Academic Journal
Προβολή σε EDS

Source fingerprints, process fate, and risk redistribution of microplastics in a full-scale wastewater treatment plant receiving e-waste dismantling wastewater.

Λεπτομέρειες βιβλιογραφικής εγγραφής
Τίτλος: Source fingerprints, process fate, and risk redistribution of microplastics in a full-scale wastewater treatment plant receiving e-waste dismantling wastewater.
Συγγραφείς: Wen M; Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment and Climate, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 511443, China., Hou Y; Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment and Climate, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 511443, China., Ou H; Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment and Climate, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 511443, China. Electronic address: touhuase@jnu.edu.cn., Wen Y; Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment and Climate, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 511443, China., Lu Y; Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment and Climate, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 511443, China., Liao Z; Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment and Climate, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 511443, China.
Πηγή: Water research [Water Res] 2026 Oct 15; Vol. 305, pp. 126514. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Jul 16.
Τύπος έκδοσης: Journal Article
Γλώσσα: English
Στοιχεία περιοδικού: Publisher: Pergamon Press Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 0105072 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1879-2448 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00431354 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Water Res Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s): Original Publication: Oxford, Pergamon Press.
Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): Wastewater* , Microplastics* , Waste Disposal, Fluid* , Electronic Waste*, Water Pollutants, Chemical ; China ; Bioreactors
Περίληψη: Microplastics (MPs) from industrial activities remain far less understood than those from municipal sources, particularly in wastewater systems serving e-waste dismantling. Here, a full-scale wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) dedicated to e-waste dismantling wastewater in Guiyu, China, was investigated through four seasonal sampling campaigns covering its two parallel treatment trains, namely an anaerobic-anoxic-oxic (A/A/O) oxidation ditch-secondary clarification train and an A/A/O oxidation ditch-membrane bioreactor (MBR) train. MPs were quantified and characterized by micro-Raman spectroscopy, and their process fate, source-related fingerprints, co-occurrence with phthalate esters (PAEs) and organophosphate esters (OPEs), and screening-level hazard redistribution were systematically evaluated. The raw influent contained 6637.3 ± 927.4 MPs/L, far exceeding typical levels reported for municipal WWTPs and reaching the upper range of industrial wastewater systems. Although both treatment trains reduced aqueous MP concentrations by 2-3 orders of magnitude, the removed particles were largely transferred to sludge rather than eliminated. E-waste-related engineering polymers dominated the MP assemblage, accounting for 65.7% in the influent and 69.6% in dry sludge. Angular fragments with sharp edges and regular outlines were also consistently abundant, contributing 59.8% and 66.1% of MPs in the influent and dry sludge, respectively. Together with significant positive associations between e-waste-related MPs and multiple high-molecular-weight PAEs and OPEs, these polymeric, morphological, and pollutant-co-occurrence features support an integrated source-fingerprint-based inference for e-waste-related MPs in this WWTP. Screening-level hazard assessment further suggested that wastewater treatment lowered the hazard-weighted MP burden in the aqueous phase but redistributed the dominant burden to sludge. This study provides a process-oriented understanding of MP behavior in a dedicated e-waste wastewater treatment system and highlights that integrated source fingerprints and sludge-phase accumulation should be explicitly considered in the assessment and control of industrial MP pollution.
(Copyright © 2026 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Contributed Indexing: Keywords: E-waste dismantling wastewater; Microplastics; Risk redistribution; Source fingerprint; Wastewater treatment plant
Substance Nomenclature: 0 (Wastewater)
0 (Microplastics)
0 (Water Pollutants, Chemical)
Entry Date(s): Date Created: 20260718 Date Completed: 20260909 Latest Revision: 20260909
Update Code: 20260909
DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2026.126514
PMID: 42470988
Βάση Δεδομένων: MEDLINE
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
CustomLinks:
  – Url: https://www.doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2026.126514?
    Name: ScienceDirect (all content) (s7799221)
    Category: fullText
    Text: View record from ScienceDirect
    MouseOverText: View record from ScienceDirect
  – Url: https://resolver.ebsco.com/c/fiv2js/result?sid=EBSCO:cmedm&genre=article&issn=18792448&ISBN=&volume=305&issue=&date=20261015&spage=126514&pages=126514&title=Water research&atitle=Source%20fingerprints%2C%20process%20fate%2C%20and%20risk%20redistribution%20of%20microplastics%20in%20a%20full-scale%20wastewater%20treatment%20plant%20receiving%20e-waste%20dismantling%20wastewater.&aulast=Wen%20M&id=DOI:10.1016/j.watres.2026.126514
    Name: Full Text Finder (for New FTF UI) (ns324271)
    Category: fullText
    Text: Full Text Finder
    MouseOverText: Full Text Finder
Header DbId: cmedm
DbLabel: MEDLINE
An: 42470988
AccessLevel: 3
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: Source fingerprints, process fate, and risk redistribution of microplastics in a full-scale wastewater treatment plant receiving e-waste dismantling wastewater.
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Wen+M%22">Wen M</searchLink>; Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment and Climate, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 511443, China.<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Hou+Y%22">Hou Y</searchLink>; Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment and Climate, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 511443, China.<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Ou+H%22">Ou H</searchLink>; Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment and Climate, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 511443, China. Electronic address: touhuase@jnu.edu.cn.<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Wen+Y%22">Wen Y</searchLink>; Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment and Climate, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 511443, China.<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Lu+Y%22">Lu Y</searchLink>; Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment and Climate, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 511443, China.<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Liao+Z%22">Liao Z</searchLink>; Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment and Climate, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 511443, China.
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%220105072%22">Water research</searchLink> [Water Res] 2026 Oct 15; Vol. 305, pp. 126514. <i>Date of Electronic Publication: </i>2026 Jul 16.
– Name: TypePub
  Label: Publication Type
  Group: TypPub
  Data: Journal Article
– Name: Language
  Label: Language
  Group: Lang
  Data: English
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Journal Info
  Group: Src
  Data: <i>Publisher: </i><searchLink fieldCode="PB" term="%22Pergamon+Press%22">Pergamon Press </searchLink><i>Country of Publication: </i>England <i>NLM ID: </i>0105072 <i>Publication Model: </i>Print-Electronic <i>Cited Medium: </i>Internet <i>ISSN: </i>1879-2448 (Electronic) <i>Linking ISSN: </i><searchLink fieldCode="IS" term="%2200431354%22">00431354 </searchLink><i>NLM ISO Abbreviation: </i>Water Res <i>Subsets: </i>MEDLINE
– Name: PublisherInfo
  Label: Imprint Name(s)
  Group: PubInfo
  Data: <i>Original Publication</i>: Oxford, Pergamon Press.
– Name: SubjectMESH
  Label: MeSH Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Wastewater%22">Wastewater*</searchLink> <br /><searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Microplastics%22">Microplastics*</searchLink> <br /><searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Waste+Disposal%2C+Fluid%22">Waste Disposal, Fluid*</searchLink> <br /><searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Electronic+Waste%22">Electronic Waste*</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Water+Pollutants%2C+Chemical%22">Water Pollutants, Chemical</searchLink> ; <searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22China%22">China</searchLink> ; <searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Bioreactors%22">Bioreactors</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Microplastics (MPs) from industrial activities remain far less understood than those from municipal sources, particularly in wastewater systems serving e-waste dismantling. Here, a full-scale wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) dedicated to e-waste dismantling wastewater in Guiyu, China, was investigated through four seasonal sampling campaigns covering its two parallel treatment trains, namely an anaerobic-anoxic-oxic (A/A/O) oxidation ditch-secondary clarification train and an A/A/O oxidation ditch-membrane bioreactor (MBR) train. MPs were quantified and characterized by micro-Raman spectroscopy, and their process fate, source-related fingerprints, co-occurrence with phthalate esters (PAEs) and organophosphate esters (OPEs), and screening-level hazard redistribution were systematically evaluated. The raw influent contained 6637.3 ± 927.4 MPs/L, far exceeding typical levels reported for municipal WWTPs and reaching the upper range of industrial wastewater systems. Although both treatment trains reduced aqueous MP concentrations by 2-3 orders of magnitude, the removed particles were largely transferred to sludge rather than eliminated. E-waste-related engineering polymers dominated the MP assemblage, accounting for 65.7% in the influent and 69.6% in dry sludge. Angular fragments with sharp edges and regular outlines were also consistently abundant, contributing 59.8% and 66.1% of MPs in the influent and dry sludge, respectively. Together with significant positive associations between e-waste-related MPs and multiple high-molecular-weight PAEs and OPEs, these polymeric, morphological, and pollutant-co-occurrence features support an integrated source-fingerprint-based inference for e-waste-related MPs in this WWTP. Screening-level hazard assessment further suggested that wastewater treatment lowered the hazard-weighted MP burden in the aqueous phase but redistributed the dominant burden to sludge. This study provides a process-oriented understanding of MP behavior in a dedicated e-waste wastewater treatment system and highlights that integrated source fingerprints and sludge-phase accumulation should be explicitly considered in the assessment and control of industrial MP pollution.<br /> (Copyright © 2026 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Competing Interests
  Group: Ab
  Data: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
– Name: SubjectMinor
  Label: Contributed Indexing
  Group:
  Data: <i>Keywords: </i>E-waste dismantling wastewater; Microplastics; Risk redistribution; Source fingerprint; Wastewater treatment plant
– Name: NumberCAS
  Label: Substance Nomenclature
  Group: ID
  Data: 0 (Wastewater)<br />0 (Microplastics)<br />0 (Water Pollutants, Chemical)
– Name: DateEntry
  Label: Entry Date(s)
  Group: Date
  Data: <i>Date Created: </i>20260718 <i>Date Completed: </i>20260909 <i>Latest Revision: </i>20260909
– Name: DateUpdate
  Label: Update Code
  Group: Date
  Data: 20260909
– Name: DOI
  Label: DOI
  Group: ID
  Data: 10.1016/j.watres.2026.126514
– Name: AN
  Label: PMID
  Group: ID
  Data: 42470988
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=cmedm&AN=42470988
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1016/j.watres.2026.126514
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        StartPage: 126514
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Water Pollutants, Chemical
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: China
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Bioreactors
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Wastewater
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Microplastics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Waste Disposal, Fluid
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Electronic Waste
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Source fingerprints, process fate, and risk redistribution of microplastics in a full-scale wastewater treatment plant receiving e-waste dismantling wastewater.
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Wen M
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Hou Y
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Ou H
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Wen Y
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Lu Y
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Liao Z
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 15
              M: 10
              Text: 2026 Oct 15
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-electronic
              Value: 1879-2448
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 305
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Water research
              Type: main
ResultId 1