Silicon Nanomembrane Filtration and Imaging for the Evaluation of Microplastic Entrainment along a Municipal Water Delivery Route

Gregory R. Madejski, S. Danial Ahmad, Jonathan Musgrave, Jonathan Flax, Joseph G. Madejski, David A. Rowley, Lisa A. DeLouise, Andrew J. Berger, Wayne H. Knox and James L. McGrath
Additional contact information
Gregory R. Madejski: 306 Goergen Hall, Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
S. Danial Ahmad: 306 Goergen Hall, Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
Jonathan Musgrave: 508 Goergen Hall, The Institute of Optics, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
Jonathan Flax: 306 Goergen Hall, Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
Joseph G. Madejski: 306 Goergen Hall, Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
David A. Rowley: Rochester Water Bureau, 7412 Rix Hill Rd, Hemlock, NY 14466, USA
Lisa A. DeLouise: 306 Goergen Hall, Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
Andrew J. Berger: 405 Goergen Hall, The Institute of Optics, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
Wayne H. Knox: 508 Goergen Hall, The Institute of Optics, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
James L. McGrath: 306 Goergen Hall, Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 24, 1-14

Abstract: To better understand the origin of microplastics in municipal drinking water, we evaluated 50 mL water samples from different stages of the City of Rochester’s drinking water production and transport route, from Hemlock Lake to the University of Rochester. We directly filtered samples using silicon nitride nanomembrane filters with precisely patterned slit-shaped pores, capturing many of the smallest particulates (<20 µm) that could be absorbed by the human body. We employed machine learning algorithms to quantify the shapes and quantity of debris at different stages of the water transport process, while automatically segregating out fibrous structures from particulate. Particulate concentrations ranged from 13 to 720 particles/mL at different stages of the water transport process and fibrous pollution ranged from 0.4 to 8.3 fibers/mL. A subset of the debris (0.2–8.6%) stained positively with Nile red dye which identifies them as hydrophobic polymers. Further spectroscopic analysis also indicated the presence of many non-plastic particulates, including rust, silicates, and calcium scale. While water leaving the Hemlock Lake facility is mostly devoid of debris, transport through many miles of piping results in the entrainment of a significant amount of debris, including plastics, although in-route reservoirs and end-stage filtration serve to reduce these concentrations.

Keywords: silicon nanomembrane; microplastics; ultrafiltration; municipal water (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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