Justyna Kwaśny

Small-particle-produced goods, such as those used in industry, medicine, cosmetics, paints, abrasives, and plastic pellets or powders, are the main sources of microplastics. It is also possible to mention tire recycling granules here. Larger components break down in the environment to generate secondary microplastics. Microplastics, or particles smaller than 5 mm, and nanoplastics, or particles smaller than 1 μm, are the products of degradation and, in particular, disintegration processes that occur in nature as a result of several physical, chemical, and biological variables. Polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polystyrene, polyurethane, and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) are among the chemicals included in this contamination in decreasing order of quantity. Micro- and nanoplastics have been detected in the air, water, and soil, confirming their ubiquitous presence in natural environments. Their widespread distribution poses significant threats to human health, including oxidative stress, inflammation, cellular damage, and potential carcinogenic effects. The aim of this article is to review the current literature on the occurrence of micro- and nanoplastics in various environmental compartments and to analyze the associated health consequences. The article also discusses existing legal regulations and highlights the urgent need for intensified research into the toxicological mechanisms of microplastics and the development of more effective strategies for their mitigation.

In this study, we examined the sorption of selected “chemicals of emerging concern” (CEC) on humic substances commonly found in water and municipal wastewater. These were ibuprofen, diclofenac, caffeine, carbamazepine, estrone, triclosan, bisphenol A, and isoproturon. The humic substances (HSs) were synthetic and not contaminated by the tested organic substances. The elemental composition and content of mineral micropollutants, gravimetric curves, and the IR spectrum of HSs were determined. We determined a relationship between the process efficiency and the characteristics of a sorbent and sorbate using the properties of organic substances sorbed on HSs. This relationship was confirmed by sorption tests on the HS complex, i.e., the HS-organic micropollutant. It has been shown that the given complexes have a greater affinity for hydrophobic surfaces than hydrophilic surfaces. To confirm the nature of the sorbent surfaces, we determined their zeta potential dependence on the pH of the solution. Studies have shown that HSs are carriers of both mineral substances and CEC in water and sewage environments.

The philosophy of sustainable development imposes on waste management systems solutions that are technically correct, economically effective and socially acceptable. One of the elements of these systems is the management of organic waste in two streams: municipal organic waste and the so-called green waste. Their composition is different, but some properties and technological processing possibilities are identical. The possibilities of using organic recycling products are also completely different. However, in both cases, such treatment is necessary, regardless of the type of waste, to either use it as much as possible or to store only bio-stable waste. A big problem all over the world, not only for cities, is nano- and microplastics. It is estimated that 2–5% of all plastics produced are discharged into the oceans. High-density polymers settle to the bottom of water bodies, imitating food for bottom invertebrates. Conversely, low-density microplastics floating on the surface of the water pose a threat to zooplankton and smaller fish. However, the conducted research indicates that the pollution of terrestrial environments may be even 4 to 23 times greater than that of the ocean. While flowing through the sewage treatment plant, microplastics are accumulated in sewage sludge, and in the case of natural use of the sludge, they can end up in the soil and in the food chain of animals and humans. Composts are another source of soil contamination, especially from municipal organic waste and green waste. On January 16, 2018, the European Commission published the European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy, which outlines how plastic products are designed, manufactured, used and recycled. The aim of the paper is to present the initial results of preliminary tests on organic waste in terms of the possibility of identifying microplastics in them [1–3].

Corn. bentonite was activated with HCI soln. to increase its sp. surface area by 228 percentage points (p.p.). Changes of diam., pore volume, as well as area and volume of micropores were also obsd. The impregnation of bentonite with nanometric ZrO2 resulted in deterioration of the adsorption capacity of bentonite. The bentonite adsorbents were used for removal of H2S from biogas under anaerobic conditions. The ZrO2 modified bentonite was less efficient than the HCl-activated one, where 99% removal H2S from N-2 stream was achieved.