School of Environment, Beijing Key Laboratory for Emerging Organic Contaminants Control, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control (SKLESPC), Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, PR China.
School of Environment, Beijing Key Laboratory for Emerging Organic Contaminants Control, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control (SKLESPC), Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, PR China; Research Institute for Environmental Innovation (Suzhou), Tsinghua, Buliding 16, 101 Business Park, No, 158 Jinfeng Road, New District, Suzhou, 215163, China.
Water Res. 2020 Sep 1;182:115956. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.115956. Epub 2020 May 23.
The extensive application of plastic in human life brings about microplastic (MP) pollution in the environment. Identifying the potential sources of MPs is necessary to diminish its pollution. In this study, the occurrence, composition and distribution of MPs in the influents and effluents from 9 domestic wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), 5 industrial WWTPs, wastewater of 10 industrial plants, 4 livestock farms and 4 fish ponds in China were investigated. Water samples were enzymatically treated followed by digestion with hydrogen peroxide and density separation. MPs were characterized using micro-Raman spectroscopy and were categorized by shape, size and color. Results showed that MP abundance in the influents and effluents of domestic WWTPs was 18-890 and 6-26 n·L, respectively, with the removal efficiency ranging from 35 to 98%. The effluents of industrial WWTPs contained 6-12 n·L and the levels of MPs in the wastewater of industrial plants, livestock farms and fish ponds were in the range of 8-23, 8-40 and 13-27 n·L, respectively. No significant differences of MP abundance were demonstrated among effluents or wastewater of different sources, indicating they all constitute sources of MP pollution. Polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS) made up almost 83% of the total MPs. Fragment and film were the most abundant shapes and the majority of MPs were smaller than 500 μm. Polymer type and shape in different sources did not vary statistically, however, there were slight differences among different sources concerning size and color of MPs. This study could fill MP data gaps regarding different sources, guide future monitoring work and policy making.
塑料在人类生活中的广泛应用导致了环境中的微塑料（MP）污染。确定 MPs 的潜在来源对于减少其污染是必要的。本研究调查了中国 9 座生活污水处理厂（WWTP）、5 座工业 WWTP、10 家工业厂、4 家养殖场和 4 家鱼塘的进水和出水、废水的 MPs 发生、组成和分布。水样经过酶处理，然后用过氧化氢消化和密度分离。使用微拉曼光谱对 MPs 进行了特征分析，并根据形状、大小和颜色进行了分类。结果表明，生活污水处理厂进水和出水中的 MP 丰度分别为 18-890 和 6-26 n·L，去除效率为 35-98%。工业 WWTP 的出水中含有 6-12 n·L，工业厂、养殖场和鱼塘的废水中的 MPs 含量分别为 8-23、8-40 和 13-27 n·L。不同来源的废水或出水中的 MPs 丰度没有显著差异，表明它们都是 MPs 污染的来源。聚乙烯（PE）、聚丙烯（PP）和聚苯乙烯（PS）几乎占总 MPs 的 83%。碎片和薄膜是最丰富的形状，大多数 MPs 小于 500 μm。不同来源的聚合物类型和形状在统计学上没有差异，但在 MPs 的大小和颜色方面存在一些细微的差异。本研究可以填补不同来源的 MPs 数据空白，指导未来的监测工作和政策制定。
