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Montecinos S, Tognana S, Salgueiro W, Frosinini C. Temporal variation of the microplastic concentration in a stream that receives discharge from wastewater treatment plants. Environ Pollut 2024; 340:122776. [PMID: 37871739 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
The temporal variation of the microplastic concentration was studied in the Langueyú stream, which is located in the department of Tandil, in the southeast of the Buenos Aires province in Argentina. This stream receives discharge from the wastewater treatment plants from a medium-sized city. A quantitative analysis of the microplastic concentration was carried out in different samplings, corresponding to different seasons. The study focused on the most contaminated point, located after the discharge of effluents from plants. Higher concentrations of MPs were found in winter (dry season), having approximately 6 times the concentrations found in summer and autumn (wet seasons). However, these differences would not be a direct consequence of the amount precipitation, but rather would be associated with a seasonal variation of human activities, mainly with respect to the type of clothing used in the cold season. The microfibers correspond to around 60-90% of microplastics found. The discharge from the plants causes changes in the parameters of the stream water, such as high electrical conductivity values, and also provide metallic contaminants such as Ca, Zn, and in smaller amounts Pb, Fe, Ni and Cu, which were found adhered to the microplastics and remain in the stream water in high quantities 3 km after the study point. The microplastic concentration presents a linear empirical correlation with the conductivity, and it was found that conductivity measurements would serve as an indicator of the microplastic concentration in the system under study.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Montecinos
- Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (UNCPBA), Facultad de Cs. Exactas, IFIMAT, Tandil, 7000, Buenos Aires, Argentina; CIFICEN, UNCPBA-CICPBA-CONICET, Tandil, 7000, Buenos Aires, Argentina; CONICET, Buenos Aires, 1425, Argentina.
| | - S Tognana
- Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (UNCPBA), Facultad de Cs. Exactas, IFIMAT, Tandil, 7000, Buenos Aires, Argentina; CIFICEN, UNCPBA-CICPBA-CONICET, Tandil, 7000, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, La Plata, 1900, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - W Salgueiro
- Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (UNCPBA), Facultad de Cs. Exactas, IFIMAT, Tandil, 7000, Buenos Aires, Argentina; CIFICEN, UNCPBA-CICPBA-CONICET, Tandil, 7000, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, La Plata, 1900, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - C Frosinini
- Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (UNCPBA), Facultad de Cs. Exactas, IFIMAT, Tandil, 7000, Buenos Aires, Argentina; CIFICEN, UNCPBA-CICPBA-CONICET, Tandil, 7000, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, La Plata, 1900, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Montecinos S, Gil M, Tognana S, Salgueiro W, Amalvy J. Distribution of microplastics present in a stream that receives discharge from wastewater treatment plants. Environ Pollut 2022; 314:120299. [PMID: 36181936 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The presence of microplastics (MPs) in freshwater systems that receive discharge of urban effluent implies a great environmental impact. In order to be able to generate proposals that solve this problem, it is necessary to know in detail the contributions of different MPs sources. The aim of this work was to study the contribution of urban sewage discharge to MPs pollution in a stream that runs through a medium-sized city. The spatial distribution of MPs with sizes between 100 μm and 1.5 mm present in surface water was measured and their characteristics, dimensions, shapes and identification were determined. Physical-chemical parameters of the stream water were measured, and a decrease in water quality was found due to wastewater treatment plants. The main source of MPs was effluent from the plants (97% of the total MPs), while the rest came from storm drains and discharge of tributaries. The maximum concentration of MPs found was around 72,000 MP/L (equivalent to 53 million MPs/s), at a point after discharge from both plants. Around 70% of MPs correspond to microfibers with a mean length of around 300 μm and a mean width of around 15 μm, and they are mainly polyethylene fibers. The remaining 30% of MPs are particles with lengths of around 140 μm. The transport of MPs between a point located after discharge of the plants and another point located about 3 km further on was studied, and no significant variation was found in the concentration of MPs. Electrical conductivity was used as a conservative tracer of MPs concentration. This work presents for the first time a detailed analysis of different contributions of MPs to a freshwater system in South America, which receives discharge of wastewater treatment plants, evidencing its important role in pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Montecinos
- IFIMAT, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Pinto 399, 7000, Tandil, Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas CONICET, Av. Rivadavia, 1917, C1033AAJ, Buenos Aires, Argentina; CIFICEN (UNCPBA-CICPBA-CONICET), Pinto 399, 7000, Tandil, Argentina.
