We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Characteristics of microplastics distribution at water treatment plants
Summary
Three water treatment plants in South Korea's Jeju Province contained microplastics in raw water at 0.075–0.620 MP/L, with particles smaller than 50 µm comprising the majority and polypropylene as the dominant polymer; conventional sedimentation and rapid filtration achieved the highest removal efficiency at 93.5%. Continuous monitoring of drinking water treatment performance against sub-100-µm particles is critical, as these smallest fractions pose the greatest ingestion risk and are hardest to capture.
The number, size, and material distribution of microplastics (MPs) sized 20-200 μm in the raw water and water treatment processes were analyzed using FT-IR in three water treatment plants in Jeju Province. The number of MPs was detected at 0.075-0.620 MP/L in raw water and 0.040-0.047 MP/L in filtered water, which is relatively lower than the results of other studies. Regarding the size of the MPs, particles sized 20-50 μm in both the raw water and the treated water accounted for the highest proportion, representing 65.6% and 56.3% of the total, respectively. In terms of MP type distribution, polypropylene (PP) was identified as the main type at 58.7%. In the water purification process, the MPs removal efficiency was the highest at 93.5% in the sedimentation and rapid filtration process, followed by 58.4% in membrane filtration and 40.0% in slow filtration. Continuous monitoring of the distribution of MPs in raw water and water treatment processes is recommended.