µNanoCare: Analysis of micronanoplastics in wastewater

Quantification of micronanoplastics in regenerated waters and agricultural ecosystems. Environmental risk assessment.

The µNanoCare project proposes the development and validation of a novel analytical method to quantify the presence of micronanoplastics in different environmental matrices. Thanks to this method, the amount of micronanoplastics present in wastewater, the efficiency of the different purification processes for the elimination of micronanoplastics in the WWTP environment, the concentration of these in regenerated water and sewage sludge, and the environmental fate of these in agricultural ecosystems will be assessed. Furthermore, the ecotoxicological effect of these micronanoplastics on aquatic and terrestrial organisms will be assessed, and their presence in groundwater will be evaluated in order to make a first assessment of human exposure through water consumption. Finally, the µNanoCare project will propose improvements to current wastewater treatment systems, assessing the environmental impact and costs of the proposed alternative processes.



The project's objectives are:



– Development of an analytical method, sensitive and selective, that identifies and quantifies these micronanoplastics in different matrices (wastewater and reclaimed water, sludge and soil, living organisms).
– Development of an efficient sampling method that allows for the reliable and affordable collection of micronanoplastics.
– Evaluate and optimise the treatment capacity of technologies currently implemented in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in terms of nanoplastics.
– To determine the fate and environmental load of micronanoplastics in agricultural ecosystems where sludge is applied and reclaimed water is used.
– To assess the potential exposure and risk of these particles to aquatic organisms, terrestrial organisms, and human health.