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A review of sources, fate, effects, and management of microplastics in sewage sludge
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Sewage sludge acts as a major sink for microplastics from domestic, industrial, and stormwater sources, with fibers dominating, and sludge treatment processes further fragment particles and increase their hazard potential before environmental release. The review proposes a whole-chain prevention strategy, highlighting that current end-of-pipe management is insufficient to prevent microplastics from entering food chains via sludge land application.
Microplastics (MPs) accumulate at high concentrations in sewage sludge. Upon sludge disposal, MPs are continuously released into the environment, driving cross-media migration and posing risks to ecological and human health. This review synthesizes the sources and occurrence characteristics of MPs in sludge, their migration and transformation during wastewater and sludge treatment, and their migration, accumulation, and environmental effects from post-treatment sludge disposal. Industrial wastewater, domestic sewage, and stormwater runoff are the primary sources of MPs, with fibrous particles being the most prevalent in sludge. During wastewater treatment, only a minute fraction of MPs is discharged into the receiving waters with the treated effluent. In contrast, the vast majority is retained and ultimately accumulates in the sludge. During sludge treatment, these particles undergo secondary fragmentation and show increased hazard potential, leading to long-term environmental accumulation and ecological impacts via sludge disposal pathways. Moreover, MPs can enter the food chain, posing potential threats to human health. To address these risks, this paper proposes a whole-chain prevention and control strategy, spanning from source reduction to end-of-pipe measures. This approach shifts from passive management to proactive, process-wide regulation of MPs in sludge, offering theoretical foundations and technical references for pollution control in sewage sludge. • Domestic, industrial, and runoffs are key sources of microplastics (MPs) in sludge. • Wastewater treatment transfers most MPs to sludge; removal varies by stage. • Sludge treatment fragments and ages MPs, increasing potential toxicity. • Sludge disposal releases MPs, posing ecological and human health harms. • Source-to-end control: source cuts, process upgrades, and regulated reuse monitoring.
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This review examines how microplastics accumulate in sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plants, which then becomes a major pathway for spreading these particles into the environment. Researchers found that sludge can contain extremely high concentrations of microplastics, ranging from thousands to hundreds of thousands of particles per kilogram. The study evaluates current detection methods and emerging technologies for removing microplastics from sludge before it is applied to agricultural land or disposed of.
Sewage sludge as a source of microplastics in the environment: A review of occurrence and fate during sludge treatment
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This review assessed how wastewater treatment plants concentrate microplastics from influent into sludge, estimating that sewage sludge applied to agricultural land represents a major secondary pathway for MPs entering terrestrial ecosystems, with estimated releases of millions to billions of particles per hectare.
Microplastics in Sewage Sludge: A review
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This review examines the presence and fate of microplastics in sewage sludge from municipal wastewater treatment plants, a topic that has received less attention than microplastics in the water treatment line. The study highlights that agricultural application of sewage sludge is a primary source of microplastic contamination in soils, and provides a comprehensive overview of detection methods, concentrations, and the environmental implications of sludge-borne microplastics.
A Review of Microplastic Contamination in WastewaterDerived Sewage Sludge
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A review of wastewater treatment plant research reveals that while these facilities remove up to 99% of microplastics from effluent water, the captured particles concentrate in sewage sludge that is then spread on agricultural land as fertilizer, creating a critical terrestrial contamination pathway. The lack of standardized detection methods, long-term soil studies, and effective removal technologies means microplastic-laden sludge represents a largely unregulated route of environmental and dietary human exposure.
Review on the occurrence and fate of microplastics in Sewage Treatment Plants
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This review compiled occurrence and fate data for microplastics across influent, effluent, and sludge from sewage treatment plants, finding that concentrations range up to 3,160 particles/L in raw wastewater and that treatment achieves up to 98% removal, with the retained microplastics concentrated in sludge. The authors highlight that while WWTPs protect receiving waters, sludge disposal transfers the plastic burden to soils.
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