Investigation of Microplastics Contamination in Domestic Wastewater

Main Article Content

Kullatida Rajsiri
Suchat Leungprasert

Abstract

This research aimed to study types and quantify of microplastics contaminated in domestic wastewater. For this study, two areas were studied including influent wastewater and effluent receiving canal. The first study area was the influent wastewater defined as grey water discharged from 3 residential types: dormitories, apartments, and condos. The second study area was the effluent receiving canal at the points located upstream, midstream, and downstream. Microplastics analysis was adapted from the method designated by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The results show that the analyzed data were correlated in both (e.g., amount, color) and polymer type of microplastics.  The amount of microplastics size of 300 µm
was more than microplastics size of 500 µm. The amount of microplastics size of 300 µm and
500 µm were in the range of 0.43±0.09 - 1.33±0.36 items/L and 0.30±0.05 - 1.07±0.37 items/L, respectively. In addition, the amount of microplastics increased along with the distance of canal from the effluent discharge point.  As the distance increases, the higher dispersion of microplastics was existed. The shapes of microplastics were found to be fiber types the most, followed by fragment types, film types, sheet types and sphere/pellet types. Transparent color was the most common color of microplastics, generated from the washing synthetic textile products. For the results of the polymer-type identification by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis, Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP) and Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) were the polymer types found at the highest proportion in all samples.

Article Details

Section
Research Articles

References

Plastics Europe and European Association of Plastics Recycling (EPRO), 2017. Plastics – the facts2017. https://www.plasticseurope.org/en/resources/publications/274-plastics-facts-2017.

Mao, Y., Li, H., Gu, W., Yang, G., Liu, Y. and He, Q. 2020. Distribution and characteristics of microplastics in the Yulin River, China: Role of environmental and spatial factors. Environmental Pollution, 265, 115033.

Andrady, A.L. 2017. The plastic in microplastics: A review. Marine pollution bulletin, 119(1), 12-22.

Li, W.C. 2018. The occurrence, fate, and effects of microplastics in the marine environment. In Microplastic Contamination in Aquatic Environments, 133-173.

Cole, M., Lindeque, P., Halsband, C. and Galloway, T.S. 2011. Microplastics as contaminants in the marine environment a review. Marine pollution bulletin, 62(12), 2588-2597.

He, D., Luo, Y., Lu, S., Liu, M., Song, Y. and Lei, L. 2018. Microplastics in soils: Analytical methods, pollution characteristics and ecological risks. TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry, 109, 163-172.

Waller, C.L., Griffiths, H.J., Waluda, C.M., Thorpe, S.E., Loaiza, I., Moreno, B., Pacherres, C.O. and Hughes, K.A. 2017. Microplastics in the Antarctic marine system: an emerging area of research. Science of the total environment, 598, 220-227.

De Falco, F., Di Pace, E., Cocca, M. and Avella, M., 2019. The contribution of washing processes of synthetic clothes to microplastic pollution. Scientific reports, 9(1), 1-11.

Talvitie, J., Mikola, A., Setälä, O., Heinonen, M. and Koistinen, A. 2017. How well is microlitter purified from wastewater?–A detailed study on the stepwise removal of microlitter in a tertiary level wastewater treatment plant. Water research, 109, 164-172.

Sol, D., Laca, A., Laca, A. and Díaz, M. 2020. Approaching the environmental problem of microplastics :Importance of WWTP treatments. Science of the Total Environment, 740, 140016.

Teuten, E.L., Saquing, J.M., Knappe, D.R., Barlaz, M.A., Jonsson, S., Björn, A., Row land, S.J., Thompson, R.C., Galloway, T.S., Yamashita, R. and Ochi, D. 2009. Transport and release of chemicals from plastics to the environment and to wildlife. Philosophical transactions of the royal society B: biological sciences, 364(1526), 2027-2045.

Hartmann, N.B., Huffer, T., Thompson, R.C., Hassellöv, M., Verschoor, A., Daugaard, A.E., Rist, S., Karlsson, T., Brennholt, N., Cole, M. and Herrling, M.P. 2019. Are we speaking the same language? recommendations for a definition and categorization framework for plastic debris. Environmental Science and Technology, 53, 1039-1047.

Zeng, E.Y. ed. 2018. Microplastic contamination in aquatic environments: an emerging matter of environmental urgency. Elsevier.

