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Microplastics and Microfibers in Water and Wastewater: A Grand Challenge
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Microplastics and Microfibers in Water and Wastewater: A Grand Challenge

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Quality and Contamination".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2020) | Viewed by 38486

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Luiza Campos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
Interests: water; sanitation and hygiene (WASH); drinking water and wastewater treatment technologies; water-waste-energy-food nexus in low- and middle-income countries; water reuse technologies and strategies, and decision making tools
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Rosa Busquets

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Pharmacy and Chemistry, Kingston University, Kingston Upon Thames, UK
Interests: carbon materials for water and soil applications, 6th SDG; emerging contaminants; adsorbents; catalysis; environmental monitoring
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

There is general scientific agreement that microplastics are not only choking oceans and rivers, but that they are also in the tap water of cities around the world.

There is limited information available on the removal of microplastics and microfibers in water treatment. In addition, there is no evidence that the current water treatment process, particularly coagualtion-floccuation, sedimentation, sand filtration, and activated carbon adsorption can remove these particles.

We invite research and review papers on, but not limited to, the following research areas:

  • Detection methods for microplastics and microfibers in water/wastewater
  • Removal of microplastics and microfibers from drinking water
  • Removal of microplastics and microfibers from wastewater
  • Stability of microplastics and microfibers and subproducts of their degradation

This volume will include research from around the world to identify which technologies are effective, and what are the challenges and the vision towards improved water treatment and the characterisation of microplastics and microfibers.

Dr. Luiza Campos
Dr. Rosa Busquets
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • microplastics
  • microfibers
  • removal
  • drinking water
  • wastewater
  • detection methods

