Modern technologies designed to treat wastewater containing phosphorus compounds are based on the processes of adsorption and precipitation. In addition, more environmentally friendly and cheaper materials are being sought to ensure greater conformity with overarching assumptions of green chemistry and sustainable development. Against that background, this paper offers a review and analysis of available information on the considered reactive materials that have the capacity to remove phosphorus from wastewater. These materials are categorised as natural (with a sub-division in line with the dominant sorption groups of Al/Fe or Ca/Mg), waste, or man-made. Notably, most studies on sorbents have been carried out in laboratory systems via experimentation under static conditions. Among the natural materials, opoka has the highest sorption capacity of 181.20 g P/kg, while red mud (in the waste material category) is most efficient at binding phosphorus with a level of 345.02 g P/kg. Finally, among the group of commercial materials, Rockfos^® has the highest sorption capacity of 256.40 g P/kg. In addition, this paper recognises the effect of composition, pH, and physical properties on a reactive material’s capacity to absorb phosphorus, as well as the possibility for further potential use in the production of fertilisers.

The work detailed here examined the presence and possibility of leaching of phthalic acid esters (PAEs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from various products in everyday use. Due to the complicated matrix, which is plastic, extraction parameters should be selected separately each time. The properties of both the extractant and the material selected for testing should also be taken into account, which is very difficult in practice. In addition, when designing new methods, it is particularly important to take into account the principles of green chemistry so as not to burden the environment additionally. For this purpose, it is important to know the factors that affect the extraction of impurities. Therefore, the main objective was to assess the impact of selected environmental conditions on the process by which such pollutants in plastics like polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP) and rubber migrate. Analysis inter alia addressed the impacts of type of plastic, migration time, temperature and microplastic particle size. It proved possible to note the presence in PVC and rubber of both PAEs and PAHs—as substances posing a particular threat to the environment. One of the former is the commonly-used plasticiser di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), a listed priority hazardous substance under the provisions of Directive 2013/39/EU as regards priority substances in the field of water policy. As monitoring of this substance in the environment indicates amounts that are increasing steadily, the design of effective removal methods needs to start with initial estimates of amounts appearing in the environment over time. Main sources need to be explored, albeit in the certain knowledge that the ubiquitous microplastics are among these, inter alia as influenced by elution mechanisms. An attempt was also made to identify and characterise other auxiliary substances added to plastics as they are being produced. Indeed, chromatograms and GC/MS spectra suggest leaching of many other plastic substances. Relationships between eluted pollutants were also sought.

In recent years, a significant new threat to the environment has emerged, namely contamination with microplastics and their degradation products. The decomposition products of microplastics include, among others, greenhouse gases that are responsible for climate change. The article analyzes the emission of carbon dioxide and methane during the decomposition of various types of plastics in the form of microplastics in the bottom sediments in the presence of water. The research covers plastic materials made of polyvinyl chloride with a high and low content of plasticizers, polypropylene, and rubber. All analyzed microplastics generated the tested greenhouse gases. However, the quantity of gases generated depended on the type of polymer used. The highest concentration of methane, at 25,253 ppm after 180 days of incubation, was characterized by high plasticizer polyvinyl chloride, i.e., di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate. In the case of carbon dioxide emissions, the values were comparable. The maximum value was obtained at 65,662 ppm for polypropylene microplastics. The influence of particle size on the amount of the emissions of these gases was also investigated. During the decomposition of microplastics in the bottom sediments in the presence of water, it was observed that the smaller the microplastic particles are, the greater the production of methane and carbon dioxide.

The research described here investigated the suitability of coagulation process in the elimination of microplastics from tap water. The purpose of the study was to assess the effects of microplastic type (PE1, PE2, PE3, PVC1, PVC2, and PVC3), tap water pH (3, 5, 7, and 9), coagulant doses (0, 0.025, 0.05, 0.1 and 0.2 g/L), and microplastic concentration (0.05, 0.1, 0.15, and 0.2 g/L) on elimination efficiency with coagulation utilizing Al and Fe coagulants as well coagulation combined with a detergent (SDBS) addition. This work also explores the elimination of a mixture of two microplastics (PE and PVC) that are significant in terms of the environment. The effectiveness of conventional and detergent-assisted coagulation was calculated as a percentage. The fundamental characteristics of microplastics were also determined via LDIR analysis, and on the basis of these findings, particles that were more coagulation-prone were identified. The maximum reduction in MPs was achieved with tap water’s neutral pH and a coagulant dosage of 0.05 g/L. The addition of SDBS increased the loss of the plastic microparticles’ efficacy. A removal efficiency of greater than 95% (Al-coagulant) and 80% (Fe-coagulant) was achieved for each of the microplastics tested. The removal efficiency of the microplastic mixture with SDBS-assisted coagulation was obtained at a level of 95.92% (AlCl₃·6H₂O) and 98.9% (FeCl₃·6H₂O). After each coagulation procedure, the mean circularity and solidity of the unremoved particles increased. This confirmed that particles with irregular shapes are easier to completely remove.