Kevin Daffa Prasetya, Fahir Hassan, Yen-Kung Hsieh, Jheng-Jie Jiang, Ya-Fen Wang, Sheng-Jie You
The consistency and effectively trap of microplastics (MPs) removal in recent studies on the water treatment stages of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) has achieved up to 90 % and diverted the retained MPs which then settled into sewage sludge (SS). However, the effects of SS treatment stages and spatiotemporal factors can influence the concentration of MPs and remain insufficiently understood. This study investigates the presence and spatiotemporal patterns of MPs in six WWTPs in Taiwan, especially on SS. This study also assesses diversities and ecological risks, providing insights into the distributions and potential dangers of these pollutants. It was found that the concentration of MPs in SS has a range of 32.79-85.06 × 103 items/kg DW. The characteristics of color, shape, size, and polymer are mostly white (26.19 %), fiber (43.25 %), 50-125 μm (54.15 %), and polystyrene (41.35 %), respectively. Furthermore, due to increased anthropogenic activities in the summer season, the MPs level was significantly higher (11.22 %) compared to winter. Diversities and risks of MPs in spatial and temporal conditions were significantly different. Among ecological risks implemented in this study, belt filter press (s6) possessed the highest HI value (level IV). For PLI, all samples had a value of < 10, which indicates level I. Future implications and limitations of the study provides valuable evidence for the development of appropriate solutions and mitigating inaccuracies during pretreatment. These findings provide further insights into the importance of SS contaminated-MPs, which has the potential to be a vehicle for MPs into the environment. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd.
Department of Civil Engineering, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan, Zhongli, 32023, Taiwan; Department of Environmental Engineering, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan, Zhongli, 32023, Taiwan; Center for Environmental Risk Management, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan, Zhongli, 32023, Taiwan; Environmental Engineering Study Program, Department of Civil Engineering, State University of Malang, Malang, 65145, Indonesia; Climate Change Research Center, National Environmental Research Academy, Taoyuan, 320, Taiwan; Sustainable Environmental Education Center, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan, Zhongli, 32023, Taiwan
