Fate of microplastics in urban wastewater treatment plants and their contribution to the receiving river via effluent discharge

Qianhua ZHANG; Shujie ZHOU; Zeyu LI; Yuan ZHANG; Wenxin OUYANG; Lei MAI

doi:10.1007/s00343-024-4138-1

Your Location：

Home >

Browse articles >

Fate of microplastics in urban wastewater treatment plants and their contribution to the receiving river via effluent discharge

Micro- and nano-plastics in freshwater environments | Updated：2025-03-21

- Fate of microplastics in urban wastewater treatment plants and their contribution to the receiving river via effluent discharge
- Journal of Oceanology and Limnology Vol. 43, Issue 2, Pages: 372-382(2025)
- Affiliations：
  
  1.Guangzhou Ecological Environment Monitoring Center Station of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510060, China
  2.Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai) and Center for Environmental Microplastics Studies, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China
- Author bio：
  
  49244471@qq.com
  lei_mai@jnu.edu.cn
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s00343-024-4138-1
  CLC：
- Received：15 May 2024，
  
  Online First：10 August 2024，
  
  Published：01 March 2025
- Accepted：
Scan QR Code
ZHANG Qianhua,ZHOU Shujie,LI Zeyu,et al.Fate of microplastics in urban wastewater treatment plants and their contribution to the receiving river via effluent discharge[J].Journal of Oceanology and Limnology,2025,43(02):372-382.
DOI：

ZHANG Qianhua,ZHOU Shujie,LI Zeyu,et al.Fate of microplastics in urban wastewater treatment plants and their contribution to the receiving river via effluent discharge[J].Journal of Oceanology and Limnology,2025,43(02):372-382. DOI： 10.1007/s00343-024-4138-1.

摘要

Abstract

Effluents from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are recognized as an important source for microplastic (MP) pollution in the receiving waters. The removal efficiency of MPs in WWTPs and the discharge flux remain largely unknown. The present study measured the MP abundances in the influents

effluents

and activated sludge in four domestic and one industrial WWTPs in Guangzhou

China. The MP abundance detected in influent samples were approximately one order of magnitude higher than those found in effluents

resulting in high removal efficiencies of MPs (97.4%‍‍‍–‍98.7%) in these WWTPs. A significant amount of the removed MPs deposited in the activated sludge

with abundances of MPs ranging from 7 to 888 pieces/g dry weight sludge. Microplastics remaining in effluents were discharged into the receiving river with releasing rates of ranging from (1.1±1.0)×10

to (4.54±3.92)×10

pieces per day. Results obtained in the present study suggest that the contribution of MPs from WWTPs to the aquatic environment is non-negligible and the application of sludge in the agricultural environment may bring additional MP pollution to agricultural soils.

关键词

Keywords

references

Barkmann-Metaj L , Weber F , Bitter H et al . 2023 . Quantification of microplastics in wastewater systems of German industrial parks and their wastewater treatment plants . Science of the Total Environment , 881 : 163349 , https://doi.‍‍org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163349 https://doi.‍‍org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163349 . https://do 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163349 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163349

Bayo J , López-Castellanos J , Olmos S et al . 2023 . Characterization and removal efficiencies of microplastics discharged from sewage treatment plants in Southeast Spain . Water Research , 244 : 120479 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2023.120479 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2023.120479 .

Blair R M , Waldron S , Gauchotte-Lindsay C . 2019 . Average daily flow of microplastics through a tertiary wastewater treatment plant over a ten-month period . Water Research , 163 : 114909 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2019.114909 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2019.114909 .

Fendall L S , Sewell M A . 2009 . Contributing to marine pollution by washing your face: microplastics in facial cleansers . Marine Pollution Bulletin , 58 ( 8 ): 1225 - 1228 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2009.04.025 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2009.04.025 .

Franco A A , Arellano J M , Albendín G et al . 2021 . Microplastic pollution in wastewater treatment plants in the city of Cádiz: abundance, removal efficiency and presence in receiving water body . Science of the Total Environment , 776 : 145795 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145795 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145795 .

