Article ? AI-assigned paper type based on the abstract. Classification may not be perfect — flag errors using the feedback button. Tier 2 ? Original research — experimental, observational, or case-control study. Direct primary evidence. Remediation Sign in to save

Revisiting Microplastics in Landfill Leachate: Unnoticed Tiny Microplastics and Their Fate in Treatment Works

Water Research 2020 230 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 45 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Bing‐Jie Ni Jing Sun, Jing Sun, Bing‐Jie Ni Jing Sun, Xiaohu Dai, Xiaohu Dai, Xiaohu Dai, Xiaohu Dai, Jing Sun, Jing Sun, Jing Sun, Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Zhuo-Ran Zhu, Zhuo-Ran Zhu, Zhuo-Ran Zhu, Zhuo-Ran Zhu, Zhuo-Ran Zhu, Weihua Li, Jing Sun, Zhuo-Ran Zhu, Jing Sun, Jing Sun, Weihua Li, Weihua Li, Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Xiaohu Dai, Xiaohu Dai, Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Xiaofang Yan, Xiaofang Yan, Xiaofang Yan, Xiaofang Yan, Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Xiaohu Dai, Xiaohu Dai, Xiaohu Dai, Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Xiaohu Dai, Jing Sun, Bing‐Jie Ni Jing Sun, Xiaohu Dai, Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Likun Wang, Jing Sun, Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Xiaohu Dai, Xiaohu Dai, Xiaohu Dai, Xiaohu Dai, Lu Zhang, Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Jianbin Jin, Bing‐Jie Ni Jing Sun, Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Jianbin Jin, Xiaohu Dai, Xiaohu Dai, Xiaohu Dai, Xiaohu Dai, Xiaohu Dai, Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Xiaohu Dai, Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Jing Sun, Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Xiaohu Dai, Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni Bing‐Jie Ni

Summary

This study revisited microplastics in landfill leachate, focusing on small and previously overlooked microplastic fractions and their pathways into the environment. The analysis found a broader size range and greater diversity of microplastics in leachate than earlier studies recognized, highlighting landfills as an underappreciated source of environmental microplastic contamination.

Polymers

PE PP

Due to the environmental risks caused by microplastics, understanding the sources and characteristics of microplastics and cutting off their routes into the environment are crucial. However, so far, studies on microplastics in the landfill leachate system (a major pathway of microplastics into the environment) are still limited, especially for tiny particles <50 µm that might have higher risks to the environment. This study investigated the microplastics in landfill leachate and in leachate treatment works, with a size detection limit down to 10 µm. The results showed that the microplastics particle and mass concentrations in the untreated leachate were 235.4 ± 17.1 item/L and 11.4 ± 0.8 µg/L, respectively, with tiny particles (<50 µm) accounting for over 50%. Overall, 27 polymeric materials were detected in leachate samples, with polyethylene and polypropylene being the most abundant in the untreated leachate. The neutral buoyancy of microplastics (average density: 0.94 g/cm), together with irregular shapes, suggested they may be difficult to be removed by sedimentation. Further exploring the fate of microplastics in leachate treatment works showed that the membrane treatment effectively reduced microplastics loading to 0.14% for particle and 0.01% for mass, but the average particle density rose. The differences in polymeric materials distribution at different sampling locations and the presence of membrane-related polymer in membrane treatment effluent suggested tiny microplastics could be generated and released from membrane systems. Moreover, this study discovered that the sludge dewatering liquor could contain a high amount of microplastics, and the estimated particle loading was about 3.6 times higher than that in dewatered sludge. This suggested a new approach to microplastics mitigation through separating microplastics from the sludge dewatering liquor before its recirculation.

Read via DOI PubMed

Share this paper

Post Share Share Pin Email