Sources, Transport Pathways, Entry and Impacts of Microplastics in Conventional Drinking Water Treatment Plants: A Critical Review
Abstract
Microplastics, usually defined as insoluble synthetic polymer particles under 5 mm, occur almost everywhere in the water cycle, from freshwater sources and raw intake water to treated drinking water and even the pipes that carry it to our taps. They enter these systems through a mix of primary and secondary routes: fragmenting plastic debris, shedding textile fibres, tyre and road wear, industrial losses, wastewater effluent, stormwater runoff, and atmospheric fallout. Conventional drinking-water treatment plants (DWTPs) built around coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, granular-media filtration and disinfection form an important barrier against these particles, but how well they work depends heavily on particle size, shape, density, polymer type, surface weathering, water quality and how the plant is operated. Larger particles and fibres tend to get caught up in flocs and settle out or get filtered, while small microplastics and nanoplastics are much harder to pin down and remove with any consistency. It is also worth stressing that removing MPs from the water phase is not the same as destroying them; they typically end up concentrated in clarifier sludge, filter backwash water, and other residual streams. This creates its own set of downstream issues: interference with coagulation and filtration, buildup in treatment residuals, possible fragmentation during oxidative steps, and the risk that poorly managed backwash or sludge disposal sends retained particles right…
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