Publications by authors named "Hajo Bitter"

Microplastics (MP) enter the aquatic environment via several pathways. Many research groups have focused on municipal discharge, while research on industrial sources is rare. This study provides one of the first insights into MP occurrence and distribution in the wastewater systems of industrial parks (IPs) and their wastewater treatment plants (IPWWTPs).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Microplastics are found everywhere in the environment, particularly in wastewater and treatment plants, which are significant sources of microplastic pollution in aquatic systems.
  • This study analyzed the mass concentrations of microplastics in secondary effluents from four German municipal wastewater treatment plants and evaluated the effectiveness of various post-treatment systems in removing these particles.
  • Results showed that most treatment methods had removal efficiencies above 94%, except for one continuous upflow Granulated Activated Carbon filter, which only removed about 1.9% of microplastics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Microplastics enter natural water bodies by a variety of pathways, one of them being wastewater streams. The role of industrial wastewater in overall microplastic emissions has so far only been estimated, because access is usually restricted. This is the first report providing quantitative data on microplastics in industrial wastewaters.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Microplastics are increasingly detected in the environment and the consequences on water resources and ecosystems are not clear to date. The present study provides a cost-effective and straightforward method to determine the mass concentrations of polymer types using thermal analysis. Characteristic endothermic phase transition temperatures were determined for seven plastic polymer types using TGA-DSC.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF