Recently, Ma Yixuan, a 19th-grade doctoral student from the Department of Municipal Engineering of SCE, under the guidance of Professor Huang Juan, has published significant research results in the top-tier environmental journal “Water Research” (Q1, with an impact factor of 11.547). The paper is titled “Comprehensive metagenomic and enzyme activity analysis reveals the negatively influential and potentially toxic mechanism of polystyrene nanoparticles on nitrogen transformation in constructed wetlands” (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2021.117420). The first author of the paper is doctoral student Ma Yixuan, with Professor Huang Juan as the corresponding author, and Southeast University's School of Civil Engineering as the first affiliation/corresponding unit.
The pollution situation of micro (nano) plastics in the ecological environment is extremely severe and has drawn widespread attention. Nano-plastics, due to their widespread application and difficulty in degradation, inevitably enter artificial wetland ecosystems, generating ecological effects. Prior to this, research on the impact of nano-plastics on nitrogen transformation in wetland ecosystems has been extremely limited.
This study focuses on polystyrene nanoparticles (PSNPs) and comprehensively investigates their impact on nitrogen transformation in artificial wetlands. The research analyzes their effects on the metabolism process of nitrogen transformation, as well as the abundance of relevant genes and the key enzyme activity of the antioxidant system. The study aims to explore the influencing mechanisms of PSNPs. This research provides scientific evidence for evaluating the impact of PSNPs on ecosystems and once again raises concerns about the influence of micro (nano) plastics on the global ecological environment.
In recent years, Professor Huang Juan's team has been dedicated to research in areas such as water ecological restoration theory and technology, environmental behavior, and fate of emerging pollutants. The team has published a series of important papers in renowned international academic journals such as “Water Research,” “Journal of Hazardous Materials,” “Bioresource Technology,” “Environmental Pollution,” and “Science of the Total Environment.”
