Microplastic abundance and removal in the Gatineau wastewater treatment facility

微塑料（定义为任何小于5毫米的塑料颗粒）在加拿大的淡水系统中是一个日益严重的问题，包括衣服上的塑料纤维、较大塑料碎片的分解以及化妆品和个人护理用品中的微珠。最近在渥太华河中发现了微塑料，但我们不知道塑料进入河流的主要途径。这项研究的目的是确定进入加蒂诺市污水处理厂的微塑料的数量和类型，并评估在水处理过程中有多少微塑料被去除，有多少进入了河流。通过在整个处理过程中对废水和污泥进行采样，并分析这些样本中塑料的数量和类型，我们将能够确定废水处理厂有效去除的微塑料的数量和类型。该项目将帮助污水处理厂更好地管理通过系统的微塑料，并帮助加拿大各地的污水处理厂更好地了解微塑料的来源以及在废水处理过程中将其去除的地方。这些信息对于防止塑料污染我们的淡水生态系统非常重要。

Microplastics (defined as any plastic particle <5mm) are a growing problem in freshwater systems acrossCanada and include plastic fibres from clothing, the breakdown of larger plastic fragments, and microbeadsfound in cosmetics and personal care items. Microplastics have recently been found in the Ottawa River but wedon't know the main pathways that plastics are getting into the river. The goals of this study are to determinethe amount and types of microplastics that are entering the City of Gatineau's wastewater treatment plant and toassess how much of this microplastic is removed through the water treatment process and how much is makingit into the river. By sampling wastewater and sludge throughout the treatment process and analyzing thesesamples for the amounts and types of plastic we will be able to determine how much and what types ofmicroplastics the wastewater treatment plant is effectively removing. This project will help the wastewaterplant better manage the microplastic coming through the systems and help wastewater treatment plants acrossCanada better understand the sources of microplastics and where they are removed during the wastewatertreatment process. This information is important to help keep plastic pollution out of our freshwaterecosystems.