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Humanity has reached the age of plastics where almost everything contains this material. In the past 6 decades, the worldwide plastic production increased 600-fold. Extensive use of plastics results in vast amounts of waste being generated. Thus, large quantities of improperly disposed plastic waste are entering the aquatic environment though littering, sewage, runoff, landfill leachates and illegal dumping. It is estimated that 60-80 % of the worlds litter is in the form of plastic. Particular concern is given to micro and nanoplastics (MNPs), as their presence has been shown to have negative impact on aquatic organisms. Plastic products may contain additives and they tend to absorb persistent organic pollutants in water, potentially causing adverse effects on physiological performance and organism health. Never before has the need to recognise and manage the role of MNPs in water pollution been so prevalent. Little is known about the presence and behaviour of MNPs in wastewater and no studies were made on drinking water.

The aim of this project is to decipher some of the main characteristics and the behaviour of MNPs in wastewater and drinking water, and to gain new insight on the interaction of MNPs with water components, on MNPs weathering processes and their removal during treatment stages. A successful outcome to this project will result in a powerful new tool consisting of novel information on MNPs release in aquatic systems and potential human and animal exposure and toxicity to these particles though wastewater and drinking water. This project is very timely because of its aim to assess the behaviour of an emerging pollutant, such as MNPs, in drinking and wastewater as these are potential routes of negative impact on the human and ecosystem health, leading to significant losses to society and economy by a reduction in ecosystem services, increased medical costs, loss of consumer trust and excessive regulation.

Gain insight into the potential MNPs present in wastewater and drinking water sources. (05/2018-12/2018)
Assess the impact of MNPs on organic matter from wastewater and drinking water sources. (01/2019-12/2019)
Study the behaviour of MNPs in treatment plants. (01/2020-04/2020)

Summary Phase I

Plastic represents a wide range of synthetic and semi-synthetic materials, extremely malleable that can be processed into a multitude of solid objects (da Costa, 2018; PlasticsEurope, 2018). Plastic materials can be used in any industrial field from the manufacturing of toys, clothing, vehicles, constructions, electronics to pharmaceuticals, household products and hygiene.

Approximately 40 % of plastic production is used in the packing industry (PlasticsEurope, 2018). In the past ten years, plastic package recycling has increased with 75 % (PlasticsEurope, 2018), however, if the plastic is stored incorrectly, it can easily be transported to the surface of waters. In Romania, over 50 % of plastic waste is stored in landfills (PlasticsEurope, 2018), leading to increased potential of environmental pollution. Most of plastic products are water, wear and biodegradation resistant, which makes them extremely persistent in the environment (Horton et al., 2017).

PlasticsEurope, 2018. Annual Review 2017-2018. Annu. Rev. 15, 28–1.

The aim of Phase 1 is tot obtain information regarding the MNP that can be present in drinking water and wastewater. Thus, two research tasks were undertaken to identify the main sources of plastic that can be degraded into micro and nanoplastics in the drinking water and wastewater and to establish an experimental protocol for the analysis of micro and nanoplastics in water. Task 3 included the dissemination of results.

Consequently, during Phase 1 of the project, the main sources of micro and nanoplastics in water were classified. Based in this inventory, a protocol was designed for the laboratory experiments that aim to evaluate the interaction between micro and nanoplastics and the natural organic matter and to determine the degradation processes of micro and nanoplastics in water. The sampling points were also established. The results were disseminated on the project web page, project twitter page, at an international conference and a manuscript was sent to an ISI journal for publication.

da Costa, J.P., 2018. Curr. Opin. Environ. Sci. Heal. 1, 12–16. doi:10.1016/j.coesh.2017.11.002

Horton, A.A., Walton, A., Spurgeon, D.J., Lahive, E., Svendsen, C., 2017. Sci. Total Environ. 586, 127–141. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.01.190

Summary Phase II

The objective of this phase was to evaluate the impact of MNP on organic matter from wastewater and drinking water. In this sense, three research activities were undertaken consisting of experiments on MNP release in wastewater and drinking water in a controlled environment (Activity 1), on determining the relationship between MNP and aquatic components (Activity 2), and on evaluating the effectiveness MNP detection methods in order to identify the optimal method or methods for MNP evaluation (Activity 3). Activity 4 included the dissemination of results.

