Microplastics in wastewater plants: A review of sources, characteristics, distribution and removal technologies

Microplastics (MPs) are widespread in everyday life, and since wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) serve as an important route for MPs to enter natural water bodies, a thorough understanding of the distribution and removal of MPs in wastewater treatment plants is of great importance. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the measured distribution of MPs and the current status of their removal in wastewater treatment plants. The main sources of MPs in wastewater treatment plants are personal care products in domestic wastewater, textile clothing and industrial wastewater made from plastics, textile factories and the friction of road tires. The MPs that entered the sewage treatment plant were predominantly in the form of fibers, fragments, granular MPs and other types of MPs. The size of MPs is divided into three categories: