Removal of Microplastic Pollution through Waste Water Treatment: A Review

Abstract

The presence of plastic materials in a water stream is a serious environmental concern because of their poor degradability characteristics. The enormous rise in the production of plastics causes a significant amount of plastic waste on the land to enter water bodies. If the particle size is small at the micro level (less than 5 mm in diameter), it has significant potential for blocking the fine pores of filtration and membrane systems. Their encroachment also poses a threat to human health in the food chain. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) play an important role in removing a significant amount of microplastics; otherwise, they end up in the process of bioaccumulation. This study provides an idea about the characteristics of microplastics, removal efficiency, and the correlation between wastewater quality and microplastic concentrations from three different WWTPs that differ in the biological and advanced wastewater treatment techniques, which are believed to play an important role in microplastic removal. It also focuses on how waste treatment facilities affect the retention of microplastics and discusses issues with using sewage sludge laden with microplastic.