0
Article Tier 2 Sign in to save

Microplastics in wastewater: State of the knowledge on sources, fate and solutions

Marine Pollution Bulletin 2018 381 citations

AI summary Read the abstract

This review synthesizes current knowledge on microplastics in wastewater — their sources, fate through treatment processes, and discharge into the environment — and identifies research priorities and potential solutions. The paper serves as a key reference for understanding how wastewater systems contribute to the global distribution of microplastic pollution.

Study Type Environmental

Microplastics are ubiquitous contaminants that could harm ecosystems. Wastewater contains microplastics and may lead to further contamination of the environment. This focus article presents a summary of current knowledge on microplastics in wastewater and possible solutions, suggesting current research needs.

More Papers Like This

Article Tier 2

The fate of microplastics in wastewater treatment plants: An overview of source and remediation technologies

AI summary Read the abstract

This review examines how wastewater treatment plants serve as key pathways for microplastic entry into the environment, analyzing removal efficiencies across different treatment stages and identifying advanced technologies for improved microplastic remediation.

Article Tier 2

Where do they go? A review of the wastewater treatment process and its impact on the fate of microplastics

AI summary Read the abstract

This review examines the fate of microplastics across the physical, chemical, and biological stages of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) processes, finding that WWTPs act as both sources and destinations for microplastics while not being designed to remove them, and surveying new removal strategies.

Article Tier 2

Occurrence of microplastics in the effluent of wastewater treatment plants : growing threat to the environment?

AI summary Read the abstract

This review examines studies on microplastic occurrence in wastewater treatment plant effluents, synthesizing evidence that treatment plants both retain and release significant quantities of microplastics and are a major pathway for plastic particles entering aquatic environments.

Article Tier 2

Microplastic contamination in wastewater: Sources, distribution, detection and remediation through physical and chemical-biological methods

AI summary Read the abstract

This review covers how microplastics end up in wastewater from sources like textile fibers, personal care microbeads, and broken-down plastic debris, and how they often survive the treatment process. Current removal methods like filtration and chemical degradation are costly and not fully effective. The lack of standardized ways to measure microplastics in wastewater makes it difficult to assess the full scope of human exposure through water systems.

Article Tier 2

Investigating Approaches and Technologies for Microplastics in Wastewater Management

AI summary Read the abstract

This chapter reviews approaches and technologies for managing microplastics in wastewater, covering sources, treatment methods, and environmental fate. The authors note that microplastics enter wastewater from domestic activities, industrial discharges, and stormwater runoff, with particle size distribution and wastewater composition affecting treatment outcomes. The study emphasizes the need for comprehensive strategies to address microplastic contamination before it reaches aquatic ecosystems.

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.

Email me about

Share this paper