Methods to recover and characterize microplastics in wastewater treatment plants

Liu, Yi; Wang, Bei; Pileggi, Vince; Chang, Sheng

doi:10.1016/j.cscee.2022.100183

Cited by 31 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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Section: Sample Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Grab sampler was used in this study as a common method to collect microplastics [10]. The volume of water samples taken was according to the clarity of the water, which can be different between raw and treated wastewater [8,10]. In this study, raw wastewater as an influent was collected in amount 10 L and effluent in amount of 50 L. Water samples were taken in duplicate with a stainless steel bucket (5 L), and then water samples were gently poured and filtered immediately by a plankton net (300 μm and 100 μm mesh size).…”

Section: Sample Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…MPs counting were carried out manually and classified into their shape, size, and color [14]. MPs were categorized into 5 common shapes, which are fiber, fragment, film, microbead, and foam [10,15]. Data was given in the number of MPs per liter of wastewater [14].…”

Section: Microplastics Quantification and Characterizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, MPs in wastewater entering the WWTP can also come from the continuous fragmentation of large to small plastic particles [9,12]. MPs concentration in wastewater can be influenced by the number of people served in a certain area [10].…”

Section: Wastewater Mps Concentration and Removal Efficienciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some previous studies showed that MPs concentrations in the influent of an urban scale WWTP ranged from 1 to 31400 particles L -1 [6][7][8][9]. Microplastic abundances can be influenced by the population area and diversity of human activities [10]. The total population of the area will be related to the WWTP service area in a certain area.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Microplastic occurrence and characteristics in a municipal wastewater treatment plant in Jakarta

Setiadewi

Henny²,

Rohaningsih³

et al. 2023

IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci.

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Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) can act as both a barrier but also as an entrance route for microplastics (MPs) into aquatic environment. This study investigated the first occurrence and characteristics of MPs in Setiabudi Jakarta WWTP. Sampling technique, extraction methods, and quantification as well as characterization of MPs was carried out based on some related previous studies. The results showed that MPs concentration detected in the influent was 17.1 (± 5.65) items/L, and it was reduced to 1.41 (± 0.01) items/L in the effluent, indicating that approximately 91.29% of MPs in raw wastewater was removed during the treatment. Based on the daily effluent discharge, it is estimated that around 352.5 of MPs are released from the WWTP each day. The light microscopic method used for quantification and characterization revealed that MPs was widely distributed in the 100–5000 μm range. The color of MPs in both influent and effluent was mainly composed of white or transparent (35%) and black (17–25.4%). Based on shape category, fibers (68–70.17%) are the dominantly found in two sampling points, followed by fragments (23.68–26.24%), films (0.71–2.9%), microbeads (0.4–1.4%) and foams (1.4–2.8%). Our findings demonstrates that the presence of Setiabudi WWTP can significantly reduce the MPs pollution from raw wastewater, however, MPs discharged into the environment was still considerably high.

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Section: Sample Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Sample Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Microplastics Quantification and Characterizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Wastewater Mps Concentration and Removal Efficienciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Microplastic occurrence and characteristics in a municipal wastewater treatment plant in Jakarta

Setiadewi

Henny²,

Rohaningsih³

et al. 2023

IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci.

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Detection and characterization of micro‐ and nano‐plastics in wastewater: Current status of preparatory & analytical techniques

Saha,

Shourie

2024

Environmental Quality Mgmt

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Micro‐ and nano‐plastics (MNPs) are ubiquitous emerging pollutants that have gained global traction due to their persistent nature and potential risks to the environment and human health. The physico‐chemical properties of MNPs such as size, shape, density, surface charge and hydrophobicity are quite different from macro‐plastics, which render them unique behavior exemplified by high rate of diffusion, high mobility, easy uptake by organisms, high toxicity, and potential of bioaccumulation. Human exposure to MNPs causes serious health impacts including apoptosis, necrosis, inflammation, oxidative stress, metabolic disorders, and hampered immune responses. The hazardous nature and high persistence of MNPs in the environment necessitates accelerated studies focused upon their detection, quantification, impact analysis, and risk assessment. All kinds of wastewaters whether municipal, agricultural, or industrial, consist of significant loads of MNPs and act as secondary source of MNP pollution in groundwater and soil. Wastewater is highly complex in composition and there are several impediments in the accurate detection and identification of MNPs in this matrix owing to the in‐efficient sampling methods, lack of standardized methodologies, and non‐reproducibility of data. This review provides an overview of currently available techniques for sampling, detection, identification, and characterization of MNPs in wastewater. A critical commentary on the challenges and limitations of these techniques has been given and strategic combinatorial methods have been suggested for efficient and reliable MNP analysis in wastewater samples. The article also highlights novel sensor‐based methods enabling rapid and accurate detection of MNPs in wastewater.

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Characteristics and removal efficiency of microplastics at secondary wastewater treatment plant in Lithuania

Pleskytė,

Uogintė,

Burbulytė

et al. 2023

Water Environment Research

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Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are the most significant barrier between anthropogenic microplastics and environmental ecosystems. The distribution and characteristics of microplastics in WWTPs remain uncertain and incompletely understood, particularly in northeastern Europe (Baltic States), where there is a lack of data on microplastic pollution and distribution. This study presents the removal efficiency and variation in characteristics of microplastics in different stages of the secondary WWTP during a 3‐month sampling campaign in Lithuania. The abundance, size, shape, color, and chemical composition of microplastics in the wastewater at different treatment stages were thoroughly examined, in a size range from 20 to 1000 μm. On average, 2962 ± 25 particles/L of microplastic enter the studied WWTP. The obtained microplastic removal efficiency was 55.4% ± 3.9%, highlighting the necessity to enhance wastewater treatment strategies focusing on microplastic removal. Fragment‐type microplastics smaller than 100 μm were removed from wastewater samples with the highest removal efficiency. Furthermore, our study includes recommendations to improve microplastic removal efficiency and contribute to mitigating microplastic pollution.Practitioner Points A large number of MPs in the size range of 20–1000 μm enter Lithuanian WWTP. Small–sized MPs within a range of 20–50 μm and 50–100 μm were removed with the highest efficiency of 54.07 ± 1.68% and 56.4 ± 2.43%, respectively. The shape and size of MPs have a major impact on the efficiency of their removal. Future research should prioritize the development of economical and energy–efficient systems, specifically designed for the removal of MPs in WWTPs.

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Methods to recover and characterize microplastics in wastewater treatment plants

Cited by 31 publications

References 68 publications

Microplastic occurrence and characteristics in a municipal wastewater treatment plant in Jakarta

Microplastic occurrence and characteristics in a municipal wastewater treatment plant in Jakarta

Detection and characterization of micro‐ and nano‐plastics in wastewater: Current status of preparatory & analytical techniques

Characteristics and removal efficiency of microplastics at secondary wastewater treatment plant in Lithuania

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