Microplastic Pollution in the Environment

Land, air, and water (sea and marine) pollution has been a major worldwide problem. These environmental problems and vital issues make environmental pollution control in terms of microplastic pollution a significant component of a healthy environment. In environmental pollution control through solid, air, and wastewater treatment techniques, definitions, classifications, and characterizations are promising terms in the selection of an appropriate technique for the treatment. This chapter submits basic explanations, microplastic formation processes, and definitions of these significant terms in the selection of treatment techniques for microplastics in water and wastewater. It also provides basic equations, shapes, sizes, parameters, and requirements for effective techniques. The properties of microplastics in relation to water, wastewater, and solid purifications are presented as a review. In summary, over fifty journal articles on microplastics in fresh and drinking water, marine water treatment plants, and rural areas were reviewed and discussed. The chapter concluded that vital components of microplastic treatment processes are filtration, oxidation, nanomembrane, and electrochemical treatment (using either passive or active electrodes and electrolytes, wastewater containing microplastics).