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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Assessment of Microplastics Distribution in a Biological Wastewater Treatment
ClearIdentification and quantification of microplastics in wastewater treatment plant effluent: Investigation of the fate and biological effects
This study identified and quantified microplastics in wastewater treatment plant effluents and sludge, finding particles in all samples with fibers being the dominant type. The research contributes to understanding how much microplastic reaches surface waters via wastewater discharge and how much is captured in sludge that is subsequently applied to agricultural land.
Microplastic Retention in Secondary Sewage Sludge: Characterization and Influence of Solid Concentration
Researchers examined microplastic retention in secondary sewage sludge from a municipal wastewater treatment plant and found that fibers made up 61% of the trapped particles. Testing different solid concentrations in settling experiments, they achieved a maximum microplastic capture rate of 63% without adding any chemicals. The study provides practical insights into how wastewater treatment plants can optimize sludge settling to better capture microplastics before they are released into the environment.
Microplastics in the continuous biofilm reactor: Occurrence, fate, and removal
A laboratory-scale continuous biofilm reactor was monitored for microplastic occurrence, fate, and removal over 53 days. Microplastics were detected at all stages of the reactor and were partially retained within the biofilm. The study shows that biofilm reactors can reduce microplastic concentrations in treated water but do not eliminate them entirely.
Effects and Fate of Microfibres on Wastewater Treatment: Insights into Treatment Performance, Microbiome Selection and Synergetic Impacts on Functional Organisms in Granular Sludge Reactors
Researchers examined the effects of polyester and denim microfibres on aerobic granular sludge reactors used in wastewater treatment, finding that fibre presence influences treatment performance, microbiome community composition, and the function of key organisms in the granular sludge. The findings reveal that textile microfibres reaching wastewater plants can have synergistic negative impacts on biological treatment processes.
Microplastics and microfibers in the sludge of a municipal wastewater treatment plant
Researchers monitored microplastics and synthetic microfibers in the sludge of a Spanish municipal wastewater treatment plant throughout 2015, identifying polypropylene, nylon, and polyamide among others using FTIR and differential scanning calorimetry, and noting that sludge applied as agricultural fertilizer could transfer these contaminants to crop soils.
Fate of microplastics in wastewater treatment plants and their environmental dispersion with effluent and sludge
Researchers tracked microplastics through a wastewater treatment plant and found 12 different polymer types in effluents and sludge, with smaller particles (25–104 μm) most abundant and fibres displaying lower sizes than fragments. The study demonstrates that WWTPs do not fully remove microplastics and that processed sludge marketed as soil amendment carries plastic contamination.
Transport and fate of microplastic particles in wastewater treatment plants
Researchers tracked microplastic particles through multiple stages of a wastewater treatment plant, finding that particles were concentrated in sludge but that a fraction passed through each treatment stage and remained in the final effluent.
Mechanistic understanding of microplastic fiber fate and sampling strategies: Synthesis and utility of metal doped polyester fibers
Researchers synthesized polyester microplastic fibers embedded with an indium metal tracer to simplify tracking fiber fate and transport, demonstrating that the label does not alter fiber behavior, leaches minimally, and that over 99.9% of fibers associate with activated sludge in wastewater treatment batch experiments.
Tracing the fate of microplastic in wastewater treatment plant: A multi-stage analysis of treatment units and sludge
Researchers tracked microplastics through every stage of a wastewater treatment plant and found that while treatment removes many particles from the water, most end up concentrated in the leftover sludge. Fibers and fragments were the most common shapes, made primarily of polyester and polyethylene. Since treated sludge is often spread on farmland, this creates a pathway for microplastics to enter soil and potentially the food chain.
Wastewater treatment alters microbial colonization of microplastics
Analysis of microplastics and their biofilms across raw sewage, effluent, and sludge at two wastewater treatment plants found that >99% of influent MPs were retained in sludge, and that wastewater treatment substantially altered biofilm microbial composition, enriching bioflocculation-associated taxa.
Effects and fate of microfibres on wastewater treatment: Insights into treatment performance, microbiome selection and synergetic impacts on functional organisms in granular sludge reactors
Researchers investigated the effects of denim and polyester microfibres on aerobic granular sludge reactor performance, examining how these commonly encountered anthropogenic fibres influence wastewater treatment efficiency, microbiome selection, and interactions with functional organisms.
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.
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.
Circulation of fibrous microplastic (microfiber) in sewage and sewage sludge treatment processes
The circulation of microfibers through sewage and sludge treatment processes was tracked in a Japanese facility, finding that while most microfibers were removed from wastewater into sludge during primary and secondary treatment, some were re-released during sludge digestion and dewatering, creating a secondary recirculation pathway back into treated effluent.
Fate of Microplastic Pollution Along the Water and Sludge Lines in Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants
Researchers evaluated microplastic abundance and distribution across three municipal wastewater treatment plants using different treatment technologies. The study found that all three plants achieved greater than 97% microplastic removal along the water treatment line, with microplastics concentrating in the sludge fraction, underscoring the important role of sludge treatment in sequestering microplastics from wastewater.
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.
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.
Understanding the retention of microplastics in wastewater treatment plants: Insights from tracer tests and numerical modeling
This study used tracer experiments and numerical modeling in a full-scale wastewater treatment plant to show that about 70% of microplastic fibers introduced into a disinfection tank were retained within 20 minutes after the minimum hydraulic retention time, revealing flow pattern as a key driver of microplastic removal efficiency.
The fate of microplastics in an Italian Wastewater Treatment Plant
Microplastics were tracked through influent, settler, and effluent stages of a major northern Italian WWTP (serving 1.2 million population equivalents), finding high removal efficiency but continued discharge of fibers and fragments to receiving water and concentration of retained plastics in sludge. The study provides detailed mass flow data for an Italian WWTP and highlights sludge as the dominant plastic-retention compartment.
Microplastics in real wastewater treatment schemes: comparative assessment and relevant inhibition effects on anaerobic processes
Researchers investigated microplastic occurrence and removal in an Italian wastewater treatment plant, finding 3.6 MPs/L in influent dominated by polyester fibers, with conventional activated sludge achieving 86% removal, and demonstrating that concentrated sludge-associated microplastics can inhibit downstream anaerobic digestion.
Assessment and accumulation of microplastics in sewage sludge at wastewater treatment plants located in Cádiz, Spain
Researchers sampled microplastics from primary, secondary, and digested sludge at seven wastewater treatment plants in southern Spain, finding sludge acts as a significant sink for microplastics. Fragments and fibers under 2 mm were dominant, and concentrations varied significantly between urban and industrial plant types.
Microfibres from Textile Industry Effluents
Researchers reviewed the fate of microfibres released from textile industry effluents, finding that conventional wastewater treatment is insufficient to fully remove fibres, which then enter receiving waterways and contribute to environmental microplastic loads.
Effects and fate of microfibres on wastewater treatment: Insights into treatment performance, microbiome selection and synergetic impacts on functional organisms in granular sludge reactors
Researchers investigated the effects of denim and polyester microfibres on the performance of aerobic granular sludge wastewater treatment reactors, examining impacts on treatment efficiency, microbiome composition, and synergistic effects on functional microbial organisms.
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.