Fluorescence spectroscopy revealed a clear influence of substances migrating from plastic, by degrading microorganisms and by potentially forming complexes, over time, under continuous exposure with three different types of plastic.

The results were supported by the DLS data and flow cytometry. Flow cytometry revealed a change in the number of particles detected for the samples containing plastic material, compared to the control samples, and the DLS marked a change in the hydrodynamic diameters of the particles contaminated with plastic material. These results lead to the conclusion that the methods may be used for the overall assessment of plastics impact on aquatic components, being more appropriate for samples where contamination with plastic is known and there is low concentration of fluorescent organic matter.

By the end of this phase, 5 articles in ISI journals were published or accepted for publication. Also, the results were disseminated in 6 scientific communications at national and international conferences.

2020

ISI papers

Carstea E.M. , Popa C.L. , Baker A. , Bridgeman J. , In situ fluorescence measurements of dissolved organic matter: A review, Science of the Total Environment, 699, 134361(1-16), 2020.

2019

ISI papers

Carstea E.M. , Mounier S. , Redon R., Popa C.L., Role of non-fluorescent chromophores in inner filter effect correction and PARAFAC decomposition, Spectrochimica Acta Part A, In press, 2019.

Popa C.L., Dontu S.I., Carstea E.M., Levei E.A., Ioja C., Popa A.M., Miclean M., Cadar O., Organochlorine pesticides and dissolved organic matter within a system of urban exorheic lakes, Accepted in Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 2019.

Popa C.L. , Dontu S.I. , Levei E.A., Ioja C.I., Popa A.M., Miclean M., Hoaghia M.A., Cadar O., Carstea E.M., Spatial variation of organochlorine pesticides and dissolved organic matter in urban closed lakes, Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part B, In press, 2019.

Popa C.L., Bretcan P., Radulescu C., Carstea E.M., Tanislav D., Dontu S.I., Dulama I.D., Spatial distribution of groundwater quality in connection with the surrounding land use and anthropogenic activity in rural areas, Acta Montanistica Slovaca, 24 (2), 73-87, 2019.

Participation cu conferences

Popa C.L., Dontu S.I., Carstea E.M., Tenciu D., Evaluation of micro- and nano-plastics from tap water, International Workshop on Sustainable Water Ecosystems Management SWEM, Bucuresti, Bucharest, April 5th, 59, ISBN 978-606-23-0940-4, 2019.

Dontu S.I., Popa C.L., Carstea E.M., Savastru D., Fluorescence and microscopy measurements of micro- and nano-particles in drinking water, International Workshop on Sustainable Water Ecosystems Management SWEM, Bucharest, April 5th, 58, ISBN 978-606-23-0940-4, 2019.

Popa C.L., Carstea E.M., Dontu I.S., Preliminary study of temporal evolution of micro- and nano-plastics in urban lake waters, Environment at CrossrOads: SMART approaches for a sustainable future – ECOSMART, Bucharest, September 5-8, 2019.

Dontu I.S., Carstea E.M., Popa C.L., Savastru D., Preliminary study on monitoring micro- and nano-plastics in urban rivers using fluorescence monitoring, Environment at CrossrOads: SMART approaches for a sustainable future – ECOSMART, Bucharest, September 5-8, 2019.

Popa C.L., Dontu I.S., Carstea E.M., Savastru D., Tenciu D., Levei E., Ioja C., Popa A.M., Miclean M., Cadar O., Hoaghia A., Self-purification process in urban lakes, 10th International Conference on Environmental Engineering and Management (ICEEM), Iasi, September 18-21, 2019.

Popa C.L., Carstea E.M., Savastru D., Tenciu D., Preliminary study of micro- and nano-plastics behavior in drinking and waste water, I.S. Dontu, 10th International Conference on Environmental Engineering and Management (ICEEM), Iasi, September 18-21, 2019.

2018

Participation cu conferences

Popa C.L., Dontu S.I., Bretcan P., Carstea E.M., Savastru D., Assessment of groundwater quality in a peri-rural area, 4th International Conference Water Resources and Wetlands, September 5th-9th, 2018.

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