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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Assessing emerging and priority micropollutants in sewage sludge: environmental insights and analytical approaches
ClearA method for the characterisation of microplastics in sludge
Researchers developed a method for detecting and characterizing microplastics in sewage sludge, which concentrates the majority of microplastics removed during wastewater treatment. This method is important because sludge is widely spread on agricultural land, making it a key pathway for microplastics entering soils.
Microplastic contamination in sewage sludge: Abundance, characteristics, and impacts on the environment and human health
This review focuses on microplastics found in sewage sludge, which is often spread on agricultural land as fertilizer. The practice introduces microplastics directly into farm soil, where they can be taken up by crops or leach into groundwater. This creates a pathway for microplastics to reach human food and drinking water, raising concerns about the safety of using sewage sludge in agriculture.
Presence of emerging contaminants in treated sludges and their potential impacts on the environment
This Irish study examined the presence of emerging contaminants in treated sewage sludge applied to agricultural land, covering a wide range of pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and microplastics. Land-spreading of sludge is a major pathway for microplastics entering agricultural soils.
Sampling, pre-treatment, and identification methods of microplastics in sewage sludge and their effects in agricultural soils: a review
This review examines methods for sampling, pre-treating, and identifying microplastics in sewage sludge, which accumulates microplastics removed during wastewater treatment. Researchers found that standardized protocols for sludge analysis are still lacking, making it difficult to compare results across studies. The study also highlights that when microplastic-laden sludge is applied to agricultural soils, it may introduce persistent plastic contamination into terrestrial ecosystems.
Combined application of analytical techniques for microplastic determination to achieve comprehensive results for sewage sludge samples
Researchers combined multiple analytical techniques for comprehensive microplastic determination in sewage sludge samples, addressing the challenge that more than 90% of microplastics entering wastewater treatment plants are retained in sludge and require robust multi-method characterization.
Microplastics in sewage sludge: Distribution, toxicity, identification methods, and engineered technologies
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.
Emerging organic contaminants in sewage sludge: Current status, technological challenges and regulatory perspectives
This review examines how sewage sludge accumulates harmful organic pollutants including microplastics, hormone-disrupting chemicals, and pharmaceutical residues that threaten the environment and human health. Current treatment methods struggle to fully break down these contaminants, and the byproducts of treatment may carry their own ecological risks, highlighting the need for better technology and stronger regulations.
Hidden contaminants: Unveiling the content of microplastics in municipal sewage sludge that may affect soil ecosystems
Researchers analyzed sewage sludge from two municipal treatment plants and found up to 116,000 microplastic particles per kilogram of dry sludge, with fiber-shaped and film-shaped particles dominating each plant respectively — highlighting the risk of spreading microplastic contamination to farmland when sludge is used as fertilizer.
Sustainable analytical approaches for microplastics in wastewater, sludge, and landfills: Challenges, fate, and green chemistry perspectives
Researchers reviewed how microplastics travel through wastewater, sewage sludge, and landfills into soils and food crops, where they accumulate alongside heavy metals and pharmaceuticals, raising food safety concerns. The study calls for greener analytical methods and standardized reporting to better track and compare microplastic contamination across studies.
Tracking nonregulated micropollutants in sewage sludge: Antimicrobials, OH-PAHs, and microplastics — Environmental risks, fertilizer implications and energy considerations
Researchers tracked antimicrobials, hydroxylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and microplastics in sewage sludge and fertilizers derived from it. The study found that while fertilizer production reduced some contaminants, significant levels of antimicrobials and an average of over 2,400 microplastic particles persisted in stabilized sludge, raising concerns about environmental contamination when these materials are applied to agricultural land.
Microplastics in Sewage Sludge: A review
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.
Microplastics in sewage sludge from the wastewater treatment plants in China
Researchers analyzed microplastics in sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plants across China, finding high concentrations of microplastics — predominantly fibers and fragments — raising concerns about their spread when sludge is applied to agricultural land.
Emerging contaminants in biosolids: Presence, fate and analytical techniques
Researchers reviewed how "emerging contaminants" — including pharmaceuticals, PFAS (forever chemicals), flame retardants, and microplastics — behave in sewage sludge (biosolids) and wastewater treatment plants, and how they can transform into potentially more toxic breakdown products. The review evaluated detection methods and called for better regulation and advanced analytical tools to track these pollutants as they move through water treatment systems and into the environment.
