Project #4936

Determining the Fate and Major Removal Mechanisms of Microplastics in Water and Resource Recovery Facilities

$25,000
Completed
Principal Investigator
Belinda
Sturm
Research Manager
Ms. Lola Olabode
Contractor
University of Kansas
Resource Recovery
Microplastics
Monitoring
Source & Receiving Waters
Treatment
Constituents of Emerging Concern (CECs)

Abstract

Microplastics have become a significant pollution problem, and water resource recovery facility (WRRF) discharges are potential sources of microplastic contamination in waterbodies. The purposes of this project were to understand the fate of microplastics through wastewater treatment, and to develop a mitigation strategy for microplastics contamination from WRRFs. In addition, a standard operating procedure for microplastics sampling and extraction was finalized. Published in 2022.

This work was also supported by the National Science Foundation.

Originally funded as WERF project WRF-18-02