Extraction and Characterization of Microplastics from Portuguese Industrial Effluents.

ABSTRACT: Microplastics (MPs) are contaminants present in the environment. The current study evaluates the contribution of different well-established industrial sectors in Portugal regarding their release of MPs and potential contamination of the aquifers. For each type of industry, samples were collected from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), and different parameters were evaluated, such as the potential contamination sources, the concentration, and the composition of the MPs, in both the incoming and outcoming effluents. The procedures to extract and identify MPs in the streams entering or leaving the WWTPs were optimized. All industrial effluents analysed were found to contribute to the increase of MPs in the environment. However, the paint and pharmaceutical activities were the ones showing hi

SUBMITTER: Magalhaes S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9318256 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature