Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Analysis of microplastic particles in the Pilica River catchment (Poland) using FTIR imaging microscopy

Researchers analyzed microplastic particles in the Pilica River catchment in Poland, examining sources, distribution, and variability of plastic pollution with a focus on wastewater treatment plants as key emission points. Microplastic concentrations in the river varied spatially and were elevated near wastewater discharge points, confirming WWTPs as significant contributors to river plastic contamination.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in two German wastewater treatment plants: Year-long effluent analysis with FTIR and Py-GC/MS

Researchers analyzed microplastics in the effluents of two German wastewater treatment plants monthly over one year, revealing temporal variations in microplastic concentrations and polymer compositions entering receiving river systems.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 103 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the effluent of a German wastewater treatment plant ‒ analysis with μ-FTIR spectroscopy

A German wastewater treatment plant was found to release microplastics in its treated effluent, with fibers as the dominant type. The study used detailed chemical characterization and identified wastewater plants as ongoing point sources of microplastic pollution entering aquatic environments.

2020 Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar-und Meeresforschung (Alfred-Wegener-Institut)
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Monitoring at Different Stages in a Wastewater Treatment Plant Using Reflectance Micro-FTIR Imaging

Researchers used reflectance micro-FTIR imaging to monitor microplastic presence at multiple treatment stages within a wastewater treatment plant, addressing the challenge of analyzing MPs in biogenic organic matter-rich matrices. The study mapped how microplastic identity, abundance, and size distribution changed through primary and secondary treatment, providing insight into WWTP contributions to aquatic microplastic pollution.

2020 Frontiers in Environmental Science 82 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic in Danish wastewater: Sources, occurrences and fate

Researchers evaluated the role of Danish wastewater treatment plants in microplastic emissions by analyzing samples from 10 WWTPs, associated sludge, and farmland soils using FTIR imaging, identifying the amounts, polymer types, and potential sources of microplastics entering the environment.

2017 90 citations
Article Tier 2

Identification of microplastic in effluents of waste water treatment plants using focal plane array-based micro-Fourier-transform infrared imaging

Researchers analyzed effluent from 12 wastewater treatment plants in Germany and found microplastics in all of them, with estimates of up to 4 billion particles discharged per plant annually — predominantly polyethylene fragments and polyester fibers. Notably, one plant with an additional post-filtration step reduced microplastic discharge by 97%, showing that advanced filtration can dramatically cut the flow of plastic particles into waterways.

2016 Water Research 1413 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the Florence wastewater treatment plant studied by a continuous sampling method and Raman spectroscopy: A preliminary investigation

Researchers used continuous sampling and Raman spectroscopy to track microplastics through a Florence wastewater treatment plant, finding that the plant reduces but does not eliminate microplastic loads, with effluent contributing a quantifiable flux to the receiving river.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 42 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantification of microplastic mass and removal rates at wastewater treatment plants applying Focal Plane Array (FPA)-based Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) imaging

This study quantified microplastic mass and calculated removal rates at wastewater treatment plants, finding that while plants remove a large proportion of incoming microplastics, the residual discharge still represents a substantial ongoing input to receiving water bodies.

2018 Water Research 834 citations
Article Tier 2

Multi-temporal surveys for microplastic particles enabled by a novel and fast application of SWIR imaging spectroscopy – Study of an urban watercourse traversing the city of Berlin, Germany

Researchers applied short-wave infrared (SWIR) imaging spectroscopy to rapidly identify and classify microplastic particles in surface water samples from an urban Berlin waterway across six time points, finding that plastic concentrations increased downstream of urban areas and after rainfall events, and that wastewater treatment plant effluent contributed measurably to the plastic load.

2018 Environmental Pollution 120 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics monitoring in different environments: separation, physicochemical characterization, and quantification

Researchers systematically monitored microplastic contamination across multiple environments including a wastewater treatment plant, surrounding water bodies, and soils near plastic factories, characterizing shape, size, color, and polymer composition via microscopy and FTIR spectroscopy. They found fragments and fibers to be the most common microplastic shapes in water environments and documented simultaneous contamination across all sampled matrices.

2025 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
Article Tier 2

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.

2018 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 274 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and analysis of microplastics in municipal wastewater, Poland

Researchers analyzed microplastic contamination in the influent of a large urban wastewater treatment plant in Poland and found an average of about 4 particles per liter. Textile fibers, primarily from clothing, were the most common form of microplastic detected, with polyethylene terephthalate and rubber among the dominant polymer types. The study underscores that laundry and everyday product use are significant sources of microplastic entering the water system.

2024 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Wastewater Treatment Works (WwTW) as a Source of Microplastics in the Aquatic Environment

Researchers investigated wastewater treatment works as a source of microplastics in aquatic environments, finding that effluent discharges contribute measurable quantities of microplastics to receiving rivers despite treatment, with concentrations varying by treatment type.

2016 Environmental Science & Technology 1966 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Influents and Effluents of Estonian Wastewater Treatment Plants

This Estonian study is the first systematic investigation of microplastic concentrations in both the influent and effluent of Estonian wastewater treatment plants, using continuous filtration sampling and FTIR spectroscopy. The research establishes baseline data for microplastic removal efficiency in Baltic state wastewater infrastructure, documenting how treatment reduces but does not eliminate microplastic discharge.

2023
Article Tier 2

Source, Identification, Distribution, and Abundance of Microplastics in Rivers and Their Ecological Impacts: a Review

This review synthesizes global data on microplastic sources, identification methods, distribution in rivers, and ecological impacts, covering studies from the past two decades. It finds MPs widespread in riverine systems (up to 120 MPs/L in water, 13,607 MPs/kg in sediment), with FTIR and Raman spectroscopy as dominant identification tools and PE/PP fibers and fragments as the most common polymer types.

2025 Environment & Ecosystem science
Article Tier 2

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.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 129 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of wastewater treatment plant discharges on microplastic concentrations in surface water

This study measured microplastic concentrations upstream and downstream of wastewater treatment plant discharges in a freshwater river and found elevated concentrations below discharge points. The findings confirm that wastewater treatment plants, even when functioning properly, act as point sources of microplastic pollution to freshwater systems.

2016 Chemosphere 412 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastiche: classificazione, identificazione e rimozione all'interno degli impianti di trattamento delle acque reflue

This Italian-language paper reviews how microplastics are classified, identified using techniques like FTIR spectroscopy, and removed in wastewater treatment plants. Conventional treatment plants remove a substantial portion of microplastics but still allow many particles to pass through into the environment. The review calls for better treatment technologies and standardized methods to assess microplastic removal efficiency.

2021 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Detection of microplastic traces in four different types of municipal wastewater treatment plants through FT-IR and TED-GC-MS

Researchers detected microplastic traces in four different types of municipal wastewater treatment plants using FT-IR and TED-GC-MS, finding that while treatment processes removed most microplastics, some were still released into receiving water bodies.

2023 Environmental Pollution 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Spectroscopic analysis of microplastic contaminants in an urban wastewater treatment plant from Seoul, South Korea

Researchers performed systematic multi-spectroscopic analysis of microplastics at influent and effluent stages of a metropolitan wastewater treatment plant in Seoul, South Korea, using FTIR and microscopic methods to characterize MP type, size, and polymer composition. The study quantified treatment efficiency for MP removal and identified the dominant polymer types entering and leaving the WWTP, informing efforts to reduce microplastic discharge to urban waterways.

2020 Chemosphere 60 citations