Franco A A , Martín-García A P , Egea-Corbacho A et al . 2023 . Assessment and accumulation of microplastics in sewage sludge at wastewater treatment plants located in Cádiz, Spain . Environmental Pollution , 317 : 120689 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120689 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120689 .

Geyer R , Jambeck J R , Law K L . 2017 . Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made . Science Advances , 3 ( 7 ): e1700782 , https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1700782 https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1700782 .

Jiang J H , Wang X W , Ren H Y et al . 2020 . Investigation and fate of microplastics in wastewater and sludge filter cake from a wastewater treatment plant in China . Science of the Total Environment , 746 : 141378 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141378 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141378 .

Jiang L , Chen M L , Huang Y et al . 2022 . Effects of different treatment processes in four municipal wastewater treatment plants on the transport and fate of microplastics . Science of the Total Environment , 831 : 154946 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154946 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154946 .

Lares M , Ncibi M C , Sillanpää M et al . 2018 . Occurrence, identification and removal of microplastic particles and fibers in conventional activated sludge process and advanced MBR technology . Water Research , 133 : 236 - 246 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2018.01.049 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2018.01.049 .

Li T , Liu K , Tang R et al . 2023 . Environmental fate of microplastics in an urban river: spatial distribution and seasonal variation . Environmental Pollution , 322 : 121227 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121227 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121227 .

Li X W , Chen L B , Mei Q Q et al . 2018 . Microplastics in sewage sludge from the wastewater treatment plants in China . Water Research , 142 : 75 - 85 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2018.05.034 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2018.05.034 .

Liu X N , Yuan W K , Di M X et al . 2019 . Transfer and fate of microplastics during the conventional activated sludge process in one wastewater treatment plant of China . Chemical Engineering Journal , 362 : 176 - 182 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2019.01.033 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2019.01.033 .

Magni S , Binelli A , Pittura L et al . 2019 . The fate of microplastics in an Italian wastewater treatment plant . Science of the Total Environment , 652 : 602 - 610 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.10.269 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.10.269 .

Murphy F , Ewins C , Carbonnier F et al . 2016 . Wastewater Treatment Works (WwTW) as a source of microplastics in the aquatic environment . Environmental Science & Technology , 50 ( 11 ): 5800 - 5808 , https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5b05416 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5b05416 .

Napper I E , Thompson R C . 2016 . Release of synthetic microplastic plastic fibres from domestic washing machines: effects of fabric type and washing conditions . Marine Pollution Bulletin , 112 ( 1-2 ): 39 - 45 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.09.025 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.09.025 .

Nava V , Chandra S , Aherne J et al . 2023 . Plastic debris in lakes and reservoirs . Nature , 619 ( 7969 ): 317 - 322 , https://doi.‍org/10.1038/s41586-023-06168-4 https://doi.‍org/10.1038/s41586-023-06168-4 .

Nihei Y , Ota H , Tanaka M et al . 2024 . Comparison of concentration, shape, and polymer composition between microplastics and mesoplastics in Japanese river waters . Water Research , 249 : 120979 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2023.120979 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2023.120979 .

Plastics Europe . 2023 . Plastics—the Fast Facts 2023 . https://plasticseurope.org/knowledge-hub/plastics-the-fast-facts-2023/. Accessed on 10 May 2024 https://plasticseurope.org/knowledge-hub/plastics-the-fast-facts-2023/.Accessedon10May2024 .

Ren S Y , Sun Q , Xia S Y et al . 2023 . Microplastics in wastewater treatment plants and their contributions to surface water and farmland pollution in China . Chemosphere , 343 : 140239 , https://doi.‍org/10.1016/j.‍chemosphere.2023.140239 https://doi.‍org/10.1016/j.‍chemosphere.2023.140239 . https://do 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.140239 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.140239

Santos R G , Machovsky-Capuska G E , Andrades R . 2021 . Plastic ingestion as an evolutionary trap: toward a holistic understanding . Science , 373 ( 6550 ): 56 - 60 , https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abh0945 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abh0945 .

