If you drive a car, produce mm. waste water end up in the micro plastic. Tires and tiepinnoitteiden off significant amounts of plastic.
Less than five millimeters in size plastic particles into the effluent also households, for example, cosmetics or clothes washer connection.
Finnish waste water treatment plants micro-plastics do little to continue on the path towards the world’s oceans – more than 99% of the waste water contained in plastic can be recovered treatment plants.
– most of the smaller micro-plastics are the trickiest, but the fibrous and larger particles can be well recovered, says associate professor Essi Sarl from the university of Tampere.
But what happened to the plastic mass, which is left from cleaning out sludge? At the university of tampere has begun a study, which deals precisely with this.
the Question is of greater than the offhand should be thought about.
the Finnish waste water treatment generated in the solids contained in the sludge by as much as a million tons per year. Something that should stick and be happy so that sewage sludge contain nutrients can be used for example as fertilizer or soil improvement.
sludge samples taken during the study number of treatment plants, especially in the tampere region from. For example, Helsinki’s viikinmäki wastewater treatment plant generated sludge five trucks a day.Toni Määttä / Yle
the university of Tampere, assistant professor Essi Sarl and Marika Bonfire pulling process, which looks for the safe ways to treat and use sewage waste.
the treated sewage sludge containing micro-plastics is not much studied in the past. In tampere the researchers explain, among other things, how the micro plastic to decompose and changing different processes.
the Sludge can be further processed, for example by heat treatment. Break you like plastic completely or in smaller pieces?
we Want to find such a technology, which would be as safe as possible sewage sludge without micro plastics, Bonfire told me.
the two-year project has received the Pirkanmaa regional fund of 100 000 euros of funding.
assistant professors Marika Bonfire (vas.) and Essi Sarl Tampere university want to find out what kind of micro-plastic mass to accumulate the waste water treatment plant in the sludge and how micro-plastic can be removed.Where Renvall / university of Tampere as fertilizer?
the Pressure to use sewage sludge as fertilizer is hard, because the sludge contains abundant organic matter and soil quality-enhancing nutrients, such as phosphorus and nitrogen.
– we would like To indicate that treated sewage sludge is safe to use. It is important, because the world phosphorus reserves are coming to an end in the near future, the Bonfire said.
the waste water sludge is considered to be one of the most significant soil micro plastic sources. Part of the plastic can end up in the food chain.
Land – and forest owners the central union of the MTK according to the survey, 85% of Finnish farmers do not use nor plan to use sewage sludge, fertiliser, because of its purity is not trusted. The country risk of contamination is considered too high.
according to recent studies the health of the people should not bear the risk, even if the cultivation would be used for sewage sludge to make fertilizer.
the EU is preparing a new fertilizer product act, which takes a position including micro plastics.
– business operators are very interested in this process in the production of knowledge, Sarl believes.
in Total, the study lasted four years.
Samples of sewage sludge containing micro plastics are described scanning electron microscope at the university of Tampere.Kirsi Matson-Mäkelä / Yle”crime scene” can’t get
Because the waste water sludge containing the micro plastic is not very much studied, part of the research challenges associated with all criteria of the sampling.
Like the crime scene investigators, to keep sewage sludge samples taken by the researcher to ensure that sample contamination.
We need to make sure that all instruments are either glass or metal, that we will bring samples during the processing of micro plastics or fibers. Laboratory protective clothing must be cotton lab coat and so forth, Sarl photos.
Samples is intended to take sewage from different parts of Finland. Is the whole research smelly challenge for researchers?
Plastic does not smell, Essi Sarl laugh.
– environmental engineering researchers are well accustomed to this kind of samples. The little smell you do not they interfere, Marika Bonfire said.
Kirsi Matson-Mäkelä / Yle
in Helsinki is going on in the nordic waste water conference, in which the waste water purification of the challenges considered in broad terms, among other things, just the circular economy point of view.
also Read:
waste water containing micro-plastics and residues of antibiotics – is it Worth for them to make mulch spread on cultivated fields and vegetable garden?
in the Sea, but also in the soil end up in the micro plastic from wastewater – effects are still under investigation, but part of the plastic can end up in the food chain
Municipal waste water treatment plant will soon be in trouble – in waste water more and more micro-plastic and pharmaceutical residues, which cannot be collect
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