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61,005 resultsSeasonal variation and removal efficiency of microplastics in wastewater treatment: a year-long study across three municipal water reclamation plants
A year-long study across three municipal water reclamation plants found significant seasonal variation in microplastic concentrations and removal efficiencies, with effective but incomplete removal leaving residual microplastics in effluent that posed low to medium ecological risks to receiving water bodies.
Unravelling capability of municipal wastewater treatment plant in Thailand for microplastics: Effects of seasonality on detection, fate and transport
Microplastic fate and transport in a wastewater treatment plant in Nonthaburi, Thailand were tracked during both dry and wet seasons, finding that seasonal variation in flow rates and influent composition affected microplastic removal efficiency and the polymer types discharged to the receiving environment.
Microplastic distributions in a domestic wastewater treatment plant: Removal efficiency, seasonal variation and influence of sampling technique
A year-long study of a municipal wastewater treatment plant found 97% removal efficiency for microplastics overall, but fibers made up a larger proportion of remaining particles in treated water than in raw sewage, and winter samples had notably higher microplastic concentrations. The study highlights seasonal variation as an important factor in assessing wastewater microplastic loads.
Influence of wastewater treatment process on pollution characteristics and fate of microplastics
Researchers investigated microplastic abundance and removal efficiency across four wastewater treatment plants using different treatment technologies, finding influent concentrations between 539 and 1,290 particles per liter that were reduced substantially by primary and secondary treatment. Smaller microplastic particles proved hardest to remove and most likely to persist in final effluent.
Microplastics in an urban wastewater treatment plant: The influence of physicochemical parameters and environmental factors
Microplastics were quantified across four treatment stages of an urban wastewater treatment plant, finding an overall 90.3% removal efficiency with fragments and fibers dominating the final effluent, and identifying rainfall events and seasonal variation as significant factors affecting MP concentrations. The study highlights the importance of environmental variables when monitoring MP removal at WWTPs.
Wastewater treatment plants as a source of microplastics to an urban estuary: Removal efficiencies and loading per capita over one year
Three South Carolina wastewater treatment plants were monitored for microplastic loads and removal efficiencies monthly over a year, finding removal of 59–98% with concentrations in effluent varying 4.8-fold between samples and no seasonal trend. The study demonstrates that even large, well-operated WWTPs release substantial quantities of microplastics year-round to receiving estuaries.
Characteristics and seasonal variation of microplastics in the wastewater treatment plant: The case of Bursa deep sea discharge
Researchers monitored microplastic characteristics and seasonal variation in wastewater and sludge from a treatment plant in Bursa-Gemlik, Turkey over 12 months, finding that the plant is a significant point source of microplastic release into the sea with seasonal fluctuations in abundance and composition.
Long-Term Monitoring of Microplastics in a German Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant
Researchers conducted long-term monitoring of microplastics in a German municipal wastewater treatment plant, tracking seasonal and annual changes in influent and effluent concentrations and assessing the plant's overall plastic retention efficiency.
Seasonal variation and complex analysis of microplastic distribution in different WWTP treatment stages in Lithuania
A seasonal 12-month monitoring study of a municipal wastewater treatment plant in Lithuania measured microplastic concentrations in wastewater and sludge through all treatment stages. Microplastics were detected throughout the plant with overall removal efficiencies above 90%, but seasonal variation in inflow concentrations reflected climate-driven changes in stormwater inputs.
Seasonal Variations in Microplastic Abundance and Removal Efficiency in Wastewater Treatment Plants in Bangkok, Thailand
A study of Bangkok wastewater treatment plants found microplastic removal efficiency ranged from 16–85% depending on season, with higher microplastic abundance during the wet season and PET, PE, and PP fibers as the dominant polymer types in both influent and effluent.
Quantification and Characterization of Microplastics in Seven Urban Wastewater Treatment Plants
Wastewater treatment plants are a key pathway through which microplastics enter rivers and coastal waters, and this six-month study across seven Spanish treatment plants found that conventional processes offer inconsistent and often inadequate protection. Microplastics were present in all samples, and in some cases effluent concentrations were nearly as high as influent concentrations — meaning the plants were adding little removal value for plastic particles. The dominance of synthetic fibers and the seasonal variation observed point to the need for better tertiary treatment steps to capture microplastics before discharge.
