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Seasonal variation and removal of microplastics in a central Asian urban wastewater treatment plant
Summary
Researchers investigated microplastic presence and removal at a wastewater treatment plant in Astana, Kazakhstan, finding that the facility achieved 88 to 93 percent removal efficiency. Despite low concentrations in the treated water, the sheer volume of daily discharge means the plant still contributes meaningfully to microplastic pollution in nearby waterways. Polyethylene fragments were the most common type detected, with seasonal variation showing higher levels in summer influent.
This paper investigated the MP presence and removal in the urban WWTP in Astana, the capital city of Kazakhstan. MP concentrations in the 100-5000 μm size were analyzed across treatment stages with a modified treatment process scheme, and their removal efficiencies were evaluated. The WWTP effluent displayed a low MP concentration (4.06 ± 3.06 MP/L to 5.44 ± 3.51 MP/L), but considering the daily wastewater discharge (253,900,000 L/day), it can significantly contribute to the MP pollution of aquatic systems. Seasonal variation was observed in the influent, with higher abundance during summer, while no significant trend was observed in the effluent. The WWTP achieved an 88.6-93.0 % removal efficiency, with mechanical treatment and granular filtration being the most effective, followed by biological treatment and UV disinfection. Fragments were the most abundant among the observed shapes (53.9-59.9 %) and black MPs dominated (44.7-67.5 %). Polyethylene (PE) emerged as the most prevalent polymer type among the MPs analyzed (31.6-35.7 %).
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