Development and Application of Sampling and Extraction Methods for Microplastics in Drinking Water
Abstract
To-date, no standardized methods have been proposed for analyzing microplastics in drinking waters. This study assessed known methods to collect and extract microplastics from treated drinking waters and identified two common limitations: use of insufficient water, and lack of method recovery assessment. In response, this study developed an in-line filtration method, which improved accuracy when compared to in-laboratory filtration methods. In-line filtration was shown to have higher recoveries for the reference microplastics examined (+37% for PVC fragments, +23% for PET fragments, +22% for nylon fibers and +7% for PET fibers) and a greater potential to reduce microplastic contamination. The filtration capacity of in-line filtration method was observed to exceed 350 L of treated water. Application of in-line filtration was validated using ultrafiltration (UF) influent and effluent from two full-scale drinking water treatment facilities. UF represents an effective technology which is capable of removing ~95% of microplastics from drinking water.
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