Review on the occurrence and fate of microplastics in Sewage Treatment Plants

Gatidou, Georgia; Arvaniti, Olga S.; Stasinakis, Athanasios S.

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2018.12.081

Cited by 315 publications

(136 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…Several studies have shown that wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) designed for removal of organic matter and nutrients are efficient in removing MP, with reported efficiencies generally above 90% [23][24][25][26]. Despite this, large amounts of MP are still released with the effluents [27,28]. Some tertiary treatment technologies can further polish the effluent from WWTPs, for instance, membrane bioreactors, rapid sand filters, and disc filters [28][29][30].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite this, large amounts of MP are still released with the effluents [27,28]. Some tertiary treatment technologies can further polish the effluent from WWTPs, for instance, membrane bioreactors, rapid sand filters, and disc filters [28][29][30]. Another technology which potentially can polish WWTP effluents are biofilters, designed to degrade specific dissolved pollutants such as pharmaceuticals [31].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Microplastics Removal from Treated Wastewater by a Biofilter

Fan

Nord

Bester

et al. 2020

Water

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Microplastic (MP) pollution is a global environmental issue, and traditionally treated wastewater has been identified as a source of land-based microplastics into the aquatic environment. This study evaluated the performance of a pilot-scale biofilter to polish wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent before it enters the environment. The filter was divided into four zones, allowing the concentration of microplastics to be followed through the filter. It was fed with secondary effluent from a conventional WWTP in Denmark. The raw effluent from the WWTP contained 917 items m−3 which corresponded to a mass concentration of 24.8 µg m−3. After the top layer of the biofilter, the concentration had decreased to a median value of 197 item m−3 and 2.8 µg m−3, indicating an overall removal efficiency of 79% in terms of particle number and 89% in terms of particle mass. We also observed a tendency that MP of larger size and higher particle mass were more likely to be retained. After the last filtration zone, all MP larger than 100 µm had been removed. The results of this study demonstrate that biofilters are able to lower the MP abundance in treated wastewater significantly, but a complete removal is not ensured, hence some MP, particularly small-sized ones, can still be discharged into the receiving environment.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastics Removal from Treated Wastewater by a Biofilter

Fan

Nord

Bester

et al. 2020

Water

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“…On the other hand, reduction in photosynthesis of plants and effects on the feeding activity of zooplankton and marine animals (adverse effects to gill, stomach and alterations in histology) have also been argued to occur after microplastic intake [29,30]. These and other effects are well described and summarised in the recent review by Prata et al [12]. In a recent SAPEA report [37], although the authors recognize limitations in the measurement methods currently available, they state that the concentration levels measured in many real-world locations are well below the concentration threshold observed to induce harmful effect on living creatures.…”

Section: Plastics Microplastics and Their Impact In The Ecosystemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Microplastics can be generally divided in two big families: primary microplastics and secondary microplastics [2,[10][11][12]. Plastics with microscopic size, ca.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastics in Ecosystems: From Current Trends to Bio-Based Removal Strategies

et al. 2020

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Plastics are widely used due to their excellent properties, inexpensiveness and versatility leading to an exponential consumption growth during the last decades. However, most plastic does not biodegrade in any meaningful sense; it can exist for hundreds of years. Only a small percentage of plastic waste is recycled, the rest being dumped in landfills, incinerated or simply not collected. Waste-water treatment plants can only minimize the problem by trapping plastic particles of larger size and some smaller ones remain within oxidation ponds or sewage sludge, but a large amount of microplastics still contaminate water streams and marine systems. Thus, it is clear that in order to tackle this potential ecological disaster, new strategies are necessary. This review aims at briefly introducing the microplastics threat and critically discusses emerging technologies, which are capable to efficiently clean aqueous media. Special focus is given to novel greener approaches based on lignocellulose flocculants and other biomaterials. In the final part of the present review, it was given a proof of concept, using a bioflocculant to remove micronized plastic from aqueous medium. The obtained results demonstrate the huge potential of these biopolymers to clean waters from the microplastics threat, using flocculants with appropriate structure.

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“…Microplastics (MPs) are <5 mm plastic pieces in the environment. A review article on microplastics focused on sampling and analytical methods for microplastics on sewage treatment plants, occurrence in wastewater and sludge, fate and removal in WWTPs, and current gaps and future perspectives (Gatidou, Arvaniti, & Stasinakis, 2019). Microplastic concentration reported was up to 3,160 particles per liter in raw wastewater, 125 particles per liter in treated wastewater, and 170,900 particles per kg dry sludge.…”

Section: Microplasticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fate of environmental pollutants: A review

Aryal

Wood

Rijal

et al. 2020

Water Environment Research

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A review of the literature published in 2019 on topics associated with the fate of environmental pollutants is presented. Environmental pollutants covered include pharmaceuticals, antibiotic-resistant bacteria and genes, pesticides and veterinary medicines, personal care products and emerging pollutants, PFAS, microplastics, nanomaterials, heavy metals and radionuclides, nutrients, pathogens and indicator organisms, and oil and hydrocarbons. For each pollutant, the occurrence in the environment and/ or their fate in engineered as well as natural systems in matrices including water, soil, wastewater, stormwater, runoff, and/or manure is presented based on the published literature. The review includes current developments in understanding pollutants in natural and engineered systems, and relevant physico-chemical processes, as well as biological processes.

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Review on the occurrence and fate of microplastics in Sewage Treatment Plants

Cited by 315 publications

References 62 publications

Microplastics Removal from Treated Wastewater by a Biofilter

Microplastics Removal from Treated Wastewater by a Biofilter

Microplastics in Ecosystems: From Current Trends to Bio-Based Removal Strategies

Fate of environmental pollutants: A review

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