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 3899 KiB  
Article
Elimination of Microplastics by Downstream Sand Filters in Wastewater Treatment
by Sebastian Wolff, Felix Weber, Jutta Kerpen, Miriam Winklhofer, Markus Engelhart and Luisa Barkmann
Water 2021, 13(1), 33; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13010033 - 27 Dec 2020
Cited by 30 | Viewed by 8852
Abstract
The elimination of microplastic particles (MPP) and microplastic fibers (MPF) was investigated in the final treatment stage (sand filtration) in two municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) and the final treatment stage (sand filtration) at a process WWTP of a manufacturer of polyvinyl chloride [...] Read more.
The elimination of microplastic particles (MPP) and microplastic fibers (MPF) was investigated in the final treatment stage (sand filtration) in two municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) and the final treatment stage (sand filtration) at a process WWTP of a manufacturer of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). At each sampling site, three samples on three different days were taken (before/after sand filtration). The samples were filtered through a 10 μm stainless steel cartridge filter utilizing a stainless steel centrifugal pump. Microplastics (MP) were separated from the wastewater matrix by oxidative treatment and density separation and analyzed by Raman microspectroscopy. Due to precautionary measures, procedural blanks were very low with a mean number of 4.3 ± 2.7 MPP and 0.88 ± 0.56 MPF within eight blank samples. The municipal WWTPs were able to eliminate 99.2% ± 0.29% and 99.4% ± 0.15% of MP in the sand filtration stage. The sand filtration of a PVC manufacturer eliminated 99.2%–99.9%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microplastics and Microfibers in Water and Wastewater: A Grand Challenge)
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20 pages, 5820 KiB  
Article
Photocatalytic Degradation of Polyamide 66; Evaluating the Feasibility of Photocatalysis as a Microfibre-Targeting Technology
by Jae-Mee Lee, Rosa Busquets, In-Cheol Choi, Sung-Ho Lee, Jong-Kyu Kim and Luiza C. Campos
Water 2020, 12(12), 3551; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12123551 - 17 Dec 2020
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 4406
Abstract
Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have been identified as main contributors to releasing microfibres into the environment, however, WWTPs do not have microfibre-targeting technologies. In this study, photocatalysis is evaluated as a potential technology to treat microfibres in WWTPs by studying the degradation of [...] Read more.
Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have been identified as main contributors to releasing microfibres into the environment, however, WWTPs do not have microfibre-targeting technologies. In this study, photocatalysis is evaluated as a potential technology to treat microfibres in WWTPs by studying the degradation of polyamide 66 (PA66) microfibres using ultraviolet (UV) and titanium dioxide (TiO2). PA66 microfibres suspended in deionised water were exposed to different combinations of UV and TiO2. The degradation of the PA66 microfibres was monitored by changes in mass, carbonyl index and morphology using microbalance, infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The formation of by-products from the degradation of the fibres was evaluated by measuring the chemical oxygen demand (COD) of the treated water. The degradation efficiency was optimised under UVC with a dose of 100 mg TiO2/L. Under these conditions, the PA66 microfibres presented a 97% mass loss within 48 h. The photocatalytic conditions applied generated a relatively low level of by-products (<10 mg/L of COD). Therefore, photocatalysis with TiO2 an UVC could potentially be a feasible technology to treat microfibres in WWTPs, although more investigation is required to establish if this treatment leads to the formation of nanofibres. Further work is needed to translate the present optimised conditions to WWTPs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microplastics and Microfibers in Water and Wastewater: A Grand Challenge)
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12 pages, 3856 KiB  
Article
Modification of a Nile Red Staining Method for Microplastics Analysis: A Nile Red Plate Method
by Heejun Kang, Saerom Park, Bokjin Lee, Jaehwan Ahn and Seogku Kim
Water 2020, 12(11), 3251; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12113251 - 19 Nov 2020
Cited by 33 | Viewed by 10042
Abstract
Recently, environmental pollution from microplastics (MPs) has become a significant reason for increasing the number of studies to develop analysis methods. The Nile red staining method (NR-S), which is staining polymer particles with Nile red (NR) dye, has been widely used for the [...] Read more.
Recently, environmental pollution from microplastics (MPs) has become a significant reason for increasing the number of studies to develop analysis methods. The Nile red staining method (NR-S), which is staining polymer particles with Nile red (NR) dye, has been widely used for the analysis of MPs in environmental samples. However, this method has several limitations, as it is difficult to stain MPs covered with organic matter residues. In this study, we modified the NR-S method into an NR plate method (NR-P), where the plate is coated with NR instead of staining MPs directly. The optimum concentration of NR solution was obtained (1000 mg/L), and the effectiveness of the NR-P method for the analysis of MPs was assessed using different types (polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, and polystyrene), sizes (100–1000 µm), and shapes (sphere, fiber, film, and flake) of plastic materials. The NR-P method demonstrated improved resolution in the overall types, shapes, and sizes of MPs and was better than the control (without NR plate method) and NR-S method. In particular, the NR-P method can effectively observe MPs covered with organic matter, which was a major limitation of the NR-S method. Finally, MPs in sewage field samples were analyzed by the NR-P method with an accuracy of 78% confirmed by FT-IR. We demonstrated that this method is a convenient and efficient alternative for identifying MPs, even for field samples. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microplastics and Microfibers in Water and Wastewater: A Grand Challenge)
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25 pages, 5125 KiB  
Article
Towards Characterising Microplastic Abundance, Typology and Retention in Mangrove-Dominated Estuaries
by Joelene Govender, Trishan Naidoo, Anusha Rajkaran, Senzo Cebekhulu, Astika Bhugeloo and Sershen
