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Microplastics from Wastewater Treatment Plants—Preliminary Data

Springer water 2017 11 citations

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Preliminary analysis of effluent from two Portuguese wastewater treatment plants detected microbeads, fibers, and fragments in treated wastewater being discharged into receiving waters, confirming that conventional treatment processes do not fully remove microplastics. Wastewater treatment plants are therefore a significant and ongoing point-source pathway for microplastic pollution entering rivers, estuaries, and eventually the ocean.

Study Type Environmental

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTIP) are a potential source of microplastics [1,2]. Several types of microplastics, namely microbeads, fibres and fragments, were analysed in two WWTP effluent serving different Portuguese communities. A bigger station treating...

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