Point-source tracking of microplastics in sewerage systems. Finding the culprit

Lucian Iordachescu; Rasmus Vest Nielsen; Konstantinos Papacharalampos; Lauriane Barritaud; Marie-Pierre Denieul; Emmanuel Plessis; Gilles Baratto; Veronique Julien; Jes Vollertsen

doi:10.1016/j.watres.2024.121696

Point-source tracking of microplastics in sewerage systems. Finding the culprit

Water Res. 2024 May 2:257:121696. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121696. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Lucian Iordachescu¹, Rasmus Vest Nielsen², Konstantinos Papacharalampos², Lauriane Barritaud³, Marie-Pierre Denieul³, Emmanuel Plessis⁴, Gilles Baratto⁴, Veronique Julien⁴, Jes Vollertsen²

Affiliations

¹ Aalborg University, Section of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Department of the Built Environment, Thomas Manns Vej 23, 9220 Aalborg Øst, Denmark. Electronic address: lio@build.aau.dk.
² Aalborg University, Section of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Department of the Built Environment, Thomas Manns Vej 23, 9220 Aalborg Øst, Denmark.
³ Veolia Research & Innovation, Research Center of Maisons-Laffitte, Chemin de la Digue, 78600 Maisons-Laffitte, France.
⁴ Veolia Eau, Operations Direction Mediterranean Region, 1 rue Albert Cohen, 13321 Marseille b Cedex 16, France.

PMID: 38723360
DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121696

Abstract

Prior microplastic (MP) research has focused more on the efficiency of removal techniques within wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), with comparatively less emphasis placed on identifying and understanding the sources of MPs. In this study, the presence of MP in wastewater from various sources and their associated WWTPs was investigated. Utilising focal plane array micro Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FPA-μFTIR), the chemical composition, size distribution, and mass of MPs were quantified. Notably, wastewater generated from an industrial laundry facility exhibited the highest MP concentration of 6900 counts L^-1 or 716 μg L^-1. Domestic sewage contained MP levels (1534 counts L^-1; 158 μg L^-1) similar to those at the WWTPs (1640 counts L^-1; 114 μg L^-1). Polyester was identified as a significant component in most of the sources, predominantly originating from the shedding of fibres during textile washing. Additionally, a post-processing software was employed to compare two methods for fibre identification: aspect ratio and elongation ratio. These findings underscore the potential environmental impact of domestic activities and laundry washing on wastewater MP content.

Keywords: Fibres; Microplastics; Sewerage; Sources; Wastewater; μFT-IR.