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Characterization and removal efficiencies of microplastics discharged from sewage treatment plants in Southeast Spain
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This four-year study of sewage treatment plants in southeast Spain found that while the plants removed 64 to 89 percent of microplastics, significant amounts still escaped into the environment. Advanced treatment was less effective at catching fibers compared to other particle shapes, and more microplastics of smaller sizes were found in autumn samples. The findings confirm that wastewater treatment plants are a major ongoing source of microplastic pollution entering waterways that communities depend on.
Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous pollutants that can effectively harm different ecosystems. The information on the relative contribution of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to the surrounding environment is important, in order to understand ecological health risks and implement measures to reduce their presence. This focus article presents a quantitative assessment on the relative concentration and types of MPs delivered from four WWTPs located at the Southeast of Spain. Samples from WWTPs were collected throughout a four-year period, comprising more than 1,200 L of analyzed wastewater and 3,215 microparticles isolated. Density extraction with 1.08 g/mL NaCl salt solution was systematically used as the main separation method, in a simple and reliable manner, and repeat extraction cycles did not play any significant impact on the study outcomes. The four WWTPs had removal efficiencies between 64.3% and 89.2% after primary, secondary, and tertiary treatment phases, without diurnal or daily variations. Advanced treatment methods displayed a lower removal rate for fibers than for particulate MPs. The abundance of MPs was always higher and with a lower mean size in wastewater samples collected in Autumn than for the rest of seasons. MPs dumped from WWTPs in large quantities into the environment are meant to be regarded as an important point source for aquatic and terrestrial environments.
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