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Fate of microplastic during pyrolysis of sewage sludge
Summary
Researchers examined how pyrolysis as a sewage sludge treatment method affects the fate of embedded microplastics, finding that thermal treatment largely destroys plastic particles. However, some polymer-derived volatile compounds transferred to pyrolysis gases and oils, suggesting that microplastic destruction does not eliminate all associated chemical risks.
The accumulation of microplastics (MP) in sewage sludge (SS) poses a significant environmental challenge, with potential repercussions on ecosystems and human health. Pyrolysis, a thermochemical conversion process, has emerged as a promising technique for mitigating MP contamination in SS. We investigated the fate of MP during the pyrolysis (350°C, 500°C, 750°C and 950°C) of SS. SS was collected from local WWTPs and initial MP load and their polymer types were estimated and then further pyrolyzed to see the changes that occurred during thermochemical conversion. MP load in SS reduced significantly with pyrolysis temperature increments: 30.8 Also see: https://micro2024.sciencesconf.org/559711/document
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