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Thesis_MA2021_Tanzia Ahmed.pdf (1.21 MB)

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Assessing the Sources of Microplastic Pollution in The Maumee Watershed: A Geospatial Approach

Ahmed, Tanzia Tasneem
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1628538423149272

Abstract Details

2021, Master of Arts, University of Toledo, Geography.
Microplastic are plastic particles smaller than 5mm in size are transported to freshwater by wind, stormwater runoff, rainwater drainage, flooding, wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) discharge, and landfill leachate. Due to the high disposability and low recovery rate of plastic materials associated with its slow degradability, microplastics are accumulating in nature threatening aquatic ecosystems. This study aimed to estimate the annual microplastic discharge in waterbodies from WWTP effluent and biosolids land application for the Maumee River Watershed located in Northwest Ohio, which drains to Western Lake Erie Basin. This study examined the relationship of annual microplastic release from WWTPs with the source characteristics of the service area: population, road surface area, high developed area, and open space of developed area. The results estimated that 3.75 billion microplastic particles are released in the Maumee Watershed annually from 72 WWTPs. In the case of the annual release of microplastics from land applied biosolids - assuming 1%, 5%, 10% and 25% release of microplastic from biosolids applied in all permitted land (only in Ohio) – biosolid sources in the Maumee Watershed are approximately 83.26, 426.29, 832.58 million and 2.08 billion particles respectively. The most WWTP based annual microplastic discharge are found in the Upper Maumee (1.38 billion particles), Lower Maumee (800.62 million particles), and Auglaize subwatershed (556.73 million particles) watershed, and country wise- Allen County of Indiana (1.35 billion particles), Lucas (463.74 million particles) and Allen (368.6 million particles) Counties of Ohio. In the case of biosolid-based microplastic release from all biosolid permitted land in the Ohio section of the Maumee Watershed, the estimation of source subwatersheds indicates Auglaize, Lower Maumee and Tiffin subwatersheds altogether releasing approximately 77.58 million (1%) to 1.94 billion (25%) microplastic particles per year into the waterbodies. Paulding, Allen, and Fulton Counties have the most biosolid permitted land and therefore identified as counties with highest microplastic release in the Maumee watershed in Ohio. Further modelling on WWTP based microplastic pollution and source land uses from WWTP service (land) area indicates that annual estimation of microplastic release is positively related with log transformed population, percent high developed area and percent open space of developed area and negatively related with percent road surface area. The findings from this research contribute to better understand the condition of microplastic release from WWTPs and land applied biosolid in the Maumee Watershed and also detected relationships between land use sources and WWTP based microplastic release.
Patrick Lawrence (Committee Chair)
Yanqing Xu (Committee Member)
Kevin Czajkowski (Committee Member)
93 p.
Geography
Microplastic, wastewater treatment plant, biosolid, land use

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Ahmed, T. T. (2021). Assessing the Sources of Microplastic Pollution in The Maumee Watershed: A Geospatial Approach [Master's thesis, University of Toledo]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1628538423149272

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Ahmed, Tanzia Tasneem. Assessing the Sources of Microplastic Pollution in The Maumee Watershed: A Geospatial Approach. 2021. University of Toledo, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1628538423149272.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Ahmed, Tanzia Tasneem. "Assessing the Sources of Microplastic Pollution in The Maumee Watershed: A Geospatial Approach." Master's thesis, University of Toledo, 2021. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1628538423149272

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

toledo1628538423149272
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This open access ETD is published by University of Toledo and OhioLINK.