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From capture to destruction: A critical review of microplastic separation and degradation in water and wastewater treatment
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This review of existing research shows that most water treatment methods marketed as "removing" microplastics don't actually destroy them—they just move the plastic particles from water into sludge, filters, or other waste products, where they can still end up back in the environment. Methods that do try to break down plastics often leave behind smaller fragments and chemical byproducts whose health effects aren't well understood, meaning a high "removal rate" doesn't necessarily mean the microplastic problem—or its risk to human health—has actually been solved.
Microplastics (MPs) have emerged as contaminants of increasing concern in water and wastewater treatment systems because of their persistence, mobility, and potential risks to ecosystems and human health. This review critically examines two major technological routes for MP control: separation-based removal, including coagulation, filtration, membrane separation, and adsorption, and degradation-based transformation, including advanced oxidation processes and biological degradation. Under optimized conditions, separation technologies can achieve over 95% retention, while degradation technologies can induce polymer-chain scission, surface oxidation, and mass loss. This review reveals a fundamental distinction between these two routes. Separation-based technologies mainly transfer MPs from the aqueous phase to flocs, sludge, membrane retentates, or spent adsorbents, thereby concentrating particles rather than destroying the polymer structure. In contrast, biodegradation and transformation technologies aim to transform polymer chains into lower-molecular-weight products, but complete mineralization is rarely achieved under realistic treatment conditions. Incomplete degradation may generate oligomers, organic acids, aldehydes, ketones, and released additives, whose environmental fate and ecotoxicity remain insufficiently understood. Therefore, the commonly reported removal rate is insufficient for evaluating the actual environmental benefit of MP treatment, as it may represent phase transfer rather than risk elimination, or partial transformation rather than complete degradation. Overall, this review concludes that meaningful evaluation of MP treatment requires a shift from single-parameter efficiency metrics to mass-balance-based and toxicity-informed frameworks that account for the fate of both separation residues and degradation products. Future research should move beyond single efficiency metrics and establish integrated assessment frameworks based on mass balance, life cycle analysis, product identification, toxicity evolution, and residual management. Coupling efficient separation with controlled deep degradation offers a promising direction for advancing MP treatment from efficient interception towards verifiable risk reduction and sustainable control.
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Many "microplastic removal" methods just filter particles out of water without actually breaking down the plastic, the problem gets moved to sludge or waste rather than solved. This review of existing research argues scientists need stricter proof that plastics are truly destroyed (not just physically removed or slightly altered) and that any leftover byproducts aren't toxic, since claims of "cleanup" can be misleading if the plastic's carbon simply ends up somewhere else in the environment. This matters because it means some current cleanup technologies may sound more effective than they really are.
Beyond Removal: A Critical Review of Microplastic Mass Flux, In-Plant Transformation, and Elimination in WWTPs
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This review of existing research found that water treatment plants can remove 60-90% of microplastics (tiny plastic particles) from wastewater, with advanced systems removing over 95%. However, these plastic particles don't disappear—they mostly end up in sewage sludge that's often used as fertilizer, meaning the microplastics can still enter the environment and potentially our food chain. Better elimination methods are needed to actually destroy these particles rather than just moving them around.
Chemical Degradation of Microplastics: Current Technologies, Mechanisms, Challenges, and Future Perspectives
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This review looks at new chemical methods for breaking down microplastics instead of just filtering them out of water. The catch: many treatments only break plastics into smaller fragments without fully destroying them, which may not actually reduce health risks. More testing on real, weathered microplastics (not just lab-made ones) is needed before these methods can be trusted for widespread water treatment use.
Microplastics removal through water treatment plants: Its feasibility, efficiency, future prospects and enhancement by proper waste management
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Researchers reviewed over 80 studies on water treatment plant performance and found microplastic removal ranges widely — from 16% in basic primary treatment up to near 100% with advanced membrane systems — but a major flaw is that removed microplastics concentrate in sludge, which can re-enter the environment. The review recommends optimizing coagulants and sludge treatment to prevent microplastics from simply being relocated rather than eliminated.
Recent advances on microplastics pollution and removal from wastewater systems: A critical review
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This review summarizes the latest research on microplastic detection, occurrence, and removal in wastewater treatment plants. While treatment plants can remove 57-99% of microplastics depending on the stage, significant amounts still escape into the environment through treated water and sludge. The findings highlight the need for advanced treatment methods to prevent microplastics from reaching waterways and ultimately human water supplies.
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