Papers

Vehicle Emission Models and Traffic Simulators: A Review

This review covers vehicle emission models and traffic simulation tools used to estimate air pollution from road traffic. While not directly about microplastics, vehicle emissions include tire and brake wear particles that are a major source of microplastics in urban environments. Better emission modeling helps researchers understand the full scope of pollution, including microplastic-generating particulate matter, from transportation.

Vehicle Emission Models and Traffic Simulators: A Review

This review surveys vehicle emission models and traffic simulation tools used to estimate air pollution from road traffic. While focused on exhaust emissions, the methods discussed are relevant to understanding non-exhaust pollution like tire wear microplastics, which are released in large quantities from vehicle tires. Better emission modeling could help quantify the full scope of traffic-related microplastic pollution in urban areas.

The effect of water ozonation in the presence of microplastics on water quality and microplastics degradation

Researchers tested how ozone-based water treatment affects microplastic particles and found that the process can break down the plastics, releasing harmful chemicals like phthalic acid esters into the treated water. Polyethylene was the most susceptible to degradation, with surface area losses up to about 27%. The study suggests that water treatment plants may unintentionally worsen water quality when microplastics are present during ozonation.

Microplastics in Water Resources: Threats and Challenges

This review synthesizes current knowledge on microplastic pollution in aquatic environments, covering contamination sources, characteristic parameters like size, shape, and color, and the most effective analytical methods for detection. The study provides practical guidance on extraction and identification techniques while highlighting existing inaccuracies and limitations in the field of microplastic analysis.

Examining magnetic susceptibility as a proxy for microplastic pollution in granulometric fractions of road dust: A case study in Warsaw, Poland

Researchers in Warsaw, Poland investigated whether magnetic susceptibility measurements could serve as a quick proxy for detecting microplastic pollution in road dust. Using laser direct infrared imaging and magnetic analysis, the study assessed the relationship between magnetic properties and microplastic concentrations across different particle size fractions of road dust.

Towards Cleaner Cities: An Analysis of the Impact of Bus Fleet Decomposition on PM and NOX Emissions Reduction in Sustainable Public Transport

Researchers analyzed how replacing diesel buses with electric and hybrid vehicles in urban fleets can reduce particulate matter and nitrogen oxide emissions. The study suggests that transitioning public transport to cleaner technologies offers a meaningful pathway toward improving air quality in cities, particularly during smog-prone periods.

Assessment of machine learning-based methods predictive suitability for migration pollutants from microplastics degradation

Researchers assessed the usefulness of machine learning methods for predicting the migration of chemical pollutants from microplastics. The study found that artificial neural networks and support vector methods showed strong potential for modeling and predicting the leaching of plasticizers and other contaminants, which could reduce the need for extensive laboratory analyses.

The Impact of Climate Change on the Failure of Water Supply Infrastructure: A Bibliometric Analysis of the Current State of Knowledge

Researchers conducted a bibliometric analysis of scientific literature on how climate change affects the reliability and failure rates of water supply infrastructure. The study identified key research trends, major contributing countries, and the interconnection between climate-related stressors and water system failures. Evidence indicates that rising temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and extreme weather events are increasingly threatening the integrity of water distribution networks.

Pollution of the aquatic environment by plasticizers leached from microplastics originating from linear sewage systems

Researchers found that plastic sewer pipes and rubber gaskets continuously leach phthalates — hormone-disrupting chemicals used to make plastics flexible — into surrounding water, with leaching rates increasing at higher temperatures, meaning plastic infrastructure itself is a source of chemical contamination in waterways.

Variability of Drinking Water Quality on the Basis of Analysis of Qualitative Monitoring from a Selected Water Supply Network Located in South-Eastern Poland

Researchers analyzed drinking water quality across 28 physicochemical and microbiological parameters in a southern Polish water supply network over 2018–2022, assessing variability and compliance with health standards.

Occurrence of specific pollutants in a mixture of sewage and rainwater from an urbanized area

Researchers characterized specific pollutants in combined sewage and rainwater from an urban mixed drainage system, identifying microplastics, pharmaceuticals, and other contaminants and assessing their concentrations relative to environmental quality standards.

The use of artificial neural networks in modelling migration pollutants from the degradation of microplastics

Researchers used artificial neural networks to model the emission of additives from degrading microplastics, finding that machine learning could predict migration patterns from the vast range of polymer types, chemical structures, and environmental conditions involved. This approach could reduce the need for extensive laboratory testing by identifying high-risk scenarios for further investigation.