| | - M Gil
- IFIMAT, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Pinto 399, 7000, Tandil, Argentina
| | - S Tognana
- IFIMAT, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Pinto 399, 7000, Tandil, Argentina; CIFICEN (UNCPBA-CICPBA-CONICET), Pinto 399, 7000, Tandil, Argentina; Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la Provincia de Bs. As., Calle 526 Entre 10 y 11, 1900, La Plata, Argentina
| | - W Salgueiro
- IFIMAT, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Pinto 399, 7000, Tandil, Argentina; CIFICEN (UNCPBA-CICPBA-CONICET), Pinto 399, 7000, Tandil, Argentina; Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la Provincia de Bs. As., Calle 526 Entre 10 y 11, 1900, La Plata, Argentina
| | - J Amalvy
- Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la Provincia de Bs. As., Calle 526 Entre 10 y 11, 1900, La Plata, Argentina; CITEMA (UTN-CICPBA) 60 y 124, 1900, La Plata, Argentina
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Montecinos S, Tognana S, Pereyra M, Silva L, Tomba JP. Study of a stream in Argentina with a high concentration of microplastics: Preliminary analysis of the methodology. Sci Total Environ 2021; 760:143390. [PMID: 33213909 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Revised: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
This study presents for the first time results about the microplastic concentration and their origin in a stream of the Pampas region in Argentina, receiving wastewater of an intermediate city. The most appropriate procedure to analyze and quantify the microplastics in the studied system is the use of an oxidative digestion process using a 30% H2O2 solution to eliminate the organic matter in the samples. A high quantity of MPs, on the order of millions of microplastics per m3 of water, was estimated in the Langueyú stream. 56% of the microplastics correspond to fibers with diameters between 10 and 15 μm and lengths less than 500 μm, while 44% are fragments with sizes of tens of micrometers. Raman microspectroscopy was used to identify the type of fibers. The characteristics of the microplastic fibers released in a wash load test are comparable with those observed in the Langueyú stream, in particular, the average sizes and the distribution of the diameters of the MPFs are similar. The processes in the sewage treatment plant, prior to their discharge in the stream, would affect the color of the fibers and their length.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Montecinos
- IFIMAT-Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Pinto 399, 7000 Tandil, Argentina; CIFICEN (UNCPBA-CONICET-CICPBA), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Pinto 399, 7000 Tandil, Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas CONICET, Godoy Cruz 2290, C1425FQB Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - S Tognana
- IFIMAT-Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Pinto 399, 7000 Tandil, Argentina; CIFICEN (UNCPBA-CONICET-CICPBA), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Pinto 399, 7000 Tandil, Argentina; Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la Provincia de Bs. As, Calle 526 e/ 10 y 11, 1900 La Plata, Argentina
| | - M Pereyra
- CIFICEN (UNCPBA-CONICET-CICPBA), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Pinto 399, 7000 Tandil, Argentina; Instituto R. Graton IFAS -Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Pinto 399, 7000 Tandil, Argentina
| | - L Silva
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas CONICET, Godoy Cruz 2290, C1425FQB Buenos Aires, Argentina; Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales (INTEMA), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (UNMDP)-CONICET, Avenida Colón 10850, 7600 Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - J Pablo Tomba
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas CONICET, Godoy Cruz 2290, C1425FQB Buenos Aires, Argentina; Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales (INTEMA), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (UNMDP)-CONICET, Avenida Colón 10850, 7600 Mar del Plata, Argentina
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Tognana S, Salgueiro W, Somoza A, Marzocca AJ. Influence of the filler content on the free nanohole volume in epoxy-based composites. EXPRESS POLYM LETT 2013. [DOI: 10.3144/expresspolymlett.2013.12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
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