Simon M , van Alst N , Vollertsen J . 2018 . Quantification of microplastic mass and removal rates at wastewater treatment plants applying Focal Plane Array (FPA)-based Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) imaging . Water Research , 142 : 1 - 9 , https://doi.‍org/10.1016/j.‍watres.2018.05.019 https://doi.‍org/10.1016/j.‍watres.2018.05.019 . https://do 10.1016/j.watres.2018.05.019 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2018.05.019

Sun J , Dai X H , Wang Q L et al . 2019 . Microplastics in wastewater treatment plants: detection, occurrence and removal . Water Research , 152 : 21 - 37 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2018.12.050 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2018.12.050

Vardar S , Onay T T , Demirel B et al . 2021 . Evaluation of microplastics removal efficiency at a wastewater treatment plant discharging to the Sea of Marmara . Environmental Pollution , 289 : 117862 , https://doi.‍org/10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117862 https://doi.‍org/10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117862 . https://do 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117862 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117862

Wei H Y , Wang J , Pan S Y et al . 2023 . Are wastewater treatment plants as the source of microplastics in surface water and soil? Journal of Hazardous Materials , 459 : 132154 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.132154 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.132154 .

Wilcox C , Hardesty B D , Law K L . 2020 . Abundance of floating plastic particles is increasing in the Western North Atlantic Ocean . Environmental Science & Technology , 54 ( 2 ): 790 - 796 , https://doi.‍org/10.1021/acs.est.9b04812 https://doi.‍org/10.1021/acs.est.9b04812 . https://do 10.1021/acs.est.9b04812 http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b04812

Yang L , Kang S C , Wang Z Q et al . 2022 . Microplastic characteristic in the soil across the Tibetan Plateau . Science of the Total Environment , 828 : 154518 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154518 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154518 .

Yang L B , Li K X , Cui S et al . 2019 . Removal of microplastics in municipal sewage from China's largest water reclamation plant . Water Research , 155 : 175 - 181 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2019.02.046 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2019.02.046 .

Yang T , Luo J L , Nowack B . 2021 . Characterization of nanoplastics, fibrils, and microplastics released during washing and abrasion of polyester textiles . Environmental Science & Technology , 55 ( 23 ): 15873 - 15881 , https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.1c04826 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.1c04826 .

Zhang B R , Wu Q X , Gao S L et al . 2023 . Distribution and removal mechanism of microplastics in urban wastewater plants systems via different processes . Environmental Pollution , 320 : 121076 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.‍envpol.2023.121076 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.‍envpol.2023.121076 .

Views

Downloads

CSCD

Alert me when the article has been cited

Submit

Tools

Publicity Resources

Microplastic transport from a wastewater treatment plant into Qiantang River, an estuarine river

Comparison of freshwater microbial communities in water and microplastics surfaces: insights from Dongting Lake, China

On microplastics abundance in waters of Guizhou, China

Assessment of spatial distribution, sources, and ecological risks of microplastics in the estuarine and coastal regions of the northern Bay of Bengal

Parametric Model of Lubricant Particle Trajectory inAnnulus Inter-Spools

Related Author

Yuntao ZHANG

Huijun LIU

Luyi ZHANG

Yuan GAO

Yong LIU

Wenzhou FAN

Xiaoying ZHOU

Wei HUANG

Related Institution

School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Zhejiang Gongshang University

Zhejiang Institute of Hydraulics & Estuary (Zhejiang Institute of Marine Planning and Design)

Key Laboratory of Marine Ecosystem and Biogeochemistry, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources

School of Chemistry and Environmental Science, Xiangnan University

College of Water Resources & Civil Engineering, Hunan Agricultural University

Address：Editorial Office of JOL, 88 Haijun Rd. Qingdao, 266000, China
Tel：+86-532-82898754 Email：jol@qdio.ac.cn
Technical support is provided by Beijing Founder electronics co., LTD 京ICP备09064830号-19 京公网安备11010802024621
It is recommended to read the content of this site in Chrome&IE9+. Please switch to extreme mode in browser 360.
Cookies We use cookies to help provide and enhance our service and tailor content. By continuing, you agree to the use of cookies.

⁰