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Recent advances on micro/nanoplastic pollution and membrane fouling during water treatment: A review
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Researchers reviewed recent advances in understanding how micro- and nanoplastics contribute to membrane fouling during water treatment processes. The study found that while membrane separation effectively removes microplastics from wastewater effluent, fouling caused by plastic particles along with dissolved organics and extracellular polymers remains a key obstacle, and understanding the fouling mechanisms is critical for improving treatment efficiency.
Effluent from sewage treatment plant, as an important source of microplastics (MPs) in receiving water, has attracted extensive attention. Membrane separation process shows good microplastic removal performance in the existing tertiary water treatment process. Problematically, membrane fouling and insufficient removal of small organic molecules are still the key obstacles to its further extensive application. Dissolved organics, extracellular polymers and suspended particles in the influent are deposited on the membrane surface and internal structure, reducing the number and pore diameter of effective membrane aperture, and increasing the resistance of membrane filtration. Exploring the mechanism and approach of membrane fouling caused by micro/nanoplastics is the key to alleviate fouling and allow membranes to operate longer. In this paper, removal performance of micro/nanoplastics by current membrane filtration and the contribution to membrane fouling during water treatment are thoroughly reviewed. The coupling mechanisms between micro/nanoplastics and other pollutants and mechanism of membrane fouling caused by composite micro/nanoplastics are discussed. Additionally, on this basis, the prospect of combined process for micro/nanoplastic removal and membrane fouling prevention is also proposed and discussed, which provides a valuable reference for the preferential removal of micro/nanoplastics and development of antifouling membrane.
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Tiny plastic particles called microplastics are slipping through our wastewater treatment plants and ending up back in the environment—and potentially in our food and water—because standard filtering methods aren't fine enough to catch them. This review paper rounds up the latest research on advanced filter membranes that can trap these particles more effectively, while also tackling a key problem: the membranes tend to get clogged by the plastics they're filtering out. While these technologies aren't yet perfected or widely deployed, they represent a promising step toward cleaner water and reduced human exposure to microplastics, which have been linked to potential health concerns.
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