Assessment and Sustainable Purification of Microplastics from Effluents Received in Waste Water Treatment Plant

Microplastics are plastic particles smaller than 5 mm in size.There are two main ways by which microplastics are formed and entered in the water primary and secondary microplastics (Arthur et al. 2009). Plastic debris provides a sink and a source for chemical contaminants. Thus microplastics may provide a medium to transport contaminants to organism (Browne et al). Wastewater treatment plants serve to collect and treat wastes that are known to include microplastic and other small anthropogenic litters. We have determined the microplastics removal efficiency of 2 nos Sewerage treatment plants largest one is of 52 MLD capacity based on SBR Technology and smallest one is of 4.5 MLD capacity based on Activated sludge technology. Both treatment plants are situated at Bathinda a city situated in southern region of punjab. Both treatment plants discharged at lassarra drain. In this study we have taken inffluent and effluent samples of 5 litres from both STP's during the two seasons of year november 2023 and on march 2024. Samples were filtered by Brass meshes stacked in arrangement of 1mm, 500 micron, 250 micron, 150 micron,75 micron and Pan. Residue left on 250 micron, 150 micron and 74 micron has been taken and by using methodology developed by Masura et al. (2015). Microplastics removal efficiency of SBR Based STP was found 95% and another ASP based Stp was found 92.34%.