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Fate of microplastics and other small anthropogenic litter (SAL) in wastewater treatment plants depends on unit processes employed
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Researchers tracked the fate of microplastics and other small anthropogenic litter through a wastewater treatment plant, finding that most particles were removed but a substantial number passed through in the effluent. The study highlights that while treatment plants reduce microplastic loads, they cannot fully prevent plastic particles from reaching aquatic environments.
The accumulation of microplastics (plastic particles less than 5 mm) and similarly sized small anthropogenic litter (SAL; e.g., cellulosic products manufactured from natural material) in aquatic ecosystems is a growing concern.
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