Abstract
Results obtained from the characterization of three water samples (one representing the effluent of a municipal treatment plant and the two others representing surface water from the Jiu River/Romania, upstream and downstream of the effluent discharge point) are presented in this study in terms of microplastic content. The water samples were processed by successively passing them through a series of filters with the following dimensions: 5 mm, 0.5 mm (500 im), 0.1 mm (100 im) and then through some microfiltration membranes (MF) type EZ-Pak Membrane Filters (Merk-Millipore) made of a mixture of cellulose esters, with an average pore diameter of 0.45�m. In order to highlight the microplastics in the water samples, their analysis was performed as well as the solid material retained on the microfiltration membranes, by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) using a SEM Quanta FEG 250/Thermo Fischer Scientific. The results obtained highlighted the existence of microplastics in all the analyzed samples, in the known forms presented in the specialized literature: irregular planes, fibers and spheres. Their dimensions are variable, ranging between 3.2 �m and 119.5 �m for irregular plane microplastics and between 3 �m and 15 �m for spherical microplastics. The dimensions of microplastics in the form of fibers are also in the range of tens of �m and cannot be established exactly because in most cases they appear in the form of conglomerates. The treatment plant�s microplastic effluents content led to the modification of the physical-chemical indicators of the water in their natural receptor. Thus, the content of organic matter and total suspended matter in the downstream water compared to the effluent discharge point is higher than in the upstream water. The analysis of microplastics by SEM allows only their highlighting and their geometry, being a first step in the study of the pollution induced by such materials.
Highlights
Large scale use of microplastics by people began as lately as the 1950s
The visual analysis of these images highlights the fact that the effluent from the municipal treatment plant (Figure 1a) has a higher load of solid materials than the waters of the natural receptor (Jiu River), both upstream (Figure 1b) as well as downstream (Figure 1c)
The characterization by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis of the water samples taken from the effluent of a treatment plant as well as from its natural receptor highlighted the existence of microplastics in all of them
Summary
Large scale use of microplastics by people began as lately as the 1950s. Plastics materials found their applicability in various fields, so plastics production has constantly grown ever since. Between 1950 and 2017, the cumulative production of plastics was estimated at 8300 million tons, of which by 2015, 6300 million tons became waste [2]. There is high interest in plastic waste recycling growth, including the recovery of inseparable mixtures of plastics and paper in the form of innovative materials [3]. The pollution created by such waste is primarily the consequence of the fact that the lifespan or degradation of plastics is very long. The degradation time ranges from 20 years (polyethylene terephthalate -PET, polyester - PES, polyamide - PA) to over 100 years (polypropylene - PP) or even
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
