Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

The effects of uv-radiation on the removal of microplastics in water using agglomeration-micro-flotation

Researchers investigated how UV radiation affects the surface wettability of six types of microplastics and its influence on removal efficiency via agglomeration-micro-flotation in water. UV treatment altered surface properties of the microplastics, and results showed that the modified wettability affected flotation performance, offering insights into using UV pre-treatment to enhance microplastic removal in water treatment systems.

2024
Article Tier 2

Is froth flotation a potential scheme for microplastics removal? Analysis on flotation kinetics and surface characteristics

This study evaluated froth flotation as a method for removing microplastics from water, finding that surface hydrophobicity governs flotation efficiency and that the technique shows promise as a scalable treatment option for certain polymer types.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 76 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of UV-degraded microplastics on Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) removal

Polypropylene and polystyrene microplastics subjected to 30 days of UVC irradiation showed altered surface properties and reduced removal efficiency in dissolved air flotation (DAF) water treatment, with UV-degraded microplastics presenting greater challenges for conventional water treatment processes than pristine particles.

2025 E3S Web of Conferences
Article Tier 2

Surface change of microplastics in aquatic environment and the removal by froth flotation assisted with cationic and anionic surfactants

This study found that microplastics become less water-repellent after months of sitting in natural river water due to surface weathering and mineral buildup, which makes them harder to remove by flotation methods. The researchers then showed that adding surfactants (soap-like chemicals) could restore the microplastics' water-repellent properties and make flotation effective again. This work advances practical methods for cleaning microplastics out of contaminated water.

2023 Water Research 98 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparison of surficial modification of micro-sized polyethylenein between by UV/O3 and UVO submerged system

Researchers compared ozone and UV oxidation methods for chemically modifying the surface of polyethylene microplastics in water, finding that different treatment combinations create distinct surface changes. Understanding how weathering alters microplastic surfaces is important for predicting their environmental behavior and toxicity.

2021 Environmental Engineering Research 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Ultraviolet-C and vacuum ultraviolet inducing surface degradation of microplastics

Researchers studied how UV-C and vacuum ultraviolet irradiation affect the surfaces of four common microplastic types during water disinfection. They found that standard UV doses used in wastewater treatment had little effect, but higher doses caused significant surface cracking, