Investigating bioremediation of micro- and nanoplastics by a Nordic polyculture isolated from wastewater. Chakravarty, S., Takahashi, J., & Funk, C. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, September, 2026. ![Investigating bioremediation of micro- and nanoplastics by a Nordic polyculture isolated from wastewater [link]](https://bibbase.org/img/filetypes/link.svg "link")
Paper doi abstract bibtex The potential toxicity of micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) highlights an urgent need for effective and sustainable bioremediation strategies. This study provides an in-depth investigation of the interaction and bioremediation of MNPs by a natural Nordic microalgal polyculture isolated from an open raceway pond reactor treating municipal wastewater. Reduced but uniform growth, photosynthetic yield and pigment composition was observed in the microalgae when the polyculture was exposed to nanoplastics consisting of polystyrene (PS), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and microplastics of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) at concentrations of 25, 50 or 100 ppm for 8 days. The total carbohydrate-, lipid-, and EPS-contents were recorded to be ⁓8–30% higher under MNP-exposure, suggesting the generation of moderate but manageable oxidative stress. Moderately elevated levels of lipid peroxidation and enhanced activity of the antioxidant enzymes catalase and ascorbate peroxidase revealed an effective defence response of the polyculture. Among the three MNPs, PMMA was noted to induce highest oxidative stress resulting in starch accretion as storage carbon. Electron microscopy revealed attachment of the MNPs to the microalgal cell surface, forming hetero-aggregates. Infrared spectroscopy confirmed these results by detecting MNP-specific functional groups in the biomass. Analysis of MNP concentrations in the media after polyculture treatment showed removal efficiencies of approximately 78–90% at initial MNP concentrations of 100 ppm and 50–60% at initial concentrations of 25 and 50 ppm. Therefore, this study provides valuable insights and strong environmental relevance in exploring microalgae-based pathways for the bioremediation of the increasingly widespread MNP pollution.
@article{chakravarty_investigating_2026,
title = {Investigating bioremediation of micro- and nanoplastics by a {Nordic} polyculture isolated from wastewater},
issn = {2213-3437},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213343726040662},
doi = {10.1016/j.jece.2026.125091},
abstract = {The potential toxicity of micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) highlights an urgent need for effective and sustainable bioremediation strategies. This study provides an in-depth investigation of the interaction and bioremediation of MNPs by a natural Nordic microalgal polyculture isolated from an open raceway pond reactor treating municipal wastewater. Reduced but uniform growth, photosynthetic yield and pigment composition was observed in the microalgae when the polyculture was exposed to nanoplastics consisting of polystyrene (PS), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and microplastics of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) at concentrations of 25, 50 or 100 ppm for 8 days. The total carbohydrate-, lipid-, and EPS-contents were recorded to be ⁓8–30\% higher under MNP-exposure, suggesting the generation of moderate but manageable oxidative stress. Moderately elevated levels of lipid peroxidation and enhanced activity of the antioxidant enzymes catalase and ascorbate peroxidase revealed an effective defence response of the polyculture. Among the three MNPs, PMMA was noted to induce highest oxidative stress resulting in starch accretion as storage carbon. Electron microscopy revealed attachment of the MNPs to the microalgal cell surface, forming hetero-aggregates. Infrared spectroscopy confirmed these results by detecting MNP-specific functional groups in the biomass. Analysis of MNP concentrations in the media after polyculture treatment showed removal efficiencies of approximately 78–90\% at initial MNP concentrations of 100 ppm and 50–60\% at initial concentrations of 25 and 50 ppm. Therefore, this study provides valuable insights and strong environmental relevance in exploring microalgae-based pathways for the bioremediation of the increasingly widespread MNP pollution.},
urldate = {2026-10-02},
journal = {Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering},
author = {Chakravarty, Saumita and Takahashi, Junko and Funk, Christiane},
month = sep,
year = {2026},
keywords = {Defence response, Hetero-aggregation, Micro- and nanoplastics, Nordic polyculture, Removal efficiency, Wastewater},
pages = {125091},
}
Downloads: 0
{"_id":"xrBDiwHwDTJD9NoNZ","bibbaseid":"chakravarty-takahashi-funk-investigatingbioremediationofmicroandnanoplasticsbyanordicpolycultureisolatedfromwastewater-2026","author_short":["Chakravarty, S.","Takahashi, J.","Funk, C."],"bibdata":{"bibtype":"article","type":"article","title":"Investigating bioremediation of micro- and nanoplastics by a Nordic polyculture isolated from wastewater","issn":"2213-3437","url":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213343726040662","doi":"10.1016/j.jece.2026.125091","abstract":"The potential toxicity of micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) highlights an urgent need for effective and sustainable bioremediation strategies. This study provides an in-depth investigation of the interaction and bioremediation of MNPs by a natural Nordic microalgal polyculture isolated from an open raceway pond reactor treating