The potential of electron beams for the removal of microplastics from wastewater and sewage sludge

Wastewater and sewage sludge treatment plants are known to be important entrance routes for microplastics (MPs) into the aquatic environment. Although traditional wastewater treatment plants with primary and secondary purification processes can remove over 99 % of MPs, the majority of these are beli...

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Main Authors: Malgorzata Siwek, Thomas Edgecock, Andrzej G. Chmielewski, Andrzej Rafalski, Marta Walo, Marcin Sudlitz, Long Lin, Yufa Sun
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2023-12-01
Series:Environmental Challenges
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667010023000835
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author Malgorzata Siwek
Thomas Edgecock
Andrzej G. Chmielewski
Andrzej Rafalski
Marta Walo
Marcin Sudlitz
Long Lin
Yufa Sun
author_facet Malgorzata Siwek
Thomas Edgecock
Andrzej G. Chmielewski
Andrzej Rafalski
Marta Walo
Marcin Sudlitz
Long Lin
Yufa Sun
author_sort Malgorzata Siwek
collection DOAJ
description Wastewater and sewage sludge treatment plants are known to be important entrance routes for microplastics (MPs) into the aquatic environment. Although traditional wastewater treatment plants with primary and secondary purification processes can remove over 99 % of MPs, the majority of these are believed to be deposited into the sewage sludge. This provides a route into the environment, especially if the treated sludge is used as a fertilizer on agricultural land. Although methods do exist for the removal of MPs from water, there are limited studies with sludge. The possibility of using electron beam treatment for the removal of microplastics from wastewater and sewage sludge has been investigated in the laboratory using both tap water and actual sewage sludge. Microplastics were created from six types of plastics in daily use, <1.5 mm in size, and treated with a range of doses in tap water and in sewage sludge, taken from a sewage sludge treatment plant, both before and after anaerobic digestion, with a 10MeV accelerated electron beam. In this treatment, the electrons were found to act as a coagulant by modifying the surface charge of the microplastics. This significantly increases the sedimentation of four out of six of the types of MP in both water and sludge, while the other two largely remain floating. Density separation techniques of the treated samples have then demonstrated removal efficiencies in the range 85–95 % for five of the MP types and of around 70 % for the sixth at reasonable EB doses. This potentially provides a route to high efficiency removal from sludge.
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spelling doaj.art-f0d9c2890927455782a925d386fed01f2023-12-17T06:42:32ZengElsevierEnvironmental Challenges2667-01002023-12-0113100760The potential of electron beams for the removal of microplastics from wastewater and sewage sludgeMalgorzata Siwek0Thomas Edgecock1Andrzej G. Chmielewski2Andrzej Rafalski3Marta Walo4Marcin Sudlitz5Long Lin6Yufa Sun7University of Huddersfield, HD13DH, Queensgate, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, United KingdomUniversity of Huddersfield, HD13DH, Queensgate, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom; Corresponding author.Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, 03-185, Dorodna 16, Warsaw, PolandInstitute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, 03-185, Dorodna 16, Warsaw, PolandInstitute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, 03-185, Dorodna 16, Warsaw, PolandInstitute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, 03-185, Dorodna 16, Warsaw, PolandUniversity of Leeds, LS2 9JT, Leeds, United KingdomUniversity of Leeds, LS2 9JT, Leeds, United KingdomWastewater and sewage sludge treatment plants are known to be important entrance routes for microplastics (MPs) into the aquatic environment. Although traditional wastewater treatment plants with primary and secondary purification processes can remove over 99 % of MPs, the majority of these are believed to be deposited into the sewage sludge. This provides a route into the environment, especially if the treated sludge is used as a fertilizer on agricultural land. Although methods do exist for the removal of MPs from water, there are limited studies with sludge. The possibility of using electron beam treatment for the removal of microplastics from wastewater and sewage sludge has been investigated in the laboratory using both tap water and actual sewage sludge. Microplastics were created from six types of plastics in daily use, <1.5 mm in size, and treated with a range of doses in tap water and in sewage sludge, taken from a sewage sludge treatment plant, both before and after anaerobic digestion, with a 10MeV accelerated electron beam. In this treatment, the electrons were found to act as a coagulant by modifying the surface charge of the microplastics. This significantly increases the sedimentation of four out of six of the types of MP in both water and sludge, while the other two largely remain floating. Density separation techniques of the treated samples have then demonstrated removal efficiencies in the range 85–95 % for five of the MP types and of around 70 % for the sixth at reasonable EB doses. This potentially provides a route to high efficiency removal from sludge.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667010023000835Electron beam treatmentWater radiolysisMicroplastics removalAdvanced oxidationWastewaterSewage sludge
spellingShingle Malgorzata Siwek
Thomas Edgecock
Andrzej G. Chmielewski
Andrzej Rafalski
Marta Walo
Marcin Sudlitz
Long Lin
Yufa Sun
The potential of electron beams for the removal of microplastics from wastewater and sewage sludge
Environmental Challenges
Electron beam treatment
Water radiolysis
Microplastics removal
Advanced oxidation
Wastewater
Sewage sludge
title The potential of electron beams for the removal of microplastics from wastewater and sewage sludge
title_full The potential of electron beams for the removal of microplastics from wastewater and sewage sludge
title_fullStr The potential of electron beams for the removal of microplastics from wastewater and sewage sludge
title_full_unstemmed The potential of electron beams for the removal of microplastics from wastewater and sewage sludge
title_short The potential of electron beams for the removal of microplastics from wastewater and sewage sludge
title_sort potential of electron beams for the removal of microplastics from wastewater and sewage sludge
topic Electron beam treatment
Water radiolysis
Microplastics removal
Advanced oxidation
Wastewater
Sewage sludge
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667010023000835
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