Microplastics in a Large Constructed Wetland: Retention, Transport, and Characteristics

Constructed wetlands (CWs) are well-proven ecologically engineered systems that remove nutrients, pathogens, and other contaminants from wastewater. The inherent role of CWs as wastewater polishing systems makes them hotspots for microplastic accumulation. To investigate the transport and characteristics of microplastic pollution in full-scale surface flow municipal CWs, environmental microplastic samples were collected from the Se7en/Seven Wetlands in Lakeland (Florida), one of the largest wastewater CWs in the United States (650 hectares). Both water and sediment samples were collected at eight control stations in each of the seven wetland cells and at six locations in the influent distribution channel to investigate the linkage between water and sediments in microplastic fate and transport. This study found that the Se7en Wetlands has a near complete retention of microplastics greater than 300 μm. Concentrations at each sampling site in the CW ranged from 0 to 17 particles/m3 in water and 0–1217 particles/kg dry weight in sediment. The highest concentrations of particles were found in sediment samples, especially those found in locations of reduced flow, signaling settling occurring as water velocities decrease. Microplastics were also analyzed for size, shape indicators, and polymer type to inform how their properties change as they travel through the system. Particles were extracted visually and analyzed using ImageJ and Raman spectroscopy. Polyethylene and polypropylene were the most abundant polymer types with the highest proportion of particles being fragments between 1 and 5 mm in size. Shape indicators (particle area, circularity, and solidity) in water decreased through the treatment stream, whereas sediment samples saw no clear trend. Overall, this study finds that large CWs retain a vast amount of microplastics. It sheds light on how the dynamics of natural processes affect the fate and transport of microplastics as well as the importance of evaluating multimedia concentrations in CWs.