ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microbiotechnology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1519230
This article is part of the Research TopicNew Insight into the Roles of Microorganisms in Municipal and Environmental Engineering Technologies/Systems - Volume IIView all 3 articles
Microplastic Contamination and Removal Efficiency in Greywater Treatment Using a Membrane Bioreactor
Provisionally accepted
- 1Climate Change and Environmental Research Center Department of Climate Change and Environment, Technopolis, Khlong Luang, Pathumthani, Thailand
- 2Department of Social and Environmental Medicine, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol university, Ratchathewi, Bangkok, Thailand
- 3Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Srinakharinwirot University, Nakhon nayok, Thailand
- 4Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Srinakharinwirot University, Nakhon Nayok, Thailand
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Microplastic (MP) contamination in aquatic environments is a critical concern due to its potential effects on aquatic ecosystems. MP contamination is often unsatisfactorily eliminated using conventional wastewater treatment systems. Membrane bioreactor (MBR) is a modern solution for wastewater treatment offerings significant advantages over traditional activated sludge systems such as a smaller footprint and the ability to produce high-quality effluent. In this study, a pilotscale MBR was conducted to evaluate MP removal from real greywater. The overall treatment performance for MP removal reached up to 90%, with the MP concentration in the permeate effluent was 0.02 MP L -1 . The major MP size distribution was 101 to 300 µm, with polypropylene as the predominant MP type. Remarkably, polyester fibers were highly predominant in the suspended sludge. Furthermore, Alphaproteobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria were the predominant communities in the MBR sludge which preferably formed a biofilm associated with MP accumulation. This study underscores the potential of MBR technology for efficient MP removal in household buildings, contributing to the mitigation of MP discharge into the environment. Implementing MBR systems is a crucial step towards safeguarding aquatic ecosystems and preserving environmental integrity with respect to the corresponding increase in MP pollution.
Keywords: Microplastic contamination, Membrane Bioreactor, Greywater treatment, polyester fibers, bacterial community
Received: 29 Oct 2024; Accepted: 22 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Ittisupornrat, Namyuang, Phetrak, Sriromreun and Theepharaksapan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Suthidat Theepharaksapan, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Srinakharinwirot University, Nakhon Nayok, Thailand
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