Abstract
Microplastic (MP) pollution is one of the emerging threats to the water and terrestrial environment, forcing a new environmental challenge due to the growing trend of plastic released into the environment. Synthetic and non-synthetic plastic components can be found in rivers, lakes/reservoirs, oceans, mountains, and even remote areas, such as the Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets. MPs’ main challenge is identifying, measuring, and evaluating their impacts on environmental behaviors, such as carbon and nutrient cycles, water and wastewater microbiome, and the associated side effects. However, until now, no standardized methodical protocols have been proposed for comparing the results of studies in different environments, especially in urban water and wastewater. This review briefly discusses MPs’ sources, fate, and transport in urban waters and explains methodological uncertainty. The effects of MPs on urban water microbiomes, including urban runoff, sewage wastewater, stagnant water in plumbing networks, etc., are also examined in depth. Furthermore, this study highlights the pathway of MPs and their transport vectors to different parts of ecosystems and human life, particularly through mediating microbial communities, antibiotic-resistant genes, and biogeochemical cycles. Overall, we have briefly highlighted the present research gaps, the lack of appropriate policy for evaluating microplastics and their interactions with urban water microbiomes, and possible future initiatives.
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Abbreviations
- ARB:
-
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria
- ARGs:
-
Antibiotic resistance genes
- ATR-FTIR:
-
Attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared
- BS:
-
Borosilicate spheres
- CSOs:
-
Combined sewer overflows
- DOC:
-
Dissolved organic carbon
- DW:
-
Drinking water
- DWDSs:
-
Drinking water distribution systems
- DWMs:
-
Drinking water microbiome
- IWS:
-
Intermittent water supply
- LDPE:
-
Low-density PE
- MPs:
-
Microplastics
- NPs:
-
Nano-plastics
- PCPs:
-
Personal care products
- PA:
-
Polyamide
- PCL:
-
Polycaprolactone
- PCBs:
-
Polychlorinated biphenyls
- PAHs:
-
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
- PE:
-
Polyethylene
- PET:
-
Polyethylene terephthalate
- PLA:
-
Polylactic acid
- PP:
-
Polypropylene
- PS :
-
Polystyrene
- PUR:
-
Polyurethane
- PVC:
-
Polyvinyl chloride
- TC:
-
Tetracycline
- WWTPs:
-
Wastewater treatment plants
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Funding
This work was supported by the President’s International Fellowship Initiative (PIFI) from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
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All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Saber Entezari: conceptualization; investigation; resources; writing—original draft; writing—review and editing.
Mamun Abdullah Al: investigation, resources.
Amir Mostashari: resources; writing—original draft; writing—review and editing.
Hossein Ganjidoust: conceptualization, methodology, investigation, supervision (supervisor).
Bita Ayati: investigation, supervision (advisor).
Jun Yang: investigation, supervision (advisor).
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Highlights
• Biofilm changes hydrophobicity/hydropathy, buoyancy, and abiotic degradability of microplastics by UV radiation.
• Microplastics can alter the structure, composition, and functional properties of bacteria.
• Bacterial communities inhabiting the surfaces of aquatic MPs differ significantly from their surrounding environment.
• Microplastics act as a vector for microorganisms, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), heavy metals, and other pollutants transport.
• MPs affect carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, and biogeochemical cycles.
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Entezari, S., Al, M.A., Mostashari, A. et al. Microplastics in urban waters and its effects on microbial communities: a critical review. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 88410–88431 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-23810-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-23810-2