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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Rivers as conduits of microplastic emission from wastewater treatment plants to the sea
ClearA Comprehensive Modeling of Microplastic Emission from Wastewater Treatment Plants to the Sea via Rivers in China
Researchers built a comprehensive model of microplastic emissions from over 10,000 wastewater treatment plants across China, estimating that treated wastewater releases roughly 45 million kilograms of microplastics annually. Remarkably, untreated sewage contributes a comparable amount, indicating that expanding treatment capacity is critical. After accounting for river retention, an estimated 41 to 82 million kilograms of microplastics still reach the sea each year.
Export of microplastics from land to sea. A modelling approach
Researchers developed a model to estimate how much microplastic flows from European rivers into the sea, accounting for different sources and sewage treatment effectiveness. They found that tire and road wear particles and textile fibers from laundry are the two largest sources, together making up over 70% of river-borne microplastics. About two-thirds of the modeled microplastic emissions flow into the Mediterranean and Black Sea, largely due to less effective wastewater treatment in those regions.
Wastewater Discharge Transports Riverine Microplastics over Long Distances
This study demonstrated that wastewater discharge transports riverine microplastics over long distances downstream, with treatment plant effluent contributing significantly to the total microplastic load in receiving rivers.
Abundance and characteristics of microplastics in municipal wastewater treatment plant effluent: a case study of Guangzhou, China
This study quantified microplastics in the effluent of a large wastewater treatment plant in Guangzhou, China, finding that the plant releases hundreds of millions of microplastic particles per day despite removing most particles during treatment. Even highly efficient wastewater treatment plants are a significant ongoing source of microplastics entering rivers and coastal waters.
A numerical model of microplastic erosion, transport, and deposition for fluvial systems
Researchers developed a numerical model of microplastic erosion, transport, and deposition in river systems, finding that rivers act as temporary sinks trapping significant fractions of MPs before they reach the ocean, with implications for estimating marine MP loading from terrestrial sources.
Microplastic transport in European river networks
Researchers estimated the average annual load of microplastics transported to seas and oceans from 125 European catchments by coupling a mass balance model with a graph-theory river network model incorporating wastewater treatment plant effluents, surface runoff, and combined sewer overflows.
A National-Scale Framework for Visualizing Riverine Concentrations of Microplastics Released from Municipal Wastewater Treatment Incorporating Generalized Instream Losses
A modeling framework was developed to predict how microplastics from consumer products flow through wastewater treatment plants and into U.S. rivers, based on WWTP removal efficiency and downstream settling rates. Visualizing these concentration patterns helps identify rivers and communities most at risk from microplastic contamination.
Waste water treatment as a source of microplastic pollution
This conference abstract examines how wastewater treatment plants are a key pathway for microplastics from urban sources into rivers and ultimately the ocean. It frames improving wastewater treatment as a critical step for reducing the flow of microplastics into aquatic ecosystems.
A numerical model of microplastic transport for fluvial systems
Researchers developed a reduced-complexity numerical model of microplastic erosion, transport, and deposition in fluvial systems, applying it to the river Têt in France and finding that a large proportion of microplastics become entrained in river sediments before reaching the ocean.
Effects of different treatment processes in four municipal wastewater treatment plants on the transport and fate of microplastics
Researchers investigated microplastic transport and fate across four municipal wastewater treatment plants in southeastern China, finding that different treatment processes varied in their microplastic removal efficiency, with fibers and fragments as the dominant types.
Microplastic particle emission from wastewater treatment plant effluents into river networks in Germany: Loads, spatial patterns of concentrations and potential toxicity
Researchers estimated annual microplastic particle emissions from wastewater treatment plants into Germany's ten major river basins and analyzed spatial concentration patterns across stream orders. The study found that while treatment plants are point sources of microplastic pollution, the spatial organization of facilities along river networks creates predictable downstream concentration patterns with potential ecological implications.
Direkte Mikro- und Makroplastiktransportmessungen an großen und mittleren Flüssen sowie im Ablauf von Kläranlagen
This German-language study presents direct measurements of micro- and macroplastic transport in large and medium-sized rivers as well as wastewater treatment plant effluents. It addresses a research gap in freshwater plastic transport quantification, providing empirical data on how rivers carry plastics toward marine environments.
