Removal of >10 µm Microplastic Particles from Treated Wastewater by a Disc Filter
In this paper, we evaluate the performance of a disc filter that retains microplastic (MP) particles from treated wastewater. A focal plane array-based Fourier transform infrared imaging technique enabled MP quantification and an in-house-built software (MPhunter) facilitated automatic analysis of t...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2019-09-01
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| Series: | Water |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/11/9/1935 |
| _version_ | 1811195516641345536 |
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| author | Márta Simon Alvise Vianello Jes Vollertsen |
| author_facet | Márta Simon Alvise Vianello Jes Vollertsen |
| author_sort | Márta Simon |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In this paper, we evaluate the performance of a disc filter that retains microplastic (MP) particles from treated wastewater. A focal plane array-based Fourier transform infrared imaging technique enabled MP quantification and an in-house-built software (MPhunter) facilitated automatic analysis of the obtained infrared spectra. The disc filter retained 89.7% of particles, and 75.6% of their mass. This removal efficiency is comparable to removal rates reported by previous studies. However, the presence of an unexpectedly large number of MP particles whose size substantially exceeded the pore size of the disc filter suggests that particles could either bypass or pass through the filter mesh, somewhat diminishing the performance of the filter. The concentration of MPs in the effluent was 3 MP/L, corresponding to an estimated mass concentration of 0.31 µg/L. The annual MP discharge from the studied WWTP after the disc filter was estimated to be 1.1 kg in 2017. It was hence not a significant contributor to MP emissions in Denmark. Although the operation of the disc filter seems to have been disturbed, it nonetheless achieved a high MP removal rate. Therefore, we conclude that it is a suitable technology to decrease the concentration of discharged MPs in wastewater effluents. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T00:44:36Z |
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| id | doaj.art-14b044b6e7bf49ed8babf2f1810d97c3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T00:44:36Z |
| publishDate | 2019-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-14b044b6e7bf49ed8babf2f1810d97c32022-12-22T03:54:54ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412019-09-01119193510.3390/w11091935w11091935Removal of >10 µm Microplastic Particles from Treated Wastewater by a Disc FilterMárta Simon0Alvise Vianello1Jes Vollertsen2Department of Civil Engineering, Aalborg University, Thomas Manns Vej 23, 9220 Aalborg Øst, DenmarkDepartment of Civil Engineering, Aalborg University, Thomas Manns Vej 23, 9220 Aalborg Øst, DenmarkDepartment of Civil Engineering, Aalborg University, Thomas Manns Vej 23, 9220 Aalborg Øst, DenmarkIn this paper, we evaluate the performance of a disc filter that retains microplastic (MP) particles from treated wastewater. A focal plane array-based Fourier transform infrared imaging technique enabled MP quantification and an in-house-built software (MPhunter) facilitated automatic analysis of the obtained infrared spectra. The disc filter retained 89.7% of particles, and 75.6% of their mass. This removal efficiency is comparable to removal rates reported by previous studies. However, the presence of an unexpectedly large number of MP particles whose size substantially exceeded the pore size of the disc filter suggests that particles could either bypass or pass through the filter mesh, somewhat diminishing the performance of the filter. The concentration of MPs in the effluent was 3 MP/L, corresponding to an estimated mass concentration of 0.31 µg/L. The annual MP discharge from the studied WWTP after the disc filter was estimated to be 1.1 kg in 2017. It was hence not a significant contributor to MP emissions in Denmark. Although the operation of the disc filter seems to have been disturbed, it nonetheless achieved a high MP removal rate. Therefore, we conclude that it is a suitable technology to decrease the concentration of discharged MPs in wastewater effluents.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/11/9/1935microplasticdisc filterwastewaterFT-IR spectroscopy |
| spellingShingle | Márta Simon Alvise Vianello Jes Vollertsen Removal of >10 µm Microplastic Particles from Treated Wastewater by a Disc Filter Water microplastic disc filter wastewater FT-IR spectroscopy |
| title | Removal of >10 µm Microplastic Particles from Treated Wastewater by a Disc Filter |
| title_full | Removal of >10 µm Microplastic Particles from Treated Wastewater by a Disc Filter |
| title_fullStr | Removal of >10 µm Microplastic Particles from Treated Wastewater by a Disc Filter |
| title_full_unstemmed | Removal of >10 µm Microplastic Particles from Treated Wastewater by a Disc Filter |
| title_short | Removal of >10 µm Microplastic Particles from Treated Wastewater by a Disc Filter |
| title_sort | removal of gt 10 µm microplastic particles from treated wastewater by a disc filter |
| topic | microplastic disc filter wastewater FT-IR spectroscopy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/11/9/1935 |
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