Determining the intensity of microplastics in sediments deposition of municipal wastewater

Due to the widespread use and durability of synthetic polymers, plastic debris occurs in the environment worldwide. Microplastics in the environment originate from a variety of sources. Quantitative information on the relevance of these sources is generally lacking, but first estimates indicate that abrasion and fragmentation of larger plastic items and materials containing synthetic polymers are likely to be most relevant. Meanwhile, wastewater treatment plants are one of the main sources of discharge of microplastics into the environment. In the present study, the frequency of microplastics in sediments of Kerman were evaluated. For this purpose, ۳۶ samples of sediments are taken simultaneously in September ۲۰۲۱. Investigation of microplastic contamination in wastewater sediments was done by the Van Veen Grab method. Separation of samples was performed by using hydrogen peroxide and the number of separated samples were determined by the amount of particles per ۱۰۰ gram of dry sediment. Then the microplastics were examined in terms of color, shape and size. There were about ۶۰۱ microplastics in all sediment samples. Of these, about ۵۵۰ were related to fibers, ۴۳ particles and ۸ membranous particles. Sediment grading also demonstrate that the particle size of ۱۰۰-۲۵۰ μm had the highest frequency with ۳۹%. In this investigation, the frequency of separated microplastics in red, black and blue were ۳۰%, ۲۶% and ۲۲%, respectively.

کلیدواژه ها:

Plastic debris ، Environmental concern ، Persistence ، Personal care products ، Cosmetic products ، Microplastic.