An Innovative Sorption Technology for Removing Microplastics from Wastewater

This study is focused on technology development for microplastic removal from wastewater using a sorption process, which would be suitable not only as a tertiary stage of purification in wastewater treatment plants but also for other waters, e.g., process water and surface water. Therefore, cheap natural materials such as zeolites and bentonites were tested as possible sorbents. This study aims not only at sorbent selection but also at their possible modification by a special water regime improving sorption efficiency and lifetime. Microplastic particles of the majority of common types of plastics were prepared by a newly developed abrasion technique from various plastic items used at home, thus microplastic particle sizes and shapes corresponded to the real microplastics found in waters. Based on results with high reproducibility, a novel method for microplastic characterization based on Raman spectroscopy in combination with SEM/EDX was developed. The removal of microplastics from waste water was tested not only at the laboratory scale but also in a developed semi-operational sorption unit at a real wastewater treatment plant throughout the year with the efficiency of over 90%.

Automated summary

This study focuses on developing a technology for removing microplastics from wastewater using a sorption process. It can be used in wastewater treatment plants as well as other water sources. Cheap natural materials like zeolites and bentonites were tested as potential sorbents. The study also explores modifying the sorbents to improve efficiency and lifespan. Microplastic removal was successful in both lab-scale and semi-operational sorption units, with an efficiency of over 90%.