0
Article ? AI-assigned paper type based on the abstract. Classification may not be perfect — flag errors using the feedback button. Tier 2 ? Original research — experimental, observational, or case-control study. Direct primary evidence. Human Health Effects Remediation Sign in to save

Machine learning modeling of microplastics removal by coagulation in water and wastewater treatment

Journal of Water Process Engineering 2025 7 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 63 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Ahmad Hosseinzadeh, Farid Amirkhani, Nahid Azizi, Amir Dashti, John L. Zhou, Ali Altaee

Summary

Researchers developed machine learning models to predict how effectively coagulation, a common water treatment process, can remove microplastics under different conditions. The best model achieved 96% accuracy and found that water temperature had the biggest negative effect on removal, while adding coagulant aids had the most positive effect. These tools could help water treatment plants optimize their processes to better remove microplastics from drinking water.

Body Systems
Study Type Environmental

Microplastics (MPs) pose a global concern due to their persistence and potential toxicity. Coagulation is the common treatment technology for removing particles including MPs in water and wastewater. This research aims to address this challenge by developing machine learning models, including Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Least Square Support Vector Machine (LSSVM), Particle Swarm Optimization-Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (PSO-ANFIS), and Radial Basis Function (RBF) to predict the removal efficiency of MPs by coagulation under different conditions. Various input parameters, such as MP and coagulant concentration, solution pH and temperature were considered in these models. Through statistical analyses, the RBF model exhibited the highest accuracy with an R 2 value of 0.96 and R 2 value for ANN, PSO-ANFIS and RBF was 0.91, 0.83 and 0.79, respectively. Sensitivity analysis revealed that water temperature had the most significant negative effect, while coagulant aid showed the most positive effect on the coagulation performance for MP removal. The modeling approach and its findings provide valuable insights for improving the efficiency of MP removal in dynamic water and wastewater treatment processes. • MP removal by coagulation was analyzed and modeled using ML procedures. • ANN, PSO-ANFIS, LSSVM and RBF were developed to model MP removal performance. • RBF model showed the highest accuracy with R 2 value of 0.9841. • Water temperature showed significant negative effect on MP removal. • Type and dose of coagulant aid showed significant positive effect on MP removal.

Sign in to start a discussion.

More Papers Like This

Article Tier 2

Enhancing water quality prediction: a machine learning approach across diverse water environments

Researchers compared seven machine learning models for predicting water quality parameters using six years of wastewater treatment plant data. The gradient boosting model performed best overall, accurately predicting parameters related to water contamination. While the study focuses on general water quality rather than microplastics specifically, these predictive tools could be applied to monitoring microplastic-relevant conditions in treatment systems.

Article Tier 2

Revealing the removal behavior of five neglected microplastics in coagulation-ultrafiltration processes: Insights from experiments and predictive modeling

Researchers combined laboratory experiments with artificial neural network modeling to study how five commonly overlooked types of microplastics are removed during drinking water treatment. They found that coagulation alone removed 37-56% of the microplastics, while adding ultrafiltration removed virtually all remaining particles. The study provides new insights into the chemical and physical interactions that drive microplastic removal, which could help optimize water treatment processes.

Article Tier 2

Design of an Efficient Model for Microplastic Removal in Wastewater using Advanced Filtration, Nanotechnology, and Bioremediation

This paper proposed an advanced machine learning model to design and optimize microplastic removal in wastewater treatment, using process parameters to predict removal efficiency. The intelligent model outperformed conventional design approaches in predicting treatment outcomes.

Article Tier 2

Understanding and Improving Microplastic Removal during Water Treatment: Impact of Coagulation and Flocculation

Researchers systematically tested coagulation and flocculation for removing microplastics from drinking water, finding that removal efficiency depended strongly on plastic particle size and whether particles had been weathered, with smaller pristine particles being the hardest to remove.

Meta Analysis Tier 1

Recent advances in microplastic removal from drinking water by coagulation: Removal mechanisms and influencing factors

A meta-analysis and random forest model found that coagulation can effectively remove microplastics from drinking water, with particle shape being the most important factor affecting removal efficiency, followed by coagulant type and dosage. Charge neutralization is the dominant mechanism for small microplastics, while adsorption bridging and sweeping work better for larger particles.

Share this paper