Quantification of microplastics in wastewater systems of German industrial parks and their wastewater treatment plants

Microplastics (MP) enter the aquatic environment via several pathways. Many research groups have focused on munic-ipal discharge, while research on industrial sources is rare. This study provides one of the first insights into MP occur-rence and distribution in the wastewater systems of industrial parks (IPs) and their wastewater treatment plants (IPWWTPs). The effluents from production plants as well as influent, effluent, and internal samples from the IPWWTPs were assessed. Sampling methods for parallel MP mass and number analyses were developed for varying conditions. The total item emissions of MP (>= 10 mu m) into the environment were analyzed using mu-Raman spectroscopy and ranged from 3 center dot 102 to 8 center dot 104 MP m-3, with a median of 6 center dot 103 MP m-3 per IPWWTP. Masses analyzed using differ-ential scanning calorimetry showed an MP mass discharge into the environment of 0.2 to 11 mg m-3 with a median of 3.7 mg m-3 per IPWWTP. MP item concentrations within an IPWWTP varied by two to three log levels over several days. Fibers were rare in all samples. Polymer types varied depending on the types of industrial sites and the produc-tion plants discharging into the IPWWTP. Within an IP, MP could be allocated to its dischargers, which could be useful for future regulatory requirements. Further research is needed to include different types of IPs producing various poly-mers and additional processing plants to expand this data set.