Emission of airborne microplastics from municipal solid waste transfer stations in downtown

With the continuous progress of urbanization, municipal solid waste (MSW) transfer stations, which are key points for garbage collection and transportation, have moved to residential areas than before. The emission characteristics of gas-phase emerging contaminants should be comprehensively assessed in the assessment of health threats to workers and environmental risks. In this study, the emission characteristics of airborne microplastic particles (>50 mu m) were analyzed on the roof vent and waste reception hall of four MSW transfer stations in Shanghai during different seasons. The average concentration of airborne microplastic particles was 2.5 +/- 1.3 n/m(3). The particle sizes of airborne microplastics at the four waste transfer stations were mainly in the range of 100 mu m to 500 mu m. Microplastics mainly occur as films and fibers. The dominant microplastic type was Rayon, which accounted for 69.4% of the total amount. The rate of microplastic particles emission into the environment for a single transfer station was estimated to be in the range of 41,297 to 82,593 n/h. Compared with the waste reception hall, the concentration of airborne microplastic particles in the roof vent decreased by 25%, which indicated that the odor treatment facility effectively reduces the concentration of microplastic particles.

Automated summary

With the progress of urbanization, municipal solid waste transfer stations have moved to residential areas as key points for garbage collection and transportation. This study analyzed the emission characteristics of airborne microplastic particles in Shanghai's waste transfer stations, finding that microplastics mainly exist as films and fibers, with Rayon being the dominant type. The study also discovered that odor treatment facilities effectively reduce the concentration of microplastic particles.