We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Detection and evaluation of microbeads and other microplastics in wastewater treatment plant samples
AI summary Read the abstract
This study characterized microbeads from cosmetics in wastewater and assessed four digestion methods for removing organic matter before microplastic analysis. The findings help improve accuracy when detecting cosmetic microplastics in wastewater, which is important for understanding their flow through sewage treatment systems.
Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitously spread in water environment and have raised global concerns due to their adverse effect to biological and ecological systems. Wastewater treatment plants have been reported to be an important route of releasing MPs into the environment. As a great source of MPs in number in wastewater, the characteristics of microbeads have hardly been studied. In this study, the variation of the characteristics of microbeads prior to and after incubating in wastewater samples has been identified. Reported digestion methods of acid, alkaline, enzymatic, and wet preoxidation digestion were subsequently applied to assess their efficacy for digesting microbeads from the wastewater, and enzymatic digestion has shown the optimal efficacy. Finally, enzymatic digestion was applied to evaluate microbeads and other MPs in real wastewater treatment plant samples. It is shown that the sequential treatment of fine screen, grit chamber, and improved sequencing batch reactor activated sludge processes were able to remove 72% pellets in number and 43% MPs in total, while a large portion was still remaining after the secondary treatment. This study set a base for understanding the characteristics and occurrence of MPs, especially microbeads in wastewater samples.
More Papers Like This
A novel method for organic matter removal from samples containing microplastics
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers developed a novel organic matter removal method for wastewater treatment plant sludge samples containing microplastics, demonstrating that the approach is more time- and cost-effective than existing techniques while preserving microplastic integrity for accurate quantification and identification.
Microplastics extraction from wastewater treatment plants: Two-step digestion pre-treatment and application
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers developed an optimized two-step digestion method for extracting microplastics from wastewater treatment plant samples, achieving high recovery rates especially in organic-rich matrices like sludge, and applied it across multiple treatment stages.
Comparison of Microplastic Detection Methods in Wastewater Treatment Plants
AI summary Read the abstract
This paper compares different analytical methods for detecting and characterizing microplastics in samples from wastewater treatment plants, evaluating their accuracy, efficiency, and practicality. It provides guidance on selecting appropriate detection approaches for monitoring microplastic removal performance.
Validation of Sample Preparation Methods for Microplastic Analysis in Wastewater Matrices—Reproducibility and Standardization
AI summary Read the abstract
Sample preparation methods for microplastic analysis in wastewater were validated against reference standards to assess recovery rates and reproducibility. The validation study identified methods that reliably extract microplastics from complex wastewater matrices, supporting more consistent environmental monitoring of microplastic discharge from treatment plants.
Optimization of a method used for extracting microplastics from an organic matter-rich matrix and isolated particles assessment
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers optimized a method for extracting microplastics from sewage sludge — a challenging organic-rich matrix — by combining density separation and chemical digestion steps, improving recovery rates and enabling more accurate characterization of sludge-associated microplastics.
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.