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Drinking Water Contaminants and Advanced Purification Technologies: A Review of Conventional and Emerging Treatment Approaches
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This review pulls together existing research on removing harmful contaminants, like PFAS "forever chemicals," heavy metals and microplastics, from tap water. No single filtering method catches everything, but combining technologies (like activated carbon plus advanced filtration) can remove up to 95 to 97% of these pollutants. The takeaway: layered water treatment systems are key to protecting public health as contamination from industry and climate change worsens.
Freshwater contamination has become a critical global challenge, driven by industrialization, urbanization, agriculture and climate change, threatening safe drinking water and sustainable development. This review synthesizes peer-reviewed literature identified through targeted searches of major bibliographic databases, including Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection and PubMed, with Google Scholar used as supplementary search tool, using contaminant- and technology-specific keywords. Conventional treatment processes, including coagulation–flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, adsorption, activated carbon, ion exchange and chemical disinfection, are critically evaluated alongside advanced technologies such as membrane filtration, reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, advanced oxidation processes (including photocatalysis), electrochemical treatment and nanotechnology-based systems, with emphasis on mechanisms, removal efficiency and operational limitations. Evidence indicates that adsorption-based technologies (GAC/PAC) achieve up to 97% removal of long-chain PFAS following advanced regeneration, coagulation–sedimentation removes up to 95% of microplastics, and precipitation-based processes achieve 70–99% removal of heavy metals, yet no single technology addresses the full contaminant spectrum across varying water quality conditions. Integrated multi-barrier systems combining conventional and advanced technologies therefore provide the most effective and sustainable approach for producing safe drinking water. The review also examines emerging trends, including smart water treatment systems, advanced functional materials, renewable energy integration, and circular water management and identifies key research gaps and priorities for cost-effective, energy-efficient and resilient purification technologies essential to global water security and supporting the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation).
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Emerging Contaminants in Drinking Water: Implications for Public Health and Water Treatment
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Your tap water may contain low levels of drug residues, "forever chemicals" (PFAS), microplastics, and other modern pollutants that standard water treatment plants aren't fully designed to remove. This review of existing research finds that while we don't fully understand the long-term health effects, these contaminants have been linked to hormone disruption and antibiotic resistance—and newer filtering technologies that could remove them more effectively remain expensive and aren't widely used yet. The takeaway: better testing, updated regulations, and improved treatment methods are needed to make drinking water safer as science catches up.
Advanced Water Treatment Technologies for Mitigating Marine Pollution in Coastal Ecosystems
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This review, which pulled together over 125 studies on water treatment, found that advanced filtering technologies, like reverse osmosis and specialized membrane filters, can remove up to 99% of harmful pollutants from coastal waters, including heavy metals, microplastics, and pharmaceutical residues. This matters because these contaminants build up in seafood and drinking water sources, so better filtration technology could significantly reduce our exposure to substances linked to long-term health problems. Combining multiple treatment methods together worked best, suggesting a promising path forward for protecting both ocean health and public health.
Recent Advancement and Understanding on the “Forever Chemicals”, PFAS in Drinking Water
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This review surveys current analytical detection methods and treatment technologies for PFAS "forever chemicals" in drinking water, highlighting limitations including matrix interference and inconsistent recovery rates, while calling for standardized protocols and innovative removal solutions to better protect public health from these persistent pollutants.
Understanding emerging contaminants in water and wastewater: A comprehensive review on detection, impacts, and solutions
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This review covers emerging contaminants in water including pharmaceuticals, PFAS, microplastics, and nanomaterials that escape conventional water treatment and persist in the environment. It evaluates advanced detection techniques and newer treatment methods such as membrane filtration, advanced oxidation, and bioremediation to address these pollutants that pose ongoing risks to public health.
Occurrence and removal of microplastics by advanced and conventional drinking water treatment facilities
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Researchers assessed microplastic occurrence and removal efficiency at drinking water treatment plants using both conventional and advanced treatment processes. Advanced treatment steps such as ultrafiltration and activated carbon significantly improved microplastic removal compared to conventional coagulation and filtration alone.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.