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Tracking of Micro-and Nanoplastics Through Wastewater Treatment Plants: The Difference Between Municipal and Industrial Wastewater Treatment
Citation:
Tran, D., J. Hadynski, Dilip Duvvuru, D. Shields, AND Souhail R. Al-Abed. Tracking of Micro-and Nanoplastics Through Wastewater Treatment Plants: The Difference Between Municipal and Industrial Wastewater Treatment. America Chemical Society Spring Meeting, San Diego, CA, March 23 - 27, 2025.
Impact/Purpose:
Understanding the characterization of nano and microplastics (NMPs) in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is critical for managing plastic contamination in urban environments. This study investigated differences in NMP characteristics among municipal and industrial WWTPs located across an urban watershed. Influent, effluent, and sludge (dewatered and thickened) samples were collected monthly using grab, composite, and physical separation by sieving methods. The samples were extracted with Fenton oxidation and density separation methods, and subsequently analyzed with the use of Coulter counter, laser direct infrared imaging (LDIR), and nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA). The initial findings provided insights into the sample representativeness associated with sampling methods, inter-instrument agreement on NMP characterization, and NMP characteristics among municipal and industrial WWTPs. This work contributes to the efforts of standardizing sampling and analytical methods of NMPs, as well as to the understanding of the relationship between plastic contamination from urban watersheds to freshwater bodies.
Description:
Growing evidence is showing that microplastics (1 µm – 5000 µm) and nanoplastics (<1 µm) are increasingly being found in biological materials, including human bodies. Therefore, understanding the fate and transport of micro- and nanoplastics (M&NP) throughout the environment is crucial for remediation efforts. A clear choice for M&NP removal is at wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) as they are already primed for removal of contaminants from local water supplies. This study investigated the differences in M&NP in municipal and industrial WWTP located across an urban watershed. Influent, effluent, and sludge were collected using grab, composite, and physical separation by sieving methods to establish an preferred sampling method. The samples were then cleared of biological materials via Fenton oxidation and density separation. The resulting solutions were probed using a Coulter counter, laser direct infrared imaging (LDIR), and nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) to investigate size distribution, particle concentrations, plastic types, and removal efficiencies. This presentation will compare the M&NP data between the two WWTPs and highlight what it means for the state of plastic elimination from urban environments.