Heat and Bleach: A Cost-Efficient Method for Extracting Microplastics from Return Activated Sludge

Sujathan, Surya; Kniggendorf, Ann-Kathrin; Kumar, Arun; Roth, Bernhard; Rosenwinkel, Karl‐Heinz; Nogueira, R.

doi:10.1007/s00244-017-0415-8

Cited by 105 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…The SNR of 5 in the recorded data allows us to clearly separate the polymer Raman lines from those of common biological contaminants like bacteria and microalgae [25,26,27]. While these microorganisms do have Raman lines in the spectral region used for identifying polymers, originating primarily from membranes and proteins within the cells [22,28], they are far weaker compared to the polymer Raman bands originating from the whole particle. In addition, the cell sizes of microalgae (~10 µm) and planktonic bacteria reported in drinking water (~1 µm) are well below the targeted microplastics of 100 µm, further resulting in a very weak contribution of microbial water content to the recorded Raman spectra.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastics Detection in Streaming Tap Water with Raman Spectroscopy

Kniggendorf

Wetzel

Roth

2019

Sensors

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121

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Microplastic particles have been found in drinking water sources worldwide and, thus, also in our food and beverages. Especially small microplastics, with sizes of 1 mm and less, cannot be identified reliably without spectroscopic means such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) or Raman spectroscopy, usually applied to the particles extracted from the samples. However, for drinking and tap water, with its comparatively low biological loads, direct observation may be possible and allows a point-of-entry monitoring for beverages and food to ensure uncontaminated drinking water is being used. In a proof of concept, we apply Raman spectroscopy to observe individual microplastic particles in tap water with added particulate and fluorescent contaminants streaming with 1 L/h through a custom-made flow cell. We evaluated several tubing materials for compatibility with microplastic suspensions containing three different polymers widely found in microplastic surveys worldwide. The experiment promises the monitoring of streaming tap water and even clear surface waters for microplastics smaller than 0.1 mm.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastics Detection in Streaming Tap Water with Raman Spectroscopy

Kniggendorf

Wetzel

Roth

2019

Sensors

Self Cite

121

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“…A comparison of microplastic concentrations in different study locations is given below in Table 2. Here, Sujathan et al report a very high count of microplastic particles at 4.95 × 10 5 per kg (dw) in return activated sludge from a treatment plant in Seelze, Germany [171].…”

Section: Microplastics In Sewage Sludgementioning

confidence: 89%

Microplastics and Wastewater Treatment Plants—A Review

Habib¹,

Thiemann²,

Kendi³

2020

JWARP

124

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The emission of microplastics into nature poses a threat to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Their penetration of the food chain presents a danger to human health as well. Wastewater treatment plants can be seen as the last barrier between microplastics and the environment. This review focuses on the impact of waste treatment plants in retaining microplastics. Studies show that no wastewater treatment method leads to a complete retention of microplastics, and so wastewater treatment plants themselves are viewed as point sources for the discharge of microplastics into the aquatic environment. Problems associated with the utilization of microplastic loaded sewage sludge are also discussed in the review. Journal of Water Resource and Protection found as micropellets in cosmetic formulations and in facial cleaners and body scrubs (median size of 0.2 -0.4 mm), as microspherules in toothpastes (2 -5 μm in size), as well as in scrubbers used for air-blasting surfaces to remove paints and rust [25] and as drilling fluids in oil and gas exploration. A newer application is their use in drug delivery systems [26] [27]. In addition, synthetic polymer containing microparticles can also be released by the degradation of materials. The release of microfibers as a result of the washing of textiles has been widely reported as a source of microplastics [28] [29] [30] [31] [32]. These synthetic fibers, released by washing machines, are transported to waste water treatment plants [29] [33], where a considerable amount of them pass through the different treatment stages into the effluents due to their smaller size and enter the aquatic environment. It is estimated that around 35% of microplastics reaching the ocean are from synthetic textiles [34].Inventories of microplastics entering the environment have been attempted by organizations in different countries. A breakdown of the sources of microplastics in Sweden has been provided by Magnusson [35], which is given in detail below as an example of typical microplastic streams in developed countries. There is microplastic emission from plastic production, sandblasting material, cosmetic products, pharmaceutical drugs, textiles, road material and coatings. Using a spill factor of 0.04%, which was also used by Sundt et al. [26] for the estimation of pellet loss from the Norwegian plastic production plants, K. Magnusson et al. [35] have calculated a direct micropellet emission of 298 tons per year. In addition to that, there is loss due to the handling of plastic pellets which is set at between 0.0005% and 0.01%, adding another 12 -235 tons of microplastics emitted into the environment. These numbers were modeled on emission factors proposed by Lassen et al. [36] for the Danish production industry. However, no actual measured numbers of emissions of microplastics during production exist.The use of microplastics (e.g. of urea formaldehyde resins) in abrasive products for sandblasting has been deemed to be limited, and the use of these materials in Swedish shipyards is strictly regulated...

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“…A longer digestion at higher temperature is beneficial for eliminating impurities that impede microplastic detection. However, certain polymeric materials such as polyacrylate (PA) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) can decompose and nylon 66 may melt and be lost during digestion at high temperatures [ 100 , 110 , 111 ]. Another popular oxidation method is the use of Fenton’s reagent.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastics in Food: A Review on Analytical Methods and Challenges

Kwon

Kim

Pham

et al. 2020

IJERPH

165

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Human exposure to microplastics contained in food has become a significant concern owing to the increasing accumulation of microplastics in the environment. In this paper, we summarize the presence of microplastics in food and the analytical methods used for isolation and identification of microplastics. Although a large number of studies on seafood such as fish and shellfish exist, estimating the overall human exposure to microplastics via food consumption is difficult owing to the lack of studies on other food items. Analytical methods still need to be optimized for appropriate recovery of microplastics in various food matrices, rendering a quantitative comparison of different studies challenging. In addition, microplastics could be added or removed from ingredients during processing or cooking. Thus, research on processed food is crucial to estimate the contribution of food to overall human microplastic consumption and to mitigate this exposure in the future.

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Heat and Bleach: A Cost-Efficient Method for Extracting Microplastics from Return Activated Sludge

Cited by 105 publications

References 33 publications

Microplastics Detection in Streaming Tap Water with Raman Spectroscopy

Microplastics Detection in Streaming Tap Water with Raman Spectroscopy

Microplastics and Wastewater Treatment Plants—A Review

Microplastics in Food: A Review on Analytical Methods and Challenges

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