Publication detail

Microplastics pollution from wastewater treatment plants: A critical review on challenges, detection, sustainable removal techniques and circular economy

Sadia, Mamoona Mahmood, Abid Ibrahim, Muhammad Irshad, Muhammad Kashif Quddusi, Abul Hassan Ali Bokhari, Awais Mubashir, Muhammad Chuah, Lai Fatt Show, Pau Loke

Original Title

Microplastics pollution from wastewater treatment plants: A critical review on challenges, detection, sustainable removal techniques and circular economy

Type

journal article in Web of Science

Language

English

Original Abstract

The wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have long been recognized as a potentially significant source of microplastic (MPs) pollution in aquatic environments. It is challeng-ing to precisely detect and efficiently remove MPs from wastewater due to the lack of standard protocol and removal technologies. Although many advances have been made in the characterization and quantification of MPs in wastewater, the polydisperse and degradation-resistant properties of MPs and WWTPs' broad nature and lack of specific design allow MPs to pass through treatment processes. This review highlights the current understanding on the occurrence, fate and expulsion of MPs, recent detection status, advanced and sustainable removal technologies for MPs in WWTPs and conversion of MPs into renewable energy sources. Specifically, different techniques to collect MPs from sewage sludge and wastewater, pre-treatment, classification approaches and retention of MPs in wastewater are reviewed and analyzed. Previous MPs studies have undoubtedly improved our understanding, but many unanswered questions need to be answered. The main challenges appear to be the harmonization of detection methods and the removal levels of MPs in wastewater and sewage sludge. To address this challenge, an alternative methodological approach for WWTPs effluent sampling was developed that eliminate sample contamination by synthetic fibre deposition during aquatic sample processing. In parallel, the sustainable methodology was developed for the treatment of sewage sludge samples that effectively separates the MPs from the organic and organometal compositions of the sludge samples, achieving an average extraction efficiency of 81.9%. The studies determined that synthetic fibres were released in greater quantities than MPs over the short period during which the samples were collected. Recommendations for further methodological refinement are formulated and the need for authoritative methodological standardization is recognized.(c) 2022 Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Keywords

Microplastic; Wastewater treatment plant; Detection; Sustainable removal techniques; Circular economy; NILE RED; FATE; PARTICLES; UANTIFICATION; IDENTIFICATION; ACCUMULATION; MICROBEADS; TRANSPORT; PLASTICS; RELEASE

Authors

Sadia, Mamoona; Mahmood, Abid; Ibrahim, Muhammad; Irshad, Muhammad Kashif; Quddusi, Abul Hassan Ali; Bokhari, Awais; Mubashir, Muhammad; Chuah, Lai Fatt; Show, Pau Loke

Released

24. 11. 2022

Publisher

ELSEVIER

Location

RADARWEG 29, 1043 NX AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS

ISBN

2352-1864

Periodical

Environmental Technology and Innovation

Number

28

State

Kingdom of the Netherlands

Pages count

20

URL

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352186422003698?via%3Dihub

BibTex

@article{BUT182684,
  author="Sadia, Mamoona and Mahmood, Abid and Ibrahim, Muhammad and Irshad, Muhammad Kashif and Quddusi, Abul Hassan Ali and Bokhari, Awais and Mubashir, Muhammad and Chuah, Lai Fatt and Show, Pau Loke",
  title="Microplastics pollution from wastewater treatment plants: A critical review on challenges, detection, sustainable removal techniques and circular economy",
  journal="Environmental Technology and Innovation",
  year="2022",
  number="28",
  pages="20",
  doi="10.1016/j.eti.2022.102946",
  issn="2352-1864",
  url="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352186422003698?via%3Dihub"
}