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A systematic study of microplastic occurrence in urban water networks of a metropolis
Water Research2022
68 citations
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Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Score: 45
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0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Desmond C.M. Ng,
Mengyang Liu,
Xiaoyu Xu,
Yaru Cao,
Mengyang Liu,
Yaru Cao,
Mengyang Liu,
Kai Zhang,
Xiaoyu Xu,
Xiaoyu Xu,
Xiaoyu Xu,
Xiaoyu Xu,
Hoi Shan Chau,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Xiaoyu Xu,
Kai Zhang,
Kmy Leung,
Desmond C.M. Ng,
Kai Zhang,
Shaopeng Xu,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Shaopeng Xu,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Shaopeng Xu,
Kai Zhang,
Xiaoyu Xu,
Kai Zhang,
Mengyang Liu,
Mengyang Liu,
Mengyang Liu,
Mengyang Liu,
Yue Ma,
Mengyang Liu,
Mengyang Liu,
Mengyang Liu,
Huiju Lin,
Kai Zhang,
Rongben Wu,
Siu Gin Cheung,
Mengyang Liu,
Mengyang Liu,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Siu Gin Cheung,
Kai Zhang,
Shaopeng Xu,
Yue Ma,
Kmy Leung,
Siu Gin Cheung,
Kai Zhang,
Xiaoyu Xu,
Yanning Zhang,
Xiaoyu Xu,
Mengyang Liu,
Rongben Wu,
Mengyang Liu,
Siu Gin Cheung,
Shaopeng Xu,
Rongben Wu,
Rongben Wu,
Shaopeng Xu,
Shaopeng Xu,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Siu Gin Cheung,
Siu Gin Cheung,
Siu Gin Cheung,
Yuki Lo,
Siu Gin Cheung,
Siu Gin Cheung,
Siu Gin Cheung,
Siu Gin Cheung,
Siu Gin Cheung,
Siu Gin Cheung,
Siu Gin Cheung,
Kmy Leung,
Kmy Leung,
Kmy Leung,
Yaru Cao,
Yaru Cao,
Mengyang Liu,
Mengyang Liu,
Xiaoyu Xu,
Mengyang Liu,
Yaru Cao,
Kai Zhang,
Yanning Zhang,
Yanning Zhang,
Siu Gin Cheung,
Mengyang Liu,
Siu Gin Cheung,
Siu Gin Cheung,
Kmy Leung,
Siu Gin Cheung,
Yue Ma,
Yue Ma,
Yue Ma,
Mengyang Liu,
Paul K.S. Lam
Yue Ma,
Siu Gin Cheung,
Hoi Shan Chau,
Kmy Leung,
Siu Gin Cheung,
Siu Gin Cheung,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Kmy Leung,
Kmy Leung,
Siu Gin Cheung,
Mengyang Liu,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Siu Gin Cheung,
Siu Gin Cheung,
Siu Gin Cheung,
Siu Gin Cheung,
Siu Gin Cheung,
Kmy Leung,
Kmy Leung,
Kmy Leung,
Kmy Leung,
Hoi Shan Chau,
Paul K.S. Lam
Paul K.S. Lam
Paul K.S. Lam
Paul K.S. Lam
Paul K.S. Lam
Paul K.S. Lam
Siu Gin Cheung,
Mengyang Liu,
Kmy Leung,
Yaru Cao,
Yaru Cao,
Kmy Leung,
Paul K.S. Lam
Kai Zhang,
Shaopeng Xu,
Kmy Leung,
Kmy Leung,
Kmy Leung,
Siu Gin Cheung,
Mengyang Liu,
Xiaoyu Xu,
Siu Gin Cheung,
Paul K.S. Lam
Rongben Wu,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Paul K.S. Lam
Kai Zhang,
Mengyang Liu,
Paul K.S. Lam
Paul K.S. Lam
Kmy Leung,
Kmy Leung,
Siu Gin Cheung,
Kai Zhang,
Huiju Lin,
Jia-Yong Lao,
Danyang Tao,
Danyang Tao,
Frankie Tat Kwong Lau,
Kmy Leung,
Frankie Tat Kwong Lau,
Sze-ching Chiu,
Kmy Leung,
Sze-ching Chiu,
Gina T.N. Wong,
Gina T.N. Wong,
Katie Lee,
Desmond C.M. Ng,
Desmond C.M. Ng,
Siu Gin Cheung,
Kmy Leung,
Paul K.S. Lam
Summary
A comprehensive study of microplastic occurrence across 66 sewage samples, 18 sludge samples, and 36 stormwater drain samples in Hong Kong found MPs throughout the urban water network in both dry and wet seasons. Stormwater drains were identified as a significant parallel pathway for MP discharge to coastal waters alongside conventional sewage treatment.
The release of microplastics from sewage treatment works (STWs) into the oceans around coastal cities is well documented. However, there are fewer studies on the microplastic abundance in stormwater drains and their emissions into the coastal marine environment via sewage and stormwater drainage networks. Here, we comprehensively investigated microplastic abundance in 66 sewage and 18 sludge samples collected from different process stages at three typical STWs and 36 water samples taken from six major stormwater drains during the dry and wet seasons in Hong Kong, which is a metropolitan city in south China. The results showed that microplastics were detected in all the sewage and stormwater samples, with the abundance ranging from 0.07 to 91.9 and from 0.4 to 36.48 particles/L, respectively, and in all the sludge samples with the abundance ranging from 167 to 936 particles/g (d. w.). There were no significant seasonal variations in the microplastic abundance across all samples of sewage, sludge, and stormwater. For both waterborne sample types, a smaller size (0.02-0.3 mm) and fiber shape were the dominant characteristics of the microplastics. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polypropylene (PP) were the most abundant polymer types in the sewage samples, while polyethylene (PE), PET, PP, and PE-PP copolymer were the most abundant polymer types in the stormwater samples. The estimated range of total daily microplastic loads in the effluent from STWs in Hong Kong is estimated to be 4.48 × 10 - 2.68 × 10 particles/day, demonstrating that STWs are major pathways of microplastics in coastal environments despite the high removal percentage of microplastics in sewage treatment processes examined. This is the first comprehensive study on microplastics in the urban waters of a coastal metropolis. However, further studies on other coastal cities will enable an accurate estimation of the microplastic contribution of stormwater drains to the world's oceans.