Soil contamination with microplastics (MPs) from treated wastewater and sewage sludge: risks and sustainable mitigation strategies
Researchers reviewed how microplastics from treated wastewater and sewage sludge — both commonly applied to farmland — contaminate agricultural soils and ultimately enter the food chain, with alarming evidence of microplastics already detected in human blood, reproductive tissue, and placentas. The review calls for better wastewater treatment and sustainable farming practices to reduce this growing health threat.
Sewage Sludge in Farmlands: A Gateway to Soil Microplastic Pollution?
Researchers analysed microplastic contamination in dewatered anaerobically digested sewage sludge and adjacent agricultural fields in the UK with varied sludge application histories, using fluorescence microscopy and FTIR/Raman spectroscopy to detect predominantly polyethylene, polyester, polypropylene, polystyrene, PVC, and polyamide particles.
Approaching the environmental problem of microplastics: Importance of WWTP treatments
This review examines the role of wastewater treatment plants as sources and sinks of microplastics, noting that while treatment removes significant quantities, remaining particles concentrate in sewage sludge which is then applied to agricultural land as fertilizer. The authors survey available technologies for improving microplastic removal and call for better policy to address this gap.
Emerging environmental health risks associated with the land application of biosolids: a scoping review
This review examines the health and environmental risks of spreading treated sewage sludge (biosolids) on farmland, which can introduce microplastics, pharmaceuticals, and other emerging contaminants into soil and water. The authors found that current regulations do not adequately address these newer pollutants. They call for better wastewater treatment, reduced plastic and pharmaceutical use, and updated regulations to protect communities near treated farmland.
Investigation and analysis of microplastics in sewage sludge and biosolids: A case study from one wastewater treatment works in the UK
Researchers investigated microplastic contamination in sewage sludge and biosolids at a UK wastewater treatment plant and found significant quantities of microplastics persisting through the treatment process. Since millions of tonnes of biosolids are applied to farmland annually in the UK, this represents a major pathway for microplastic pollution entering agricultural soils. The study highlights the need for better monitoring and treatment methods to reduce microplastic transfer from wastewater to the terrestrial environment.
Fate of microplastics in sewage sludge and in agricultural soils
Researchers reviewed how microplastics accumulate in sewage sludge at wastewater treatment plants and then spread into agricultural soils when that sludge is applied as fertilizer, finding that sludge treatment processes can alter microplastic size and shape but do not eliminate them. The review calls for standardized methods to study how different sludge treatments affect microplastic properties and their downstream risks to soil health.
The overlooked pathway: A systematic review on sewage sludge treatment as a critical secondary source of terrestrial micro(nano)plastics
This systematic review examines sewage sludge as an overlooked pathway for microplastics to contaminate land, with concentrations reaching over 1,300 particles per kilogram. When this sludge is applied to farmland as fertilizer, aged and chemically modified microplastics enter agricultural soil, where they may be more toxic than fresh particles and can potentially be taken up by crops.
Contemporary Drift in Emerging Micro(nano)plastics Removal and Upcycling Technologies from Municipal Wastewater Sludge: Strategic Innovations and Prospects
This review evaluates both conventional and advanced methods for removing microplastics from sewage sludge before it is applied to farmland as fertilizer. Current treatment processes like anaerobic digestion and composting reduce but do not eliminate microplastics, and some methods can actually fragment larger plastics into more numerous smaller pieces. The authors identify emerging technologies and upcycling strategies that could better address this pathway of microplastic contamination in agricultural soils.
Combined application of analytical techniques for microplastic determination to achieve comprehensive results for sewage sludge samples
Researchers applied a combination of complementary analytical techniques to achieve comprehensive microplastic characterization in sewage sludge samples, addressing the limitations of using single methods for such complex matrices. They found that more than 90% of microplastics entering wastewater treatment plants are retained in the resulting sludge, and that combining analytical approaches improved detection across size ranges and polymer types.
Methods to alleviate the inhibition of sludge anaerobic digestion by emerging contaminants: a review
This review examines emerging contaminants in sewage sludge, including pharmaceuticals and microplastics, that inhibit the anaerobic digestion process used in wastewater treatment. Researchers found that pharmaceuticals were detected in about 50% of sludge samples, and that remediation methods such as ozonation, electrooxidation, and bioaugmentation can help alleviate inhibition, though liquid digestates still contain concerning pollutant levels.
Emerging contaminants in municipal sewage/sludge: occurrence, risk assessment, and treatment technologies
This review documents the occurrence of emerging contaminants — including pharmaceuticals, microplastics, and endocrine disruptors — in municipal sewage and sludge, assessing their environmental risks and current removal efficiencies. The authors highlight that many contaminants persist through conventional treatment, entering soils via biosolid application and waterways via effluent discharge.