Elimination of Microplastics by Downstream Sand Filters in Wastewater Treatment

The elimination of microplastic particles (MPP) and microplastic fibers (MPF) was investigated in the final treatment stage (sand filtration) in two municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) and the final treatment stage (sand filtration) at a process WWTP of a manufacturer of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). At each sampling site, three samples on three different days were taken (before/after sand filtration). The samples were filtered through a 10 µm stainless steel cartridge filter utilizing a stainless steel centrifugal pump. Microplastics (MP) were separated from the wastewater matrix by oxidative treatment and density separation and analyzed by Raman microspectroscopy. Due to precautionary measures, procedural blanks were very low with a mean number of 4.3 ± 2.7 MPP and 0.88 ± 0.56 MPF within eight blank samples. The municipal WWTPs were able to eliminate 99.2% ± 0.29% and 99.4% ± 0.15% of MP in the sand filtration stage. The sand filtration of a PVC manufacturer eliminated 99.2%–99.9%

Determination of the microplastics emission in the effluent of a municipal waste water treatment plant using Raman microspectroscopy

Samples from the secondary clarifier effluent of a waste water treatment plant (serving 98500 inhabitants) were analyzed to determine the microplastics (MP) emission.The samples were collected using a stainless steel centrifugal pump and filtered through a 10 μm stainless steel cartridge filter. Microplastics particles (MPPs) and microplastics fibers (MPFs) were recovered by chemical and physical sample purification. To remove natural organic matter, the samples were first subjected to oxidative treatment with H2O2 and NaClO. Inorganic materials were subsequently removed by density separation in ZnCl2 (ρ = 1.9 g/cm3) using a centrifuge. Special centrifuge tubes were developed for this purpose. Sample analysis was performed on a Si filter by Raman micro-spectroscopy. Particles with a diameter (dp) ≥ 10 μm were analyzed.The results were differentiated by dry and wet weather samples. On average, 5900 MPPs m−3 were identified in the effluent on wet weather days compared to 3000 MPPs m−3 on dry weather days. Most of the MPPs detected were in the 30 μm < dp < 100 μm size range. The MPFs ranged between 100 μm and 1000 μm in length. While most of the MPFs were of PET origin, the MPPs consisted mainly of PET, PP, PE and PS. Keywords: Microplastics emission, WWTP effluent, Oxidative treatment, Centrifugation, Raman microspectroscopy, Si filte

Industrielle Mikroplastikemissionen - Handlungsempfehlungen

EmiStop ist ein Projekt, welches in der Initiative „Plastik in der Umwelt“ des Bundesministeriums für Bildung und Forschung über drei Jahre die Eintragspfade von Mikroplastik (ausgenommen Fasern und Rezyklate) in der kunststoffproduzierenden und -verarbeitenden Industrie sowie der zwischengeschalteten Logistik mit Fokus auf das Wassermanagement und die (Ab)Wasserinfrastruktur untersucht hat. In enger Zusammenarbeit mit einzelnen Betriebsstandorten und Industrieverbänden sowie durch Betriebsbegehungen, Probenahmen und Laboranalysen wurden angepasste Probenahmestrategien und -methoden, analytische Verfahren für Mikroplastik sowie Maßnahmen zur Vermeidung des Eintrags von Mikroplastik in die Umwelt entwickelt. Ein Projektergebnis stellen diese Handlungsempfehlungen für Akteur:innen aus der Industrie dar. Sie sollen als Leitfaden dienen, um Mikroplastikemissionen in die Umwelt an Betriebsstandorten zu vermeiden oder zu vermindern

Artificial Intelligence in Public Discourse

This book contains 26 studies conducted by students in the Cognitive Science seminar "Artificial Intelligence in Public Discourse". In their studies, they explore the use of the term Artificial Intelligence (AI) and related subfields in various parts of public discourse such as Twitter, user comments on news sites, expert interviews, government documents, television shows, newspapers, etc. It is investigated which strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats are ascribed to AI technology and how this relates to the technical and academic state of the art and discussion. Most studies employ qualitative methods, but quantitative and mixed-methods approaches are also used