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Environmental sustainability

Hydrothermal Sludge Treatment Reduces Bisphenol A and Phenol Leaching Risks

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences have made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of chemicals and chemistry. By investigating the morphological alterations of microplastics in sludge during hydrothermal processing, as well as the interaction between the latter of bisphenol A and phenol, the team revealed that hydrothermal sludge treatment reduces bisphenol A and phenol leaching risks by 4-fold. This innovative approach has the potential to support its adoption over conventional methods, making it a crucial step towards evaluating the environmental sustainability of the sludge resource utilization path.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study, conducted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, investigated the interaction between microplastics and system pollutants during sludge resource utilization.
  • The researchers found that hydrothermal treatment alters the surface morphology, hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity, surface functional groups, and crystallinity of sludge microplastics, affecting its interaction with bisphenol A and phenol.
  • The study demonstrated that hydrothermal treatment of sludge microplastics reduces the release of bisphenol A and phenol, with a decrease of up to 4-fold.
  • The research also suggested that microplastics may have a significant impact on the migration and transformation of organic pollutants during sludge treatment, warranting further attention to its potential harm to the ecology.
  • The study was supported by the CRSRI Open Research Program, National Natural Science Foundation of Hubei, National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), and Innovation Project of Hubei Three Gorges Laboratory.
  • The research team included Bingdi Cao, Hanjun Wu, Tianjun Liu, Qingrong Cheng, Hong Zhou, Zhiquan Pan, and Dongsheng Wang.

Statistics:

  • The study found that hydrothermal treatment reduces bisphenol A release by 3.872 mg/g.
  • Phenol release from microplastics after hydrothermal treatment increased up to 49.33 mg/g.
  • The sludge microplastics adsorbed bisphenol A, with an adsorption capacity of 0.80 mg/g.
  • The research was published in the journal Environment, Development and Sustainability in 2025.
  • The study has been peer-reviewed and is considered a raw study to quantify bisphenol A and phenol release inhibition by sludge microplastics during hydrothermal treatment.

Sources:

  • Caos, B., et al. Interaction Mechanisms Between Microplastics and Environmental Endocrine Disruptors During Hydrothermal Treatment of Sludge. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 2025.
  • Environment, Development and Sustainability. Van Godewijckstraat 30, 3311 Gz Dordrecht, Netherlands. (www.springer.com; www.springerlink.com/content/1387-585x/)
  • Chinese Academy of Sciences. Research Center for Ecoenvironmental Sciences, Beijing 100085, People's Republic of China.

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