Fate and effects of microplastics in wastewater treatment processes

Mengjie Wu; Wenchang Tang; Shaohua Wu; Hongyu Liu; Chunping Yang

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143902

Fate and effects of microplastics in wastewater treatment processes

Sci Total Environ. 2021 Feb 25:757:143902. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143902. Epub 2020 Dec 3.

Authors

Mengjie Wu¹, Wenchang Tang¹, Shaohua Wu², Hongyu Liu³, Chunping Yang⁴

Affiliations

¹ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Petrochemical Pollution Process and Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Petrochemical Technology, Maoming, Guangdong 525000, China; College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, and Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha, Hunan 410082, China.
² Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Petrochemical Pollution Process and Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Petrochemical Technology, Maoming, Guangdong 525000, China. Electronic address: wushaohua@hnu.edu.cn.
³ College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, and Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha, Hunan 410082, China.
⁴ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Petrochemical Pollution Process and Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Petrochemical Technology, Maoming, Guangdong 525000, China; College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, and Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha, Hunan 410082, China; Hunan Province Environmental Protection Engineering Center for Organic Pollution Control of Urban Water and Wastewater, Changsha, Hunan 410001, China. Electronic address: yangc@hnu.edu.cn.

PMID: 33316531
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143902

Abstract

Microplastics (MPs) have garnered growing attention of researchers, as they are proved to be hazardous to the environment and humans. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are deemed as an important releasing source of MPs to the environment, and thus it is of significance to study the behavior of MPs in WWTPs. In this review, the fate of MPs in WWTPs and their effects on different wastewater treatment processes have been comprehensively discussed. Studies have shown that the secondary treatment is the most efficient process to remove MPs from wastewaters with a removal rate around 98%. The presence of MPs can increase reagent addition dosage, inhibit nitrogen conversion rate, and cause membrane fouling in wastewater treatment processes. Besides, the influences of MPs on activated sludge mainly exert on nitrification and denitrification processes, sludge digestion, and microbial communities. However, it is worth noting that different methods have been employed to determine the concentrations of MPs in WWTPs. As a result, the removal performance on MPs in WWTPs is difficult to be accurately assessed. Moreover, complicated interaction among MPs and other environmental pollutants may expand the impacts of MPs on wastewater treatment processes, which still remains insufficiently investigated. Therefore, this review has also proposed some knowledge gaps existing in present MP studies in WWTPs, and would provide reference to alleviate the adverse effects of MPs for future research.

Keywords: Activated sludge; Effects; Microplastics; Removal; Wastewater treatment.

Publication types

Review