Sewage derived microplastic and anthropogenic fibre retention by integrated constructed wetlands

Warren, Richard J., Cooper, Richard J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4518-5761, Mayes, Andrew G., Nolte, Stefanie ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8570-241X, Hiscock, Kevin M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4505-1496 and Tosney, Jonah (2024) Sewage derived microplastic and anthropogenic fibre retention by integrated constructed wetlands. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, 235 (6). ISSN 0049-6979

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Abstract

High loads of microplastics and anthropogenic fibres can be discharged from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) into surface water bodies. Integrated Constructed Wetlands (ICWs) are potentially well suited to provide a cost-effective mitigation solution at small WWTPs where conventional treatment is prohibitively expensive. This study aimed to assess the microplastic and anthropogenic fibre retention efficiency of two ICWs (Northrepps and Ingoldisthorpe) in Norfolk (UK) over a 12-month period (2022–2023). Analysing a total of 54 water and 23 sediment samples, the findings revealed that Northrepps ICW received on average 349,920 (± 763,776) anthropogenic fibres day−1, with a retention rate of 99.3%. No seasonal variation was observed in retention efficiency. Ingoldisthorpe ICW intermittently received anthropogenic fibres in low concentrations, with an average of 9504 (± 19,872) day−1 and a retention rate of 100%. Microplastics and anthropogenic fibres were prevalent in sediment samples of the first cell of Northrepps ICW, averaging 10,090 items kg−1 dry sediment, while none were found at concentrations above the limit of detection in the second or third cell. Of the 369 fibres analysed by ATR-FTIR, 55% were plastic (dominated by polyester). Of the 140 suspected microplastic fragments analysed by ATR-FTIR, 73% were confidently identified as plastic (mostly polystyrene, polyethylene, or polypropylene). This study demonstrates how ICWs can effectively retain sewage effluent derived microplastics and anthropogenic fibres. However, the accumulation of plastic waste in ICWs may complicate long term management and their cost-effectiveness.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Data availability: Data sets generated during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. Funding information: Funding was provided by the SCI Faculty at the University of East Anglia and by Norfolk Rivers Trust.
Uncontrolled Keywords:	anthropogenic fibres,constructed wetlands,microplastic,sewage,wastewater treatment,water science and technology,ecological modelling,pollution,environmental engineering,environmental chemistry,sdg 6 - clean water and sanitation ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2300/2312
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science Faculty of Science > School of Environmental Sciences Faculty of Science > School of Chemistry University of East Anglia Research Groups/Centres > Theme - ClimateUEA
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Geosciences Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Centres > Water Security Research Centre Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Chemistry of Materials and Catalysis Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Environmental Biology Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Collaborative Centre for Sustainable Use of the Seas Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Centre for Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences
Related URLs:	http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?... https://link.springer.com/article/10.100...
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	28 May 2024 12:30
Last Modified:	03 Jun 2024 16:30
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/95318
DOI:	10.1007/s11270-024-07168-4

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