Water 2020, 12(10), 2802; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12102802 - 09 Oct 2020
Cited by 44 | Viewed by 6576
Abstract
Plastic and, particularly, microplastic (MP) pollution is a growing research theme, dedicated largely to marine systems. Occurring at the land–sea interface, estuarine habitats such as mangroves are at risk of plastic pollution. This study compared MP pollution (level, morphotype, polymer composition, size and [...] Read more.
Plastic and, particularly, microplastic (MP) pollution is a growing research theme, dedicated largely to marine systems. Occurring at the land–sea interface, estuarine habitats such as mangroves are at risk of plastic pollution. This study compared MP pollution (level, morphotype, polymer composition, size and colour) across four South African estuaries, in relation to the built and natural environment. Mouth status, surrounding human population densities and land-use practices influenced the level and type of MP pollution. Systems that were most at risk were predominantly open estuaries surrounded by high population densities and diverse land use types. Microplastic levels and the diversity of types detected increased with increasing levels of anthropogenic disturbance. Overall, microfibres dominated in estuarine water (69%) and mangrove sediment (51%). Polyethylene (43%) and polypropylene (23%) were the dominant polymers overall. Weathered fishing gear, weathered packaging items and run-off from urban/industrial centres are probable sources of MP pollution. Increased run-off and river input during the wet/rainy season may explain the markedly higher MP loads in estuarine waters relative to the dry season. By contrast, MP deposition in mangrove sediment was higher during the dry season. Sediment MP abundance was significantly positively correlated with both pneumatophore density and sediment size (500–2000 µm). This study highlights the role of mangroves as MP sinks, which may limit movement of MPs into adjacent environments. However, under conditions such as flooding and extreme wave action, mangroves may shift from sinks to sources of plastic pollution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microplastics and Microfibers in Water and Wastewater: A Grand Challenge)
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13 pages, 3124 KiB  
Article
Lake Phytoplankton Assemblage Altered by Irregularly Shaped PLA Body Wash Microplastics but Not by PS Calibration Beads
by Kiyoko Yokota and Marissa Mehlrose
Water 2020, 12(9), 2650; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12092650 - 22 Sep 2020
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3435
Abstract
Microplastics are an emerging environmental pollutant, whose global ubiquity is becoming increasingly evident. Conventional wastewater treatment does not completely remove them, and there are growing concerns about microplastics in source water and post-treatment drinking water. Microplastics have been reported to alter the development, [...] Read more.
Microplastics are an emerging environmental pollutant, whose global ubiquity is becoming increasingly evident. Conventional wastewater treatment does not completely remove them, and there are growing concerns about microplastics in source water and post-treatment drinking water. Microplastics have been reported to alter the development, physiology, and behavior of various aquatic organisms; however, limited knowledge exists on their effect on natural phytoplankton communities. Many studies also use uniformly spherical plastic beads, while most scrub particles in consumer products and secondary microplastics in the environment have various shapes and sizes. We tested the effects of two types of microplastics, 50 µm polystyrene (PS) calibration beads and polylactic acid (PLA) plastic body wash scrub particles, and one type of plant-derived body wash scrub particle on a natural phytoplankton assemblage through a 7-day incubation experiment in a temperate, mesotrophic lake. The calibration beads and the plant-derived particles generally did not alter the taxonomic composition of the phytoplankton in the mesocosms, while the PLA body wash microplastics eliminated cryptophytes (p < 0.001) and increased chrysophytes (p = 0.041). Our findings demonstrate differential effects of irregularly shaped PLA body wash microplastics vs. PS calibration beads on lake phytoplankters and empirically support potential bottom-up alteration of the aquatic food web by secondary microplastics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microplastics and Microfibers in Water and Wastewater: A Grand Challenge)
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16 pages, 3520 KiB  
Article
Stormwater Detention Reservoirs: An Opportunity for Monitoring and a Potential Site to Prevent the Spread of Urban Microplastics
by Rodrigo Braga Moruzzi, Lais Galileu Speranza, Fabiano Tomazini da Conceição, Suely Teodoro de Souza Martins, Rosa Busquets and Luiza Cintra Campos
Water 2020, 12(7), 1994; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12071994 - 14 Jul 2020
Cited by 23 | Viewed by 3921
Abstract
Stormwater runoff carries pollutants from urban areas to rivers and has the potential to be a main contributing source of microplastics (MPs) to the ecosystem. Stormwater detention reservoirs (SDRs) differ from ponds and lakes in that SDRs retain most particulate matter and they [...] Read more.
Stormwater runoff carries pollutants from urban areas to rivers and has the potential to be a main contributing source of microplastics (MPs) to the ecosystem. Stormwater detention reservoirs (SDRs) differ from ponds and lakes in that SDRs retain most particulate matter and they are emptied after storm events. This paper investigates the occurrence of MPs in the SDR of the Alto-Tietê catchment area, Itaim stream in Poá city, São Paulo, Brazil. The MPs found were classified in different categories: shapes (fragment, line/fibre, film/sheet and pellet); size (<0.5 mm, between 0.5 mm and 1 mm and >1 mm); and polymer composition. Results have shown that most of the MPs found in the samples are fragments (57%), followed by pellets (27%), fibres/lines (9%), and then films/sheets (6%). Small particles (<0.5 mm) represented 89% of the total MPs, and this category mainly included fragments (62%) and pellets (30%). MPs were found in a vast variety of shapes and colours, which shows a likely variety of sources. Besides the occurrence of MPs in the stormwater samples, the potential of SDRs as a first sanitary barrier to retain MPs before they reach the ecosystem has been speculated. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microplastics and Microfibers in Water and Wastewater: A Grand Challenge)
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