Removal of microplastics and resistance genes in livestock and aquaculture wastewater: Current knowledge and future directions

The distribution, removal and microbial mechanisms of microplastics and antibiotic resistance genes in leachate treatment processes

Removal of Microplastics from Wastewater

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Wastewater treatment plants act as both a sink and a source for microplastics, capturing large fractions but still releasing significant quantities into receiving water bodies and concentrating particles in sewage sludge spread on agricultural land. Improving removal technologies at treatment plants is one of the most impactful intervention points for reducing microplastic flux into downstream environments.

Removal of Microplastics from Wastewater

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Researchers reviewed how sewage treatment plants both trap and release microplastics into the environment, finding that modern treatment technologies can significantly reduce the amount of plastic particles discharged — though plants remain a key pathway for microplastics to reach waterways.

Principles and Methods for the Removal of Microplastics in Wastewater

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Researchers reviewed the principles and methods used to remove microplastics from wastewater, evaluating the effectiveness of treatment approaches across domestic, industrial, and environmental discharge scenarios. Because wastewater treatment plants are a key pathway for microplastics entering aquatic environments, improving removal efficiencies is critical to reducing the downstream human and ecological exposure burden.

Efficiency of microplastics removal in selected wastewater treatment plants – preliminary studies

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Wastewater treatment plants in Poland were found to remove about 95-99% of microplastic particles from sewage before it's released into rivers and streams, with most of the trapped plastic ending up concentrated in the leftover sludge. That's good news since it means treatment plants are catching most microplastics before they reach waterways, but it also means the sludge, which is sometimes used as fertilizer on farmland, may need more scrutiny to prevent these particles from re-entering the environment and, potentially, our food supply.