Awareness of the impact of microplastics on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems is growing. According to the unanimous opinion of renowned experts worldwide, microplastics in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems pose a major threat to biodiversity and health, with negative feedback effects on the food chain and ultimately on human health. The problem of microplastics (MP) is indirectly linked to another problem caused by climate change: the shortage of fresh water, especially groundwater. Groundwater is becoming increasingly scarce worldwide, which is why intensive consideration is now being given to reducing the proportion of groundwater used for irrigating fields.
The seriousness of this problem is illustrated by the fact that around 75-80 % of groundwater worldwide is still used in agriculture, very often without effective water management. To compensate for the resulting water shortage, treated wastewater now is increasingly being used, especially in countries in the Global South.
A project involving the technology developer MicroBubbles GmbH in Bad Lippspringe and the University of Jordan in Amman is looking at the balance of microplastics in wastewater treatment plants and the removal of microplastics from treated wastewater before it enters the outlet. The removal process utilises innovative microflotation technology, which can remove up to 99% of microplastic particles in wastewater or surface water in an energy-efficient manner without the use of chemicals and based solely on physical processes. The technology is extremely energy-efficient and requires significantly less energy than conventional systems, such as AOP or absorption technologies.
Further details are available in the policy brief.