Drinking water has emerged as an important route for microplastics (MPs) to enter the human body, prompting concerns about their adverse health impacts. Membrane filtration technology is widely recognized as an effective treatment solution for combating MP pollution in water. However, recent research disputes that polymeric membrane systems may serve as additional sources of MPs in drinking water. The aim of this research is to investigate MP release from ultrafiltration membrane systems under different operating conditions by providing concrete evidence, identifying the operational factors contributing to the release, and elucidating the underlying possible mechanisms. Two key pieces of evidence were found to support the assertion that MPs were released from membrane systems, i.e., negative removal efficiency and an alteration in MP compositions observed between feed and permeate samples. Surprisingly, the MPs released from the membrane system originated not only from the membrane material and its additives but also from plastic-made equipment and even the other polymers used in the system. Overall results reveal that destructive activities such as shear stress, mechanical abrasion, and chemical oxidation processes, along with the carrying of MPs from external sources, are identified as potential mechanisms driving the concentration increase and polymer composition shift of MPs in permeate water. This study enhances an understanding of MP pollution in drinking water caused by membrane technology, potentially spurring the development of mitigation strategies for this issue.

中文翻译：

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在不同操作条件下，用于饮用水处理的聚合物超滤膜系统释放微塑料


饮用水已成为微塑料 （MP） 进入人体的重要途径，引发了人们对其不良健康影响的担忧。膜过滤技术被广泛认为是对抗水中 MP 污染的有效处理解决方案。然而，最近的研究争论说，聚合物膜系统可能作为饮用水中 MP 的额外来源。本研究的目的是通过提供具体证据、确定导致释放的操作因素并阐明潜在的可能机制，来研究不同操作条件下超滤膜系统中 MP 的释放。发现两个关键证据支持 MP 从膜系统中释放的断言，即在进料和渗透样品之间观察到的负去除效率和 MP 成分的变化。令人惊讶的是，从膜系统释放的 MP 不仅来自膜材料及其添加剂，还来自塑料制成的设备，甚至系统中使用的其他聚合物。总体结果表明，剪切应力、机械磨损和化学氧化过程等破坏性活动，以及从外部来源携带 MP 被确定为驱动渗透水中 MP 浓度增加和聚合物组成变化的潜在机制。这项研究增强了对膜技术引起的饮用水中 MP 污染的理解，可能会刺激针对此问题制定缓解策略。