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Microplastics en route: Field measurements in the Dutch river delta and Amsterdam canals, wastewater treatment plants, North Sea sediments and biota
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Researchers measured microplastic concentrations across the full journey from wastewater treatment plants to rivers, canals, coastal sediments, and marine life in the Netherlands. They found that even after treatment, wastewater remains a significant source of microplastic pollution, with particles detected in river sediment, Amsterdam canal water, North Sea sediments, and marine organisms. The study highlights how microplastics travel through interconnected water systems, accumulating in sediments and entering food webs along the way.
Environmental contamination by plastic particles, also known as 'microplastics', brings synthetic materials that are non-degradable and biologically incompatible into contact with ecosystems. In this paper we present concentration data for this emerging contaminant in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and freshwater and marine systems, reflecting the routes via which these particles can travel and the ecosystems they potentially impact along their path. Raw sewage influents, effluents and sewage sludge from seven municipal WWTPs in the Netherlands contained mean particle concentrations of 68-910L, 51-81L and 510-760kg wet weight (ww), respectively (particle sizes between 10 and 5000μm). Even after treatment, wastewater constitutes a source of microplastic pollution of surface waters, and via biosolids applications in farming and forestry, plastic retained in sewage sludge can be transferred to terrestrial environments. The WWTPs investigated here had a mean microplastics retention efficiency of 72% (s.d. 61%) in the sewage sludge. In the receiving waters of treated and untreated wastewaters, we detected high microplastic levels in riverine suspended particulate matter (1400-4900kg dry weight (dw)) from the Rhine and Meuse rivers. Amsterdam canal water sampled at different urban locations contained microplastic concentrations (48-187L), similar to those observed in wastewater that is emitted from sewage treatment facilities in the area. At least partial settling of the particles occurs in freshwater as well, as indicated by microplastics in urban canal sediments (<68 to 10,500particleskgdw). Microplastics in suspension in the water column have the potential to be discharged into the sea with other riverine suspended particulates. We report microplastic concentrations from 100 up to 3600particleskg dry sediment collected at 15 locations along the Dutch North Sea coast. The high microplastic enrichment in marine sediments compared to most literature data for seawater at the surface supports the hypothesis of a seabed sink for these materials. Marine species are heavily exposed to plastic particles. Body residues between 10 and 100particlesgdw were measured in benthic macroinvertebrate species inhabiting the Dutch North Sea coast: filter-feeding mussels and oysters (species for human consumption) as well as other consumers in the marine food chain.
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Microplastic Contamination in Freshwater and Coastal Ecosystems — Spatial Distribution, Polymer Characterisation, and Source Attribution Across Northwestern Europe
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Researchers conducted a two-year, 84-site sampling campaign across freshwater and coastal ecosystems in Sweden, the Netherlands, France, and Poland, finding urban rivers and coastal zones carry the highest microplastic concentrations and that wastewater effluent and urban runoff together account for over half of all freshwater microplastic inputs, with summer concentrations running 38–52% above winter levels.
Wastewater treatment plants as a source of microplastics to the environment.
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This study was the first to characterize the contribution of a wastewater treatment plant to microplastic pollution in a receiving water body, confirming that plants are significant sources of microplastics despite removing the majority of particles. The findings highlight the need to upgrade treatment processes or implement new technologies specifically targeting microplastic removal.
Size- and Polymer-Specific Assessment of Micro- and Nanoplastics in a European Wastewater Treatment System
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Scientists studied tiny plastic particles in European wastewater treatment plants and found that these facilities can remove most microplastics from sewage, but many still escape into the environment. Even though the treatment plants filter out a lot of plastic pollution, the enormous amount of wastewater they process means millions of plastic particles still end up in rivers and oceans every day. This matters because these plastic particles can eventually make their way into our drinking water and food chain, potentially affecting human health.
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Researchers measured microplastic concentrations throughout the treatment process at nine wastewater treatment plants across Germany, from influent to effluent. They found that the treatment plants achieved substantial reductions in microplastic levels, though some particles still passed through to the final discharge. The study provides quantitative evidence that German wastewater infrastructure significantly reduces but does not fully eliminate microplastic inputs to aquatic environments.
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