Microplastics in Sewage Sludge: Effects of Treatment

Mahon, Anne Marie; Connell, B. O’; Healy, Mark G.; Connor, I. O’; Officer, Rick; Nash, Róisín; Morrison, Liam

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-812271-6.00181-2

Cited by 67 publications

(103 citation statements)

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“…In the U.S., approximately 60% of wastewater sludge (also known as biosolids) is applied on agricultural fields, reclamation sites, or sold directly to consumers for use on gardens and landscaping. Mahon et al () reported microplastic burdens of 4,196 to 15,385 microparticles kg −1 in Irish sludges destined for land application. Repeated applications on the same plot (common for fertilizers) increased proportionately the abundance of microplastics in receiving soils (Corradini et al, ).…”

Section: Microplastics In the Indoor And Terrestrial Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Global Perspective on Microplastics

Hale¹,

Seeley²,

Guardia³

et al. 2020

JGR Oceans

667

270

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Society has become increasingly reliant on plastics since commercial production began in about 1950. Their versatility, stability, light weight, and low production costs have fueled global demand. Most plastics are initially used and discarded on land. Nonetheless, the amount of microplastics in some oceanic compartments is predicted to double by 2030. To solve this global problem, we must understand plastic composition, physical forms, uses, transport, and fragmentation into microplastics (and nanoplastics). Plastic debris/microplastics arise from land disposal, wastewater treatment, tire wear, paint failure, textile washing, and at-sea losses. Riverine and atmospheric transport, storm water, and disasters facilitate releases. In surface waters plastics/microplastics weather, biofoul, aggregate, and sink, are ingested by organisms and redistributed by currents. Ocean sediments are likely the ultimate destination. Plastics release additives, concentrate environmental contaminants, and serve as substrates for biofilms, including exotic and pathogenic species. Microplastic abundance increases as fragment size decreases, as does the proportion of organisms capable of ingesting them. Particles <20 μm may penetrate cell membranes, exacerbating risks. Exposure can compromise feeding, metabolic processes, reproduction, and behavior. But more investigation is required to draw definitive conclusions. Human ingestion of contaminated seafood and water is a concern. Microplastics indoors present yet uncharacterized risks, magnified by the time we spend inside (>90%) and the abundance of polymeric products therein. Scientific challenges include improving microplastic sampling and characterization approaches, understanding long-term behavior, additive bioavailability, and organismal and ecosystem health risks. Solutions include improving globally based pollution prevention, developing degradable polymers and additives, and reducing consumption/expanding plastic reuse.

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Section: Microplastics In the Indoor And Terrestrial Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Global Perspective on Microplastics

Hale¹,

Seeley²,

Guardia³

et al. 2020

JGR Oceans

667

270

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…particles are concentrated in the solid sludge phase 8,9 , which is often applied to agricultural soils as 33 fertiliser. Nizzetto et al 10 estimate that between 63,000-430,000 and 44,000-300,000 tons of 34 microplastic are added per year to farmlands in Europe and North America respectively.…”

Section: Introduction 28mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…agricultural soils may represent a major environmental reservoir of microplastic. A small number of 36 studies have examined microplastics in soil [11][12][13][14] and sludge samples [7][8][9][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] , but no standardised method 37 has emerged. The organic components, complexity of the solid matrix, and presence of additional 38 contaminants complicates the extraction of small plastic particles 22 .…”

Section: Introduction 28mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Validation of a Method for Extracting Microplastics from Complex, Organic-Rich, Environmental Matrices

Hurley

Lusher

Olsen

et al. 2018

Environ. Sci. Technol.

651

338

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Complex and organic-rich solid substrates such as sludge and soil have been shown to be contaminated by microplastics; however, methods for extracting plastic particles have not yet been systemically tested or standardized. This study investigated four main protocols for the removal of organic material during analysis of microplastics from complex solid matrices: oxidation using HO, Fenton's reagent, and alkaline digestion with NaOH and KOH. Eight common polymer types were used to assess the influence of reagent exposure on particle integrity. Organic matter removal efficiencies were established for test sludge and soil samples. Fenton's reagent was identified as the optimum protocol. All other methods showed signs of particle degradation or resulted in an insufficient reduction in organic matter content. A further validation procedure revealed high microplastic extraction efficiencies for particles with different morphologies. This confirmed the suitability of Fenton's reagent for use in conjunction with density separation for extracting microplastics. This approach affords greater comparability with existing studies that utilize a density-based technique. Recommendations for further method optimization were also identified to improve the recovery of microplastic from complex, organic-rich environmental samples.

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“…Sewage treatment plants, landfills, urban and industrial centres, and continental systems (i.e. terrestrial, aquatic and semiaquatic in land environments), in general, are considered diverse sources of MPs (Lechner and Ramler 2015;Mahon et al 2017;Talvitie et al 2017) The best available estimates, so far, regarding global plastic waste inputs from land-based sources into the oceans come from Jambeck et al (2015). However, several assumptions were made in this study, and it is considered that the calculations presented therein could perhaps constitute an underestimation of the reality (Horton et al 2017).…”

Section: Plastic Waste In the Marine And Terrestrial Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Delineating and preventing plastic waste leakage in the marine and terrestrial environment

Hahladakis

2020

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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Plastics are nowadays considered to be the workhorse material of our modern society with an ubiquitous presence that has increased manifold over the past 60 years, providing several benefits to the global economy. However, inappropriate and/or uncontrolled disposal practices, poor waste management infrastructure and application of insufficient recycling technologies, coupled with a lack of public awareness and incentives, have rendered plastic waste omnipresent, littering both the marine and the terrestrial environment with multi-faceted impacts. This short communication/commentary aims at delineating the plastic litter global challenge providing, at the same time, scientific views and perspectives on properly dealing with this material type, both upstream and downstream.

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Microplastics in Sewage Sludge: Effects of Treatment

Abstract: 28This study highlights the potential for sewage sludge treatment processes to affect the risk of

Cited by 67 publications

References 0 publications

A Global Perspective on Microplastics

A Global Perspective on Microplastics

Validation of a Method for Extracting Microplastics from Complex, Organic-Rich, Environmental Matrices

Delineating and preventing plastic waste leakage in the marine and terrestrial environment

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