市政污水处理厂(WWTP)在收集和再分配来自家庭和工业的塑料颗粒方面发挥着至关重要的作用。有助于他们在环境中的存在。以前的研究调查了污水处理厂中塑料的含量,它们的去除率主要集中在聚合物类型上,尺寸,形状,颜色,和粒子计数,在全面了解塑料颗粒质量浓度的同时,特别是那些<1微米(纳米塑料),仍然不清楚和缺乏。在这项研究中,热解气相色谱-质谱法用于同时确定9种选定聚合物的质量浓度(即,聚乙烯(PE),聚丙烯(PP),聚苯乙烯(PS),聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯(PET),尼龙6,尼龙66,聚氯乙烯(PVC),在澳大利亚三个污水处理厂的处理过程或阶段中,聚(甲基丙烯酸甲酯)(PMMA)和聚碳酸酯(PC)的尺寸在1μm以下。检测到所有目标纳米塑料的浓度在0.04至7.3µg/L之间。尼龙66(0.2-7.3µg/L),PE(0.1-6.6µg/L),PP(0.1-4.5µg/L),尼龙6(0.1-3.6µg/L)和PET(0.1-2.2µg/L),是样品中的主要聚合物。总纳米塑料的质量浓度从流入液中的27.7、18和9.1µg/L下降到流出液中的1、1.4和0.8µg/L,去除率约为96%,植物A中的92%和91%,B和C,分别。根据污水年排放量,据估计,对于WWTPA,每年约有24、2和0.7kg的纳米塑料释放到环境中,B和C,分别。这项研究调查了废水中尺寸范围为0.01-1µm的纳米塑料的质量浓度和去除率,提供有关澳大利亚WWTP中纳米塑料的污染水平和分布模式的重要见解。
Municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) play a crucial role in the collection and redistribution of plastic particles from both households and industries, contributing to their presence in the environment. Previous studies investigating the levels of plastics in WWTPs, and their removal rates have primarily focused on polymer type, size, shape, colour, and particle count, while comprehensive understanding of the mass concentration of plastic particles, particularly those <1 µm (nanoplastics), remains unclear and lacking. In this study, pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to simultaneously determine the mass concentration of nine selected polymers (i.e., polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), nylon 6, nylon 66, polyvinylchloride (PVC), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polycarbonate (PC)) below 1 µm in size across the treatment processes or stages of three WWTPs in Australia. All the targeted nanoplastics were detected at concentrations between 0.04 and 7.3 µg/L. Nylon 66 (0.2-7.3 µg/L), PE (0.1-6.6 µg/L), PP (0.1-4.5 µg/L), Nylon 6 (0.1-3.6 µg/L) and PET (0.1-2.2 µg/L), were the predominant polymers in the samples. The mass concentration of the total nanoplastics decreased from 27.7, 18 and 9.1 µg/L in the influent to 1, 1.4 and 0.8 µg/L in the effluent, with approximate removal rates of 96 %, 92 % and 91 % in plants A, B and C, respectively. Based on annual wastewater effluent discharge, it is estimated that approximately 24, 2 and 0.7 kg of nanoplastics are released into the environment per year for WWTPs A, B and C, respectively. This study investigated the mass concentrations and removal rates of nanoplastics with a size range of 0.01-1 µm in wastewater, providing important insight into the pollution levels and distribution patterns of nanoplastics in Australian WWTPs.