Projects / Programmes
Impact of microplastics on constructed wetland
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 2.02.09 |
Engineering sciences and technologies |
Chemical engineering |
Ecological technology |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 2.04 |
Engineering and Technology |
Chemical engineering
|
microplastics, constructed wetland, plants, macrophytes, wastewaters, metals, rhizosphere, pollution, freshwaters
Researchers (13)
Organisations (1)
Abstract
In the last decade, the pollution of the environment by microplastics has become a particularly important issue. Microplastics are small plastic pieces of plastics, and aside from fragmentation from larger plastic items, they are also produced within this size range, as preproduction pellets or for special applications like abrasives. There are many routes for microplastics to enter the environment, but wastewaters represent one of the most important sources of microplastics in freshwaters. Therefore, microplastics and their removal efficiency in conventional wastewater treatment plants have been intensively studied. However, there are not any data about fate, behavior, and removal of microplastics in constructed wetlands that are also often used for the treatment of domestic wastewaters. In this context, the aim of the project is to reveal the efficiency of laboratory constructed wetland to remove microplastics from domestic wastewaters. In the scope of this project, we will first evaluate the efficiency and technological parameters that affect the retention of common types of microplastics found in wastewaters. This will advance the common knowledge about the fate of microplastics in constructed wetlands, but it will also help to understand the role of rooted plants in the retention of microplastics in the natural environment. Further, we will investigate the impact of microplastics on rooted plants and rhizosphere during wastewater treatment in laboratory constructed wetlands. We will also evaluate if microplastics can be retained by rooted plants or are preferably passively accumulated in sediment. This will considerably enhance the current knowledge about the interaction of microplastics, vascular plants, and rhizosphere. And in the end we will evaluate the adsorption of metals from wastewater on microplastic surface and their consequential leaching. This will help us to understand whether microplastics can be considered an important vector of pollutants into the environment. The proposed project will bring together information that currently represents the critical knowledge gaps within microplastic research.
