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Enhanced removal of microplastics using microflotation
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Researchers demonstrated that microflotation, a process using optimized small bubble sizes, can remove 84-98% of microplastics from water without requiring chemical additives like flocculants or coagulants. Using a pilot-scale system, they tested removal of 30 and 100 micrometer polystyrene particles across environmentally relevant concentrations. The study suggests that microflotation offers an efficient and chemical-free alternative for microplastic removal in water treatment applications.
Microplastics (MPs) pose a significant and growing threat to aquatic ecosystems and human health, yet conventional removal technologies such as sedimentation and filtration often exhibit limited efficiency, particularly for particles smaller than 50 μm, or require chemical additives to enhance performance. In this study, it is demonstrated that microflotation, a process leveraging optimized bubble-particle interactions based on small bubble sizes, can achieve high removal efficiencies (84-98 %) for MPs without the need for flocculants, coagulants, or other chemical additives. Using a pilot-scale system, the removal of 30 μm and 100 μm polystyrene particles across a range of environmentally relevant concentrations (2.5-180 mg/L) is tested. By precisely controlling operational parameters, microbubbles were generated with a narrow size distribution (13-75 μm) and a mean diameter of 36-40 μm, ensuring consistent and reproducible performance. Furthermore, the introduction of a novel bubble measurement technique to enhance process monitoring and optimization is presented. Our findings establish microflotation as a robust, scalable, and sustainable solution for MP removal, offering a viable alternative to conventional treatment methods while aligning with global efforts to reduce chemical usage in water treatment.
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Researchers optimized a dissolved air flotation system using combined micro- and nanobubbles and achieved up to 97% removal of polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics from synthetic wastewater, outperforming either bubble size alone by enhancing bubble-particle interactions and promoting hydrophobic floc formation.
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Scientists developed a nanobubble-assisted flotation technique that improves removal of very small microplastics (under 10 micrometers) from wastewater by up to 17% compared to traditional methods. Removing these tiny particles is especially important because their small size makes them more likely to pass through water treatment and eventually be consumed by humans.
Removal of Microplastics/Microfibers and Detergents from Laundry Wastewater by Microbubble Flotation
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Researchers developed a microbubble flotation system that removes over 98% of microplastics and 95% of detergent surfactants from laundry wastewater. The study successfully scaled the approach from bench-level to a pilot-scale column over 5 meters tall, demonstrating a practical, cost-effective solution for treating one of the largest sources of microplastic pollution entering waterways.
Utilization of Bubbles and Oil for Microplastic Capture from Water
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Researchers demonstrated a simple method using vegetable oil and air bubbles to capture over 98% of microplastics from water, achieving complete removal of larger particles and high capture of microfibers — a potentially passive, low-cost cleanup approach that avoids releasing secondary contamination into treated water.
Enhanced microplastic removal using a mini-hydrocyclone with microbubbles
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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.