们应用适合目的的分析方法和技术来了解纳米塑料化学成分如何影响它们与从活性污泥中收集的细菌的相互作用。当暴露于聚苯乙烯(PS)和聚氯乙烯(PVC)纳米塑料5天时,纳米塑料附着在细菌上。具体来说,在第1天,PS纳米塑料明显优于尺寸和形状相似的PVC,可能是由于化学成分的差异。5天后,附着在细菌上的纳米塑料大幅减少,提示细菌防御机制可能会随着时间的推移减少颗粒附着。总体细菌群落结构表现出高度的恢复力。这种复原力突出了微生物群落维持其结构的能力,尽管有纳米塑料压力,一致的阿尔法多样性证明了这一点,PCoA,和PERMANOVA结果。了解这些机制对于评估纳米塑料的命运和环境影响至关重要。