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Atlantic City wastewater plant begins full-time microplastics capture
A filtration unit at the Atlantic County Utilities Authority’s Atlantic City plant is now operating full time, intercepting plastic particles before treated wastewater is released toward the ocean. The system follows a pilot that the authority says captured an estimated 580 million particles annually.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — A new filtration system at the Atlantic County Utilities Authority’s wastewater treatment plant has moved from a pilot project to full-time operation, aiming to capture microplastics before treated water is released toward the Atlantic Ocean.
The authority and PolyGone Systems, the Princeton-founded company that developed the equipment, announced the change Tuesday, Oct. 20. They describe the installation as the first permanent commercial system of its kind at a wastewater treatment plant.
The enclosed unit, called a PolyPod, sits over the channel carrying treated water to a holding pond. Water flows through it without additional pumping as silicone-based filters are lowered into the flow. The filters are designed to attract and trap nano- and microplastics ranging from less than a millimeter to about 5 millimeters long.
Once a day — and more often during storms — an automated winch lifts the filters for cleaning. High-pressure jets dislodge the captured plastic, which is then reduced in volume in an evaporation unit for disposal by incineration or recycling. The filters are expected to be replaced about once a year, and the unit is designed to last 10 to 15 years.
The plant processes about 40 million gallons of water a day. During a pilot launched in 2024, the authority says the system captured an estimated 580 million plastic particles per year. PolyGone’s lead scientist, Yueyu Yao, said the filters are capable of capturing 98% of microplastics; the team will monitor the full-time installation to measure what it actually removes.
The authority says the project is intended to help protect water quality for more than 200,000 residents, beachgoers and marine ecosystems along the New Jersey coast. The system is positioned at the final filtration stage before treated wastewater enters the holding pond and eventually reaches the ocean.
The project received $2 million in financing from the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank, with principal forgiveness, for water-quality improvements. ACUA president Matthew DeNafo said the self-contained design requires no pumping and has few moving parts.
PolyGone was founded in 2021 by Princeton University graduates Yidian Liu and Nathaniel Banks. The authority began working with the company after responding to its outreach to wastewater facilities. Environment New Jersey director Doug O’Malley, who attended the demonstration, urged other regional water departments to assess whether the technology could be scaled up.