Rivers as Conduits: A Comprehensive Model of Microplastic Fate and Transport
This study developed a comprehensive model of microplastic fate and transport in rivers, integrating processes of erosion, resuspension, sedimentation, and burial to simulate how microplastics move through river networks toward the ocean.
Occurrence and Characteristics of Microplastics in a Wastewater Treatment Plant
Researchers sampled the inflow, outflow, and sludge of a Chinese wastewater treatment plant, finding up to 44 microplastic particles per liter in incoming water — mostly polyester fibers. The plant removed about 96% of microplastics, but the remaining fraction was still discharged into receiving waterways.
Point-source microplastic input to the river and coastal zone via wastewater treatment facilities: a case study from a tropical mega-city
Point-source inputs of microplastics from a specific industrial or municipal source were quantified in both a river and the adjacent coastal zone. The study links land-based pollution sources to downstream and coastal microplastic concentrations, supporting targeted source-control interventions.
Destination of floating plastic debris released from ten major rivers around the Korean Peninsula
Researchers used a Lagrangian particle tracking model to simulate the transport and coastal accumulation of plastic debris released from ten major Chinese and Korean rivers around the Korean Peninsula, finding that debris generally strands near the originating river mouth and that model predictions were consistent with observational data.
How the Yangtze River transports microplastic to the east China sea
Researchers used interpolation and input-output modeling to estimate how the Yangtze River transports microplastics seasonally from land to the East China Sea, finding that MP loads varied substantially by month with peak transport during high-flow periods. Tributary contributions and agricultural runoff were identified as major factors controlling MP flux to the estuary.
Microplastic abundance, characteristics, and removal in wastewater treatment plants in a coastal city of China
Researchers studied microplastic contamination across seven wastewater treatment plants in the coastal Chinese city of Xiamen and found that while treatment removed the vast majority of particles, the remaining microplastics still entered coastal waters in significant quantities due to high effluent volumes. Fibers and fragments were the most common microplastic types detected. The study underscores that wastewater treatment plants are both a barrier to and a source of marine microplastic pollution.
Limited role of discharge in global river plastic transport
A new modeling framework proposes that riverine plastic transport is driven primarily by plastic availability in the catchment rather than river discharge, challenging the assumption that high-flow events are the main driver of plastic export to the ocean.
Wastewater treatment plants as a source of microplastics in river catchments
Microplastic concentrations were measured upstream and downstream of six wastewater treatment plants in different catchments, finding that all plants discharged microplastics but that concentrations in river water were influenced by factors beyond just WWTP effluent. The results suggest wastewater treatment plants are significant but not the only source of microplastics in river catchments.
Global distribution of wastewater treatment plants and their released effluents into rivers and streams
This paper maps the global distribution of wastewater treatment plants and quantifies the pollutants—including microplastics—they release into rivers. Despite removing much of the contamination, these facilities remain significant sources of microplastic discharge into waterways worldwide.
Toward a Better Understanding of the Contribution of Wastewater Treatment Plants to Microplastic Pollution in Receiving Waterways
This review examines how wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) contribute to microplastic pollution in receiving waterways, synthesizing evidence on removal efficiencies of different treatment stages and the characteristics of microplastics that escape into the environment. Researchers found that while WWTPs remove the majority of incoming microplastics, they remain a significant source of microplastic discharge due to the large volumes of wastewater processed daily.
Modeling microplastics transport and fate in the marine environment around a wastewater effluent discharge pipe
This book chapter presents a model for predicting how microplastics discharged from wastewater treatment plants disperse in the marine environment near effluent outfall pipes. Modeling these transport pathways helps identify where plastic particles from treated wastewater accumulate in coastal marine ecosystems.
Source identification of microplastics in highly urbanized river environments and its implications for watershed management
Researchers identified the sources and pathways of microplastics entering highly urbanized rivers in the Shenzhen Bay watershed. The study found that 61.6% of annual microplastic loads came from point sources, with textile washing fibers accounting for over 92% of those, while nonpoint source contributions dominated during periods of heavy rainfall.