Wastewater Treatment Plants as Hotspots of Microplastic Pollution

The low cost, range of many unique properties, and high demand have made plastics obligatory in the modern lifestyle. In many industrial sectors such as electronics, food preservation, construction, medical applications, fuel processing, etc., plastic materials have gained innovative growth in their use. After steel and concrete, plastic is the third most abundant human-made material and is disposed of in the environment. Microplastics are tiny plastic pieces with fewer than five millimeters. Different sources of microplastics in wastewater like fragments, fibers, beads, and different flakes with pellets. The sewage (municipal) treatment plant is the most important way for microplastic entry into the aquatic ecosystem; it may include both primary and secondary microplastics. It has been assumed that wastewater treatment plants are the most important source of microplastic pollution, as they are from various industries that either manufacture or use microplastics. Especially, microplastics enter into WWTPs from domestic effluent also such as household products containing microplastics and scrubbers used in cosmetic products and cleaning. Currently, wastewater treatment plants are not still designed or studied for the complete withdrawal efficiency of microplastics, but the application of some advanced technologies may improve their efficiencies. A recent research study highlighted that there is a need of understanding the microplastic loading in WWTPs and to develop new technologies for its eco-friendly removal.