Enhanced settling of microplastics after biofilm development: A laboratory column study mimicking wastewater clarifiers

The settling of microplastics (MPs) is crucial for their removal from municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and sedimentation in static waterbodies, where they can accumulate in bottom sediments. Biofilm formation on MPs enhances their aggregation with other particles, thereby changing their...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental pollution (1987) 2022-10, Vol.311, p.119909-119909, Article 119909
Main Authors: Lee, So-Young, An, Jiyul, Kim, Jinwoo, Kwon, Jung-Hwan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aggregation
Biofilm
Freshwater
Microplastics
Settling velocity
Wastewater treatment plants
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Summary:The settling of microplastics (MPs) is crucial for their removal from municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and sedimentation in static waterbodies, where they can accumulate in bottom sediments. Biofilm formation on MPs enhances their aggregation with other particles, thereby changing their density and size and altering their settling rates. However, only a few studies have investigated the settling of MPs of different sizes and materials. Specifically, the settling of small-sized MPs (
ISSN:0269-7491
1873-6424
DOI:10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119909