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A mini-review on microplastics in drinking water treatment processes
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A review of drinking water treatment plants worldwide found that while processes like coagulation, filtration, and disinfection remove significant portions of microplastics, removal efficiency varies widely and no current standard treatment achieves complete elimination. This gap between laboratory findings and real-world treatment conditions means measurable microplastic concentrations persist in treated tap water consumed by billions of people daily.
Microplastics have become a rising issue in due to its detection in oceans, rivers, and tap water. Although a large number of studies have been conducted on the detection and quantification in various water bodies, the number of research conducted on the removal and treatment of microplastics are still comparatively low. In the current research, the inflow and removal of microplastics were investigated for various drinking water treatment plants around the world. Addition to the investigation of filed research, a survey was also conducted on the current research trend on microplastic removal for different treatment processes in the drinking water treatment plants. This includes the researches conducted on coagulation/flocculation, sedimentation, dissolved air flotation, sand filtration and disinfection processes. The survey indicated mechanisms of microplastic removal in each process followed by the removal characteristics under various conditions. Limitations of current researches were also mentioned, regarding the gap between the laboratory experimental conditions and field conditions of drinking water treatment plants. We hope that the current review will aid in the understanding of current research needs in the field of microplastic removal in drinking water treatment.
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Analysis and treatment of microplastics in water treatment: research trends, perspectives and implications
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Researchers reviewed the latest methods for detecting and removing microplastics from drinking water, finding that while promising technologies exist, no single treatment reliably eliminates all plastic particles — a critical gap given that microplastics are now routinely detected in tap and bottled water consumed daily.
Let Us Talk About Microplastic Pollution in Drinking Water Treatment
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Researchers examined microplastic contamination in drinking water treatment systems, reviewing how plastic particles enter drinking water supplies and evaluating the effectiveness of conventional treatment processes at removing microplastic beads, fibers, and fragments of varying sizes.
Occurrence, Fate and Removal of Microplastics in Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) and Drinking Water Treatment Plants (DWTPs)
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Both wastewater and drinking water treatment plants incompletely remove microplastics, allowing substantial quantities to pass through into receiving water bodies and tap water. This finding underscores the critical need for upgraded treatment technologies and microplastic-specific monitoring standards to protect public health.
Review of the Potential Effects and Remediation Strategies of Microplastic Pollutants in Drinking Water Sources
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Tiny plastic bits called microplastics have been found in drinking water in 42 countries, getting in through sources like bottled water packaging, laundry runoff, and wastewater. This review of existing research shows these plastic particles can act like tiny rafts, carrying harmful chemicals and heavy metals into your water that have been linked to health problems like anemia and liver damage. While scientists are still working out exactly how much harm the plastics themselves cause, the pollutants they carry are a real concern worth paying attention to, and the review also offers ideas for filtering them out of our water supply.
Characteristics of microplastics distribution at water treatment plants
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Three water treatment plants in South Korea's Jeju Province contained microplastics in raw water at 0.075–0.620 MP/L, with particles smaller than 50 µm comprising the majority and polypropylene as the dominant polymer; conventional sedimentation and rapid filtration achieved the highest removal efficiency at 93.5%. Continuous monitoring of drinking water treatment performance against sub-100-µm particles is critical, as these smallest fractions pose the greatest ingestion risk and are hardest to capture.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.