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Polyethylene Terephthalate and Polycarbonate Microplastics in Sewage Sludge Collected from the United States
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Sewage sludge from 65 US treatment plants was analyzed for PET and polycarbonate microplastics using chemical depolymerization and mass spectrometry, finding PET in all samples (28–12,000 μg/g) and PC in all samples (0.70–8,400 μg/g). The study provides the first quantitative US-wide data on these polymers in sludge and highlights their potential entry into agricultural soils via sludge application.
Microplastics (MPs) are emerging pollutants of public health and environmental concern. Sewage sludge is a sink for MPs that originate from domestic sources and can provide an indication of the magnitude of discharge of MPs by local populations. Nevertheless, reports of quantitative analysis of MPs present in sewage sludge are limited. In this study, 65 sewage sludge samples collected from sewage treatment plants (STPs) across the United States were analyzed for MPs originating from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polycarbonate (PC) using alkali-assisted thermal depolymerization and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. PET and PC were detected in all sludge samples at concentrations (dry weight) in the ranges of 28–12000 μg/g (median of 370 μg/g) and 0.70–8400 μg/g (median of 5.9 μg/g), respectively. The concentrations of PET and PC varied, depending on the treatment capacity of the STPs. The annual environmental emission of MPs through sludge disposal was estimated at 3700000 kg/year for PET and 310000 kg/year for PC. Our results provide a quantitative estimate of emission of MPs through land application of sludge.
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