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Preliminary prospections on the fate of microplastics during vermicomposting of sewage sludge
Summary
Researchers tracked microplastic abundance through the vermicomposting stages of sewage sludge — from fresh sludge through aged sludge, vermicompost, and earthworm castings — finding a 52% reduction in microplastic concentration from initial sludge to vermicompost when particles were classified by size, color, and polymer type using micro-Raman spectroscopy.
Sludge from Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) is associated with great microplastic (MP) contamination problems. However, vermicomposting can lead to changes in the microbial structure of the sludge and accelerate the degradation of plastics. The main objective of this work was to analyse the abundance and typology of MPs in samples comprising the fresh sludge and the different phases of vermicomposting, including the analysis of earthworm castings. The extracted MPs were quantified and classified by size, colour, nature, and chemical composition was identified by Microraman spectroscopy. The average values for MP concentration were 879 particles/g (p/g d.w.) in the initial WWTP sludge; 566 p/g d.w. in the sludge aged 13 months; 420 d.w. p/g in the vermicompost and 755 p/g d.w. in the worm castings. There was a reduction of 52.24 Also see: https://micro2024.sciencesconf.org/557228/document
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