New Bioretention Drainage Channel as One of the Low-Impact Development Solutions: A Case Study from Poland

Researchers described and evaluated a new bioretention drainage channel as a low-impact urban stormwater management solution, assessing how this green infrastructure approach modifies the hydrological cycle compared to conventional impermeable urban surfaces.

Modeling of microplastics degradation in aquatic environments using an experimental plan

A fractional factorial central composite experimental design was used to develop statistical models predicting how microplastics degrade and generate secondary pollutants in aquatic environments under varying conditions.

CH4 and CO2 Emissions from the Decomposition of Microplastics in the Bottom Sediment—Preliminary Studies

Preliminary experiments measured CO2 and methane emissions from decomposing microplastics (PVC, PP, and rubber) in water-saturated bottom sediments, finding measurable greenhouse gas production that varied by polymer type and plasticizer content. The results suggest that microplastic accumulation in aquatic sediments may represent a previously unaccounted source of greenhouse gas emissions.

The Assessment of PM2.5 and PM10 Immission in Atmospheric Air in a Climate Chamber during Tests of an Electric Car on a Chassis Dynamometer

Researchers measured PM2.5 and PM10 particulate emissions inside a climate chamber during electric vehicle chassis dynamometer tests, focusing on tire and brake non-exhaust emissions relevant to the Euro 7 standard. The study quantified how non-exhaust particulate pollution from electric cars compares to internal combustion vehicles.

Elimination of a Mixture of Microplastics Using Conventional and Detergent-Assisted Coagulation

Researchers tested coagulation as a method to remove microplastics from tap water, evaluating how microplastic type (PE and PVC), water pH, coagulant dose, and microplastic concentration affect removal efficiency, and finding that detergent-assisted coagulation improves performance.

Decomposition of microplastics: Emission of harmful substances and greenhouse gases in the environment

Water, Resources, and Resilience: Insights from Diverse Environmental Studies

This editorial introduced a collection of environmental studies addressing water resources management, water resilience, and sustainability challenges across diverse geographic and disciplinary contexts.

The criterion of development of processes of the self-organization of subsystems of the second level in tribosystems of diesel engine

Researchers studied how energy transfers and material interactions on friction surfaces inside diesel engine crankshaft systems can trigger "self-organization" — a process where the surfaces develop more stable, wear-resistant properties over time. Understanding this process could help engineers design more durable engine components and reduce mechanical wear in heavy machinery.

Micropollution of rainwater collected from roof surfaces in the context of sustainable water management

Researchers collected rainwater runoff from concrete tile roofs over 2023–2024 and found it generally met drinking water quality standards for most physical and chemical parameters, but often exceeded limits for ammonia and bacterial counts, and contained detectable microplastic particles. The findings support rainwater harvesting as a viable supplemental water source with appropriate treatment, while flagging microplastic contamination as an important quality consideration.

The abundance, characteristics and ecological risk assessment of microplastics in rainwater – Preliminary study

Researchers measured microplastic contamination in rainwater collected monthly throughout 2023 in both a Polish village and a nearby city, finding significantly higher concentrations in the urban setting (averaging 214 particles per liter) with rubber — largely from tire wear — making up the dominant type. Ecological risk assessment indicated a high to very high risk, raising concerns about using rainwater directly without treatment.

The role of abiotic and biotic aging in the elimination of polyethylene microplastics by coagulation

This study investigated how the natural weathering and biological aging of polyethylene microplastics — through sunlight, temperature, mechanical wear, and bacterial biofilm formation — affects how well water treatment plants can remove them using a coagulation process. Biologically aged plastics coated with bacterial biofilm were removed most efficiently, reaching up to 67% removal compared to around 30% for fresh plastics. Understanding how aging changes microplastic behavior in treatment plants is important for improving removal strategies, since most real-world plastics entering water systems have already been weathered.

"Dust in the Fire" : First Investigation of Microplastics in Urban Road Dust via Magnetic Separation of Strong and Weak Components in Vienna, Austria

Scientists found tiny plastic particles mixed with magnetic materials in street dust from Vienna, Austria - the first study of its kind in that city. Road dust containing these microplastics can become airborne and be inhaled by people, or wash into waterways where it pollutes the environment. This research helps us better understand how microplastics spread through urban areas and potentially affect human health through breathing contaminated dust.