A review of methods for identification of microplastics in municipal wastewater
author:
PAULINA ORMANIEC, JERZY MIKOSZ
ORCID ID:
0000-0003-3434-4517, 0000-0002- 1464-2675
No:
7-8/2021 Instal p. 54-58
DOI:
DOI 10.36119/15.2022.7-8.7
Pollution of the environment with plastic waste is currently one of the leading global environmental problems. A huge
concern, not yet legally regulated, is the presence of microplastic in municipal wastewater treatment plants.
Microplastic is plastic particles that do not exceed 5 mm in size. The article discusses generally available
identification methods of microplastic isolated from wastewater treatment plants samples, taking into account the
division into chemical and physical methods. The characteristics of the presented methods have been developed
based on a review of literature sources. A physical analysis involves the evaluation of size and number or other
physical properties such as color and shape. For this purpose, microscopes are used, in particular optical
microscopes. In addition, a melt test and a hot needle test are performed to confirm that the observed particles are
made of plastic. Chemical analysis of microplastics is based on the determination of polymer composition. Among
the commonly used analyzes, the most popular is Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, which uses three
optimization methods: Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR), Focal Plane Array (FPA) and micro-FTIR. This work focuses
on a review of current research on the identification and characterization of microplastics in wastewater treatment
plants. Although the research focused on microplastics to date has undoubtedly raised the level of understanding of
the topic, but it is clear that many questions remain unanswered and thus the standardization of methods for identifying microplastics becomes crucial.
Keywords:
About Authors:
mgr inż. Paulina Ormaniec, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3434-4517, dr hab. inż. Jerzy Mikosz, prof. PK, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-
1464-2675 – Wydział Inżynierii Środowiska i Energetyki, Politechnika Krakowska im. Tadeusza Kościuszki. Corresponding author: paulina.ormaniec@pk.edu.p