Development of a Methodology to Quantify Microplastic Particles in Waste Water Treatment Plant Effluents

Plastics are accumulating in the natural environment due to their longevity and can have negative eects. Waste water treatment plants might act as a potential source of micro plastic particles into the environment. No standard methodology exists to quantify micro plastic particles in the euents of waste water treatment plants. In this study a methodology to sample, extract, identify and quantify micro plastic particles in the euents of waste water treatment plants has been developed. The study showed that additional treatment step of ltration after the secondary clarier can lower the amount of micro plastic particles released by waste water treatment plants.