Ricerc@Sapienza

Microplastics are nowadays considered as ubiquitous pollutants since have been found widespread in all environmental compartments, particularly in the water sources. In the urban water cycle, the drinking water treatment plants and the wastewater treatment plants are the first and last barriers to microplastics pollution, respectively. The present work aims at presenting the information available on microplastic presence in the urban water cycle, reporting and linking what is known at the different stages.

A novel hydroxytyrosol-based polyacrylate polymer material (pAcHTy) endowed with metal ion adsorption ability was obtained by free radical polymerization of a monomer containing a hydroxytyrosol precursor (tyrosol). Hydroxytyrosol (HTy) is the main natural polyphenolic compound with antioxidant activity occurring in virgin olive oil and in olive oil wastewaters. pAcHTy showed a good chelating activity with respect to Cu2+ ions, especially at pH 6 where short equilibrium times and high adsorption capacity were observed (146 mg/g).

The wide diffusion of Emerging Organic Micropollutants (EOMs) in the environment is receiving increasing attention due to their potential toxicological effects on living organisms. So far, the Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) have not been designed with the purpose to remove these contaminants; therefore, they can represent the major source of release into the environment both through the effluent and the wasted sludge.