Masura, J., Baker, J., Foster, G. and Arthur, C. 2015. Laboratory Methods for the Analysis of Microplastics in the Marine Environment: Recommendations for quantifying synthetic particles in waters and sediments.

Gündogdu, S., Çevik, C., Güzel, E. and Kilercioglu, S. 2018. Microplastics in municipal wastewater treatment plants in Turkey: a comparison of the influent and secondary effluent concentrations. Environmental Monitoring and Assess-ment, 190(11), 1-10.

Crawford, C.B. and Quinn, B. 2017. Microplastic identification techniques. Microplastic Pollutants, 219-267.

Ribeiro-Claro, P., Nolasco, M.M. and Araújo, C., 2017. Characterization of microplastics by Raman spectroscopy. Comprehensive Analytical Chemistry, 75, 119-151.

Chetsukchai, P., Wongpanit, W. and Kiatwongwong, S. 2019. Progress of microplastic study in Andaman Sea coastal. Science Asia, 336-343.

Wu, C., Zhang, K. and Xiong, X. 2018. Microplastic Pollution in Inland Waters Focusing on Asia. Freshwater Microplastics, 85-99.

Obbard, R.W. 2018. Microplastics in polar regions: the role of long-range transport. Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health, 1, 24-29.

Kooi, M. and Koelmans, A.A. 2019. Simplifying microplastic via continuous probability distributions for size, shape, and density. Environmental Science & Technology Letters, 6(9), 551-557.

Fu, Z. and Wang, J. 2019. Current practices and future perspectives of microplastic pollution in freshwater ecosystems in China. Science of the Total Environment, 691, 697-712.

Cheung, P.K. and Fok, L. 2016. Evidence of microbeads from personal care product contaminating the sea. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 109(1), 582-585.

Helm, P.A. 2017. Improving microplastics source apportionment: a role for micro plastic morphology and taxonomy?.

Analytical Methods, 9(9), 1328-1331.

Rochman, C.M., Brookson, C., Bikker, J., Djuric, N., Earn, A., Bucci, K., Athey, S., Huntington, A., McIlwraith, H., Munno, K. and De Frond, H. 2019. Rethinking microplastics as a diverse contaminant suite. Environmental toxicology and chemistry, 38(4), 703-711.

Allen, S., Allen, D., Phoenix, V.R., Le Roux, G., Durántez Jiménez, P., Simonneau, A., Binet, S. and Galop, D. 2019. Atmospheric transport and deposition of microplastics in a remote mountain catchment. Nature Geoscience, 12(5), 339-344.

Liu, K., Wang, X., Fang, T., Xu, P., Zhu, L. and Li, D. 2019. Source and potential risk assessment of suspended atmospheric microplastics in Shanghai. Science Total Environmental, 675, 462-471.

Zhang K, Gong W, Lv J, Xiong X. and Wu, C. 2015. Accumulation of floating microplastics behind the Three Gorges Dam. Environmental Pollution, 204, 117-123.

Jiang, C., Yin, L., Li, Z., Wen, X., Luo, X., Hu, S., Yang, H., Long, Y., Deng, B., Huang, L. and Liu, Y. 2019. Microplastic pollution in the rivers of the Tibet Plateau. Environmental Pollution, 249, 91-98.

Bergmann, M., Mützel, S., Primpke, S., Tekman, M.B., Trachsel, J. and Gerdts, G. 2019. White and wonderful? Micro-plastics prevail in snow from the Alps to the Arctic. Science advances, 5(8), 1157.

Frias, J., Pagter, E., Nash, R., O'Connor, I., Carretero, O., Filgueiras, A., Viñas, L., Gago, J., Antunes, J., Bessa, F. and Sobral, P. 2018. Standardised protocol for monitoring microplastics in sediments. Deliverable 4.2.

Nadal, M.A., Alomar, C. and Deudero, S. 2016. High levels of microplastic ingestion by the semipelagic fish bogue Boops boops (L.) around the Balearic Islands. Environmental Pollution, 214, 517-523.

Zhao, S., Zhu, L. and Li, D., 2015. Microplastic in three urban estuaries, China. Environmental Pollution, 206, 597-604.

Hernandez, E., Nowack, B. and Mitrano, D.M. 2017. Polyester textiles as a source of microplastics from households: a mechanistic study to understand microfiber release during washing. Environmental science & technology, 51(12), 7036-7046.