municipal wastewater. Reduced but uniform growth, photosynthetic yield and pigment composition was observed in the microalgae when the polyculture was exposed to nanoplastics consisting of polystyrene (PS), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and microplastics of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) at concentrations of 25, 50 or 100 ppm for 8 days. The total carbohydrate-, lipid-, and EPS-contents were recorded to be ⁓8–30% higher under MNP-exposure, suggesting the generation of moderate but manageable oxidative stress. Moderately elevated levels of lipid peroxidation and enhanced activity of the antioxidant enzymes catalase and ascorbate peroxidase revealed an effective defence response of the polyculture. Among the three MNPs, PMMA was noted to induce highest oxidative stress resulting in starch accretion as storage carbon. Electron microscopy revealed attachment of the MNPs to the microalgal cell surface, forming hetero-aggregates. Infrared spectroscopy confirmed these results by detecting MNP-specific functional groups in the biomass. Analysis of MNP concentrations in the media after polyculture treatment showed removal efficiencies of approximately 78–90% at initial MNP concentrations of 100 ppm and 50–60% at initial concentrations of 25 and 50 ppm. Therefore, this study provides valuable insights and strong environmental relevance in exploring microalgae-based pathways for the bioremediation of the increasingly widespread MNP pollution.","urldate":"2026-10-02","journal":"Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering","author":[{"propositions":[],"lastnames":["Chakravarty"],"firstnames":["Saumita"],"suffixes":[]},{"propositions":[],"lastnames":["Takahashi"],"firstnames":["Junko"],"suffixes":[]},{"propositions":[],"lastnames":["Funk"],"firstnames":["Christiane"],"suffixes":[]}],"month":"September","year":"2026","keywords":"Defence response, Hetero-aggregation, Micro- and nanoplastics, Nordic polyculture, Removal efficiency, Wastewater","pages":"125091","bibtex":"@article{chakravarty_investigating_2026,\n\ttitle = {Investigating bioremediation of micro- and nanoplastics by a {Nordic} polyculture isolated from wastewater},\n\tissn = {2213-3437},\n\turl = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213343726040662},\n\tdoi = {10.1016/j.jece.2026.125091},\n\tabstract = {The potential toxicity of micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) highlights an urgent need for effective and sustainable bioremediation strategies. This study provides an in-depth investigation of the interaction and bioremediation of MNPs by a natural Nordic microalgal polyculture isolated from an open raceway pond reactor treating municipal wastewater. Reduced but uniform growth, photosynthetic yield and pigment composition was observed in the microalgae when the polyculture was exposed to nanoplastics consisting of polystyrene (PS), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and microplastics of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) at concentrations of 25, 50 or 100 ppm for 8 days. The total carbohydrate-, lipid-, and EPS-contents were recorded to be ⁓8–30\\% higher under MNP-exposure, suggesting the generation of moderate but manageable oxidative stress. Moderately elevated levels of lipid peroxidation and enhanced activity of the antioxidant enzymes catalase and ascorbate peroxidase revealed an effective defence response of the polyculture. Among the three MNPs, PMMA was noted to induce highest oxidative stress resulting in starch accretion as storage carbon. Electron microscopy revealed attachment of the MNPs to the microalgal cell surface, forming hetero-aggregates. Infrared spectroscopy confirmed these results by detecting MNP-specific functional groups in the biomass. Analysis of MNP concentrations in the media after polyculture treatment showed removal efficiencies of approximately 78–90\\% at initial MNP concentrations of 100 ppm and 50–60\\% at initial concentrations of 25 and 50 ppm. Therefore, this study provides valuable insights and strong environmental relevance in exploring microalgae-based pathways for the bioremediation of the increasingly widespread MNP pollution.},\n\turldate = {2026-10-02},\n\tjournal = {Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering},\n\tauthor = {Chakravarty, Saumita and Takahashi, Junko and Funk, Christiane},\n\tmonth = sep,\n\tyear = {2026},\n\tkeywords = {Defence response, Hetero-aggregation, Micro- and nanoplastics, Nordic polyculture, Removal efficiency, Wastewater},\n\tpages = {125091},\n}\n\n\n\n","author_short":["Chakravarty, S.","Takahashi, J.","Funk, C."],"key":"chakravarty_investigating_2026","id":"chakravarty_investigating_2026","bibbaseid":"chakravarty-takahashi-funk-investigatingbioremediationofmicroandnanoplasticsbyanordicpolycultureisolatedfromwastewater-2026","role":"author","urls":{"Paper":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213343726040662"},"keyword":["Defence response","Hetero-aggregation","Micro- and nanoplastics","Nordic polyculture","Removal efficiency","Wastewater"],"metadata":{"authorlinks":{}}},"bibtype":"article","biburl":"https://bibbase.org/zotero/upscpub","dataSources":["9cGcv2t8pRzC92kzs"],"keywords":["defence response","hetero-aggregation","micro- and nanoplastics","nordic polyculture","removal efficiency","wastewater"],"search_terms":["investigating","bioremediation","micro","nanoplastics","nordic","polyculture","isolated","wastewater","chakravarty","takahashi","funk"],"title":"Investigating bioremediation of micro- and nanoplastics by a Nordic polyculture isolated from wastewater","year":2026}