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Accumulation of persistent organic pollutants by MPs in coastal wastewater treatment plants
Summary
Researchers examined how microplastics in coastal wastewater treatment plants accumulate persistent organic pollutants such as dioxins, furans, and PCBs. They found that untreated influent contained the highest concentrations of these hazardous chemicals sorbed onto microplastic surfaces. The study highlights that microplastics can act as carriers for toxic pollutants through wastewater systems and into the environment.
The abundance and fate of microplastics (MPs) in wastewater treatment plants (WTPs) has been reported extensively. However, in the wastewater, the extent to which hazardous chemicals such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) accumulated by MPs not been clearly explored. In this study, MPs was sampled from influents and effluents in WTPs to characterize POPs in sorption within MPs. The highest concentrations of PCDD/Fs, PBDD/Fs, PBDEs, and PCBs in sorption within MPs from untreated influents were 5310, 2310, 5,220,000, and 22,700 pg/g, respectively. The most toxic congener, 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD, accounts for up to 32.3 % of the contribution to PCDD/Fs within MPs. Furthermore, the concentration of PCDD/Fs within MPs from untreated influents could be up to 27.7 times higher than that in microplastic pellets on the coastal beach. This study highlights the quantitative evidence of the POPs within MPs present in untreated influents.