Microplastics
were characterized in eight water treatment works
(WTWs) in England and Wales (UK). Sources included river water, groundwater,
and an upland reservoir. Water treatment varied from disinfection,
filtration, sedimentation, and activated carbon techniques. At each
WTW, five repeat samples of raw and potable water and two repeat sludge
samples were taken over 5 months. Microplastics in water were captured
on 10 μm filters and nonplastic materials digested in the laboratory.
Microplastics ≥25 μm were analyzed using Fourier-transform
infrared microscopy. Blanks revealed consistent polyethylene (PE),
poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), and polypropylene (PP) contamination.
Spike recoveries for 63–90 μm polyamide microplastics
demonstrated 101% (standard deviation, SD 27%) and 113% (SD 15%) recovery
for raw and potable waters and 52% (SD 13%) for sludge. Only four
of the six WTWs sampled for raw water and only two of eight WTWs in
their potable water had microplastics above the limit of quantification.
Considering only the WTWs with quantifiable microplastics, then on
average, 4.9 microplastic particles/L were present in raw water and
only 0.00011 microplastic particles/L were present in potable water
(99.99% removal). Values in waste sludge were highly variable. PE,
PET, and PP were the most common polymers quantified in raw water
and sludge, and polystyrene and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene were
the most common polymers quantified in potable water.
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