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How to remove microplastics in wastewater? A cost-effectiveness analysis
Summary
A cost-effectiveness analysis of microplastic removal in wastewater treatment found that activated sludge, rapid sand filtering, and membrane bioreactor technologies differ substantially in removal efficiency and cost per unit removed, with membrane bioreactors achieving the highest removal but at prohibitive cost.
Millions of tonnes of plastic litter end up annually in the environment causing damage to the ecosystem. There are currently no standards regulating the amount of microplastic in wastewater, and the question is, should there be? Answering this question requires an understanding of damages microplastic causes to the environment and its removal potential from wastewater. This paper examines the cost-effectiveness of three wastewater treatment (activated sludge, rapid sand filtering and membrane bioreactor) and two sludge management technologies (anaerobic digestion and incineration), in terms of their microplastic removal capacity regarding aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. We find removing microplastic from wastewater technically feasible and cost-effective. Membrane bioreactor with sludge incineration preventing removed microlitter from accumulating in soils is the most cost-effective option. This gives grounds for extending government regulation to microplastics in wastewater treatment plants. Policy targeting companies using microplastics in their products is, however, necessary to solve the problem ultimately.
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