Abstract
Microplastic pollution is receiving increased attention due to the realization of its hazards to aquatic and human life. Researchers across the globe are attempting to remove microplastics before its entry into the ecosystem. Therefore, the present work focused on the removal of microplastic from water and studied the potential risks for marine organisms and the ecosystem. The removal of model microplastics, polypropylene (PP) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), has been studied by using photo-Fenton process. ZnO nanorods coated with SnOx(x < 2) layer and decorated with zero valent iron (Fe0) nanoparticles was used as heterogeneous catalyst for the removal of the microplastics in continuous water flow device. The obtained results demonstrated that high degradation efficiency of PP and PVC microplastics was achieved in a relatively short time and more than 95% of the average particle volume was reduced after 1 week of irradiation. The environmental impact of the photo-Fenton process of the microplastics degradation was investigated by using an ecotoxicological approach. An ecosafety screening has been performed through a series of experiments (bioassays) under controlled conditions, testing water samples after the photo-Fenton degradation of microparticles using a lab scale device. The ecotoxicological impact has been investigated by applying a battery of certified bioassays (UNI EN ISO/EPA standardized techniques) on aquatic organisms at different trophic levels (bacteria, algae, invertebrates). The results obtained on the three model organisms (A. fischeri, P. subcapitata, and D. magna) revealed no toxic effect for samples collected both before and after the photo-Fenton process, thus showing the absence of toxic by-products development during the degradation process.
Highlights
Interest toward microplastics has increased over the past decade, following a growth in production and subsequent introduction of plastic to the marine environment
The proposed microplastics degradation system utilizes the advantages of ZnO NRs and Fe0 NPs composites, which has the capability of absorbing light wavelengths within most of the solar spectrum, and carry out electron transfer processes
Aim of this work, was to validate the use of the photo-Fenton process for the degradation of microplastics discharged from WWTPs by excluding any toxic effect on aquatic environment by means of an ecotoxicological screening
Summary
Interest toward microplastics has increased over the past decade, following a growth in production and subsequent introduction of plastic to the marine environment. Through bioaccumulation and biomagnification processes, hazardous pollutants can enter in the human body, with microplastics acting as a vector (Prata et al, 2019; Bretas-Alvim et al, 2020). Microplastics may act as vectors for pathogens, facilitating the entrance of bacteria and viruses into new habitats and food webs (Zettler et al, 2013). Microplastics, due to their limited size and stable physicochemical properties (Cózar et al, 2014) are difficult to be removed from sewage flows and their degradation is limited
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
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 call