Long-Term Occurrence and Fate of Microplastics in WWTPs: A Case Study in Southwest Europe
A long-term monitoring study of a wastewater treatment plant in southwest Europe tracked microplastic concentrations across all treatment stages over multiple sampling campaigns, finding consistent plastic removal in the range of 90% but with treated effluent and sludge still containing substantial amounts. The study demonstrates the value of repeated sampling for understanding seasonal and operational variability in microplastic fate at WWTPs.
Microplastics in industrial wastewater treatment plant: Quantification, identification and ecological risk assessment
Researchers quantified microplastics in an industrial wastewater treatment plant in Thailand across wet and dry seasons, finding the highest concentrations after the aeration treatment stage. The study demonstrates that industrial wastewater treatment is an important but undermonitored pathway for microplastics entering aquatic environments.
Study of occurrence, abundance, and characterization of microplastics in wastewater treatment plant in New Delhi, India
Researchers quantified microplastic prevalence in influent, treated effluent, and sludge from a wastewater treatment plant in New Delhi, finding that MPs are present throughout the treatment process and that the plant incompletely removes them, discharging MPs into receiving waters.
Spatiotemporal Distribution Characteristics and Removal Efficiency of Microplastics in a Wastewater Treatment Plant
Researchers examined microplastic removal efficiency across three seasons at a wastewater treatment plant in Zhengzhou, China, sampling influent, process effluent, and final effluent. They found an overall removal efficiency of 86%, with polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate as the dominant polymer types and fragment- and granule-shaped particles comprising over 80% of microplastics detected.
Unaccounted Microplastics in the Outlet of Wastewater Treatment Plants—Challenges and Opportunities
This review examines the challenges wastewater treatment plants face in capturing and detecting microplastics, highlighting significant gaps in removal efficiency and calling for improved monitoring and treatment technologies to prevent microplastic discharge into natural water systems.
Occurrence, Characteristics, and Removal of Microplastics in Wastewater Treatment Plants
This review summarizes the occurrence, characteristics, and removal efficiency of microplastics in wastewater treatment plants, highlighting how these facilities simultaneously act as sinks trapping microplastics and as sources releasing them into surrounding aquatic and terrestrial environments.
Microplastic pollution is widely detected in US municipal wastewater treatment plant effluent
Researchers conducted a wide survey of US municipal wastewater treatment plants and found microplastics widely present in effluent, confirming that conventional treatment does not fully remove microplastics and that treatment plants are ongoing sources of environmental contamination.
Microplastics in Mediterranean coastal wastewater treatment plants: Seasonal trends driven by tourism and weather conditions
Researchers monitored microplastics at two Mediterranean coastal wastewater treatment plants in Spain, finding influent concentrations of 30-75 particles/L with seasonal peaks in warmer months, removal efficiencies of 73-86%, and significant correlations between microplastic concentrations and both temperature and precipitation, with polypropylene and polyethylene dominating polymer profiles.
Microplastic sampling strategies in urban drainage systems for quantification of urban emissions based on transport pathways
Researchers developed and applied microplastic sampling strategies across an entire urban municipal catchment under both dry and wet weather conditions, finding that wastewater treatment plants remove over 96% of microplastics but still emit 189 kg per year, while wet-weather emissions from high-traffic subcatchments reached 1,952 grams per population equivalent per year, far exceeding dry-weather levels.
Screening of microplastic particles in and down-stream a wastewater treatment plant
This Swedish environmental screening study examined microplastic inputs from a wastewater treatment plant in Lysekil to the sea, finding that significant numbers of particles above 300 micrometers were present in both influent and effluent. The study provides early national-level data on wastewater as a pathway for plastic to reach the marine environment.
Effectiveness of conventional municipal wastewater treatment plants in microplastics removal: Insights from multiple analytical techniques
Researchers evaluated the effectiveness of conventional municipal wastewater treatment plants in removing microplastics across multiple treatment stages, finding removal efficiencies of 70–90% but documenting that billions of particles still pass through in final effluent daily.
Occurrence and Seasonal Variation of Microplastics in the Effluent from Wastewater Treatment Plants in Qingdao, China
Microplastic characteristics in effluents from five wastewater treatment plants in Qingdao, China were analyzed in winter and summer, finding fibers dominated by rayon and PET with average concentrations higher in winter, confirming WWTPs as a significant source of microplastics to the marine environment.
Occurrence of Microplastics across Seasonal Variations in a Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant in Thailand
Researchers monitored microplastic concentrations at a Thai municipal wastewater treatment plant across rainy, winter, and summer seasons of 2023–2024. Microplastic levels were highest during the rainy season, demonstrating that seasonal variation and rainfall significantly influence microplastic abundance and treatment efficiency.