An audit of microplastic abundance throughout three Australian wastewater treatment plants
| Autor: | Shima Ziajahromi, Frederic D.L. Leusch, Isabel Telles Silveira, Andrew Chua, Peta A. Neale |
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| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
Microplastics
Environmental Engineering Biosolids Health Toxicology and Mutagenesis 0208 environmental biotechnology 02 engineering and technology 010501 environmental sciences Wastewater 01 natural sciences Waste Disposal Fluid Water Purification Environmental Chemistry Effluent 0105 earth and related environmental sciences Public Health Environmental and Occupational Health Australia General Medicine General Chemistry Pollution 020801 environmental engineering Environmental chemistry Environmental science Primary treatment Sewage treatment Plastics Water Pollutants Chemical Environmental Monitoring |
| Zdroj: | Chemosphere. 263 |
| ISSN: | 1879-1298 |
| Popis: | Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have been identified as an important pathway of microplastics to the environment. Most studies have focused on wastewater effluent, but generally only a small fraction of microplastics entering WWTPs are present in treated effluent. Instead, the majority of microplastics are expected to be retained in the sludge. To our knowledge, there is limited information on microplastics in sludge/biosolids from Australian WWTPs, despite 75% of biosolids produced in Australia being used for agriculture. This study evaluated the abundance of microplastics throughout the treatment trains of three WWTPs in Australia. The fate of microplastics >25 μm during treatment and their release to the environment was evaluated using an audit approach. The highest microplastic concentrations were detected in the influent, with fibres the dominant form of microplastic found. The screening and grit removal process preceding primary treatment removed 69–79% of microplastics, with these microplastics transported to landfill. Only 0.2–1.8% of the total microplastics in the influent were present in the final effluent, while 8–16% were retained in biosolids. This equates to between 22.1 × 106 to 133 × 106 microplastic particles per day released in effluent, between 864 × 106 to 1020 × 106 microplastic particles per day in biosolids, and between 4100 × 106 to 9100 × 106 microplastic particles per day transported to landfill. This study shows for the first time that most microplastics are retained during the initial screening and grit removal process with the load of microplastics going to landfill an order of magnitude greater than that in biosolids. Landfills may thus be an important sink (and potential future source) of microplastics from wastewater. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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