We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Screening of microplastics in water and sludge lines of a drinking water treatment plant in Catalonia, Spain
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers screened water and sludge throughout a drinking water treatment plant near Barcelona, Spain, for microplastics ranging from 20 to 5,000 micrometers. Microplastics were detected at multiple treatment stages and in the sludge, with conventional coagulation-flocculation and filtration providing partial but incomplete removal.
Microplastics (MPs) are emerging pollutants detected everywhere in the environment, with the potential to harm living organisms. The present study investigated the concentration, morphology, and composition of MPs, between 20 μm and 5 mm, in a drinking water treatment plant (DWTP) located close to Barcelona (Catalonia, NE Spain). The sampling included different units of the DWTP, from influent to effluent as well as sludge line. Sampling strategy, filtration, allows sampling of large volumes of water avoiding sample contamination, and during 8 h in order to increase the representativeness of MPs collected. The pre-treatment of the samples consisted of advanced oxidation with Fenton's reagent and hydrogen peroxide, followed by density separation of the particles with zinc chloride solution. Visual identification was performed with an optical and stereoscopic microscope with final Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopic (FTIR) confirmation. MPs were found in all DWTP samples, with concentrations from 4.23 ± 1.26 MPs/L to 0.075 ± 0.019 MPs/L in the influent and effluent of the plant, respectively. The overall removal efficiency of the plant was 98.3%. The most dominant morphology was fibers followed by fragments and films. Twenty-two different polymer types were identified and synthetic cellulose, polyester, polyamide, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyurethane, and polyacrylonitrile were the most common. Although MPs could be incorporated from the distribution network, MPs intake from drinking water from this DWTP was not an important route compared to fish and seafood ingestion.
More Papers Like This
Microplastics from headwaters to tap water: occurrence and removal in a drinking water treatment plant in Barcelona Metropolitan area (Catalonia, NE Spain)
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers tracked microplastics through an entire drinking water treatment plant in Barcelona, from river source to tap. The study found microplastic concentrations of about 1 particle per liter in the raw intake water, with sand filtration removing roughly 78% of particles and the overall treatment process achieving 93% removal. Advanced treatments like ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis proved more effective at removing microplastics than conventional ozonation and carbon filtration.
Microplastics in Treatment Units and Water Recirculation Systems of Two Drinking Water Treatment Plants Feed with Fresh Water in Catalonia (NE Spain)
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers evaluated microplastic occurrence across treatment units and water recirculation systems in two drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) in Catalonia, Spain, fed by freshwater sources. The study identified potential hotspots where conventional filtration methods failed to fully eliminate microplastics, providing real-world data on how microplastics persist and accumulate within DWTP infrastructure.
Detection and Occurrence of Microplastics through Municipal and Pilot-scale Drinking Water Treatment Plants
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers developed a new method for detecting and characterizing microplastics in drinking water samples from municipal and private treatment systems. They found microplastics in treated drinking water, though at lower concentrations than in source water, and identified fibers as the most common type. The study demonstrates that conventional water treatment does not completely remove microplastics from drinking water.
Enrichment of microplastics from drinking water treatment sludge
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers investigated the enrichment and concentration of microplastics in drinking water treatment sludge, building on prior evidence that treatment processes remove up to 93% of microplastics from source water and thereby accumulate them in sludge byproducts. The study developed and evaluated methods for isolating and characterizing microplastics from this underexplored but potentially significant secondary pollution reservoir.
Microplastics removal through water treatment plants: Its feasibility, efficiency, future prospects and enhancement by proper waste management
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers reviewed over 80 studies on water treatment plant performance and found microplastic removal ranges widely — from 16% in basic primary treatment up to near 100% with advanced membrane systems — but a major flaw is that removed microplastics concentrate in sludge, which can re-enter the environment. The review recommends optimizing coagulants and sludge treatment to prevent microplastics from simply being relocated rather than eliminated.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.