
Electro-analytical system used to identify appropriate electrodes for anodic oxidation processes
Professor Patrick Drogui’s INRS research team has developed a process for the electrolytic treatment of wastewater that degrades microplastics at the source.The results of this research have been published in the Environmental Pollution journal.
Wastewater can carry high concentrations of microplastics into the environment. These small particles of less than 5 mm can come from our clothes, usually as microfibers. Professor Patrick Drogui, who led the study, points out there are currently no established degradation methods to handle this contaminant during wastewater treatment. Some techniques already exist, but they often involve physical separation as a means of filtering pollutants. These technologies do not degrade them, which requires additional work to manage the separated particles.
Therefore, the research team decided to degrade the particles by electrolytic oxidation, a process not requiring the addition of chemicals. “Using electrodes, we generate hydroxyl radicals (·OH) to attack microplastics. This process is environmentally friendly because it breaks them down into CO2 and water molecules, which are non-toxic to the ecosystem,” explains the researcher. The electrodes used in this process are more expensive than iron or steel electrodes, which degrade over time, but can be reused for several years.
An effective treatment
Professor Drogui envisions the use of this technology at the exit of commercial laundries, a potential source of microplastics release into the environment. “When this commercial laundry water arrives at the wastewater treatment plant, it is mixed with large quantities of water, the pollutants are diluted and therefore more difficult to degrade. Conversely, by acting at the source, i.e., at the laundry, the concentration of microplastics is higher (per litre of water), thus more accessible for electrolytic degradation,” explains the specialist in electrotechnology and water treatment.
Laboratory tests conducted on water artificially contaminated with polystyrene showed a degradation efficiency of 89%. The team plans to move on to experiments on real water. “Real water contains other materials that can affect the degradation process, such as carbonates and phosphates, which can trap radicals and reduce the performance of the oxidation process,” says Professor Drogui, scientific director of the Laboratory of Environmental Electrotechnologies and Oxidative Processes (LEEPO).
If the technology demonstrates its effectiveness on real commercial laundry water, the research group intends to conduct a study to determine the cost of treatment and the adaptation of the technology to treat larger quantities of wastewater. Within a few years, the technology could be implemented in laundry facilities.
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Microplastics
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Pieces of plastic debris less than 5 millimeters long permeate the state’s waterways, according to a PennEnvironment Research & Policy report. Could they pose a health risk?
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Microplastic contamination was discovered in several Bucks County streams and waterways, according to a new report.
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Pennsylvania’s bodies of water, including the Lehigh and Delaware rivers and Little Lehigh Creek, are facing an environmental enemy called microplastics, according to new data.
- PA waterways choking on microplastics, from Allegheny to Susquehanna to Delaware: reporton March 3, 2021 at 9:58 am
A study by an environmental advocacy group found microplastic pollution in 53 streams, rivers and lakes in the state and calls for action to reduce it.
- Microplastics found in 100% of sampled Pennsylvania waterways, study showson March 3, 2021 at 9:19 am
Studies released this week suggest microplastics — tiny polymer fragments — are ubiquitous in local waterways, even finding their way into the guts and digestive tracts of the prized blue crabs that ...
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Microplastics in wastewater
- Microplastics found in 100% of sampled Pennsylvania waterways, study showson March 3, 2021 at 9:19 am
Studies released this week suggest microplastics — tiny polymer fragments — are ubiquitous in local waterways, even finding their way into the guts and digestive tracts of the prized blue crabs that ...
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- Microplastics Found In Raritan River And Mouth Of Raritan Bayon March 1, 2021 at 12:51 pm
wastewater discharges and stormwater. The highest levels of microplastics, ranging from two-hundredths of an inch to less than a tenth of an inch long, were observed during summer low-flow ...
- Microplastics Found In Raritan River And Mouth Of Raritan Bayon March 1, 2021 at 12:35 pm
There is a surprisingly high number of microplastics found in the Raritan River; they could come from storm water, say Rutgers scientists.
- Microplastic Sizes in Estuary and Coastal Ocean Revealedon March 1, 2021 at 8:09 am
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