Keywords
water pollution
water quality
wastewater treatment
MPs
How to Cite
Abstract
There are many challenges associated with microplastics (MPs), highlighting their presence and detrimental effects on both human health and the environment. This work presents a possible solution proposed by Captoplastic S.L (Captoplastic), a technology for the capture and control of MPs in any aqueous medium based on the agglomeration and magnetic separation of particles, achieving a high removal efficiency. Also, a proprietary method patented by Captoplastic for the control of MPs in any water sample is described, addressing current limitations in existing analytical techniques, such as analysis in complex samples. The study aims to determine the presence and concentration of MPs in a waste water treatment plant (WWTP). The methodology used is detailed, from sample preparation to experimental results, demonstrating the effectiveness of the method in the detection and quantification of MPs in real wastewater samples, validating the recovery of these pollutants in 96 %. This technological advance is presented as an effective and promising answer to face the global challenge of MPs contamination.
References
Masura J et al. Laboratory Methods for the Analysis of Microplastics in the Marine Environment: Recommendations for Quantifying Synthetic Particles in Waters and Sediments. (2015).
European Investment Bank, 2023. Microplastics and Micropollutants in Water: Contaminants of Emerging Concern.
Mamun A, Al Prasetya TAE., Dewi IR, Ahmad, M. Microplastics in human food chains: Food becoming a threat to health safety. Science of The Total Environment. 2023; 858:159834.
Leslie HA et al. Discovery and quantification of plastic particle pollution in human blood. Environ Int. 2022; 163:107199.
No plastic in nature: Assessing plastics ingestion from nature people.
Zuri G, Karanasiou A, Lacorte S. Human biomonitoring of microplastics and health implications: A review. Environ Res. 2023; 237:116966.
Braun T et al. Detection of Microplastic in Human Placenta and Meconium in a Clinical Setting. Pharmaceutics. 2021; 13:921.
Chen Y. et al. Biological effects of polystyrene micro- and nano-plastics on human intestinal organoid-derived epithelial tissue models without and with M cells. Nanomedicine. 2023; 50:102680.
Kopatz V. et al. Micro- and Nanoplastics Breach the Blood– Brain Barrier (BBB): Biomolecular Corona’s Role Revealed. Nanomaterials.2023; 13:1404.
Hahladakis JN. A meta-research analysis on the biological impact of plastic litter in the marine biota. Science of The Total Environment. 2024; 928:172504.
Solomando A, Pujol F, Sureda A, Pinya S. Ingestion and characterization of plastic debris by loggerhead sea turtle, Caretta caretta, in the Balearic Islands. Science of The Total Environment. 2022; 826:154159.
Lindeque PK et al. Are we underestimating microplastic abundance in the marine environment? A comparison of microplastic capture with nets of different mesh-size. Environmental Pollution. 2020; 114721.
Barrett J. et al. Microplastic Pollution in Deep-Sea Sediments From the Great Australian Bight. Front Mar Sci. 2020; 7.
Las tierras de cultivo de Europa acumulan más de 30.000 toneladas de microplásticos. Disponible en: https://www.nationalgeographic.com.es/ciencia/tierras-cultivo-europa-acumulan-mas-30000-toneladas-microplasticos_18445#:~:text=Un%20grupo%20de%20cient%C3%ADficos%20brit%C3%A1nicos,promovida%2-0por%20las%20instituciones%20comunitarias.
Sol D, Laca A, Díaz M. Approaching the environmental problem of microplastics: Importance of WWTP treatments. Science of The Total Environment. 2020; 740:140016.
Sheriff I, Yusoff MS, Halim HB. Microplastics in wastewater treatment plants: A review of the occurrence, removal, impact on ecosystem, and abatement measures. Journal of Water Process Engineering. 2023; 54:104039.
A European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy (COM/2018/028 final).
Zero pollution action plan. Towards zero pollution for air, water and soil.
Current status of the quantification of microplastics in water - Results of a JRC/BAM inter-laboratory comparison study on PET in water. Disponible en: https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC125383.
Jiménez-Skrzypek G, Ortega-Zamora C, González-Sálamo J, Hernández-Sánchez C, Hernández-Borges J. The current role of chromatography in microplastic research: Plastics chemical characterization and sorption of contaminants. Journal of Chromatography Open 1, 100001 (2021).
Shi C et al. Experimental study on removal of microplastics from aqueous solution by magnetic force effect on the magnetic sepiolite. Sep Purif Technol. 2022; 288:120564.
Zhao H et al. Removal of polystyrene nanoplastics from aqueous solutions using a novel magnetic material: Adsorbability, mechanism, and reusability. Chemical Engineering Journal. 2022; 430:133122.
Tang Y. et al. Removal of microplastics from aqueous solutions by magnetic carbon nanotubes. Chemical Engineering Journal. 2021; 406:126804.
Rhein F, Scholl F, Nirschl H. Magnetic seeded filtration for the separation of fine polymer particles from dilute suspensions: Microplastics. Chem Eng Sci. 2019; 207:1278–87.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2024 Spanish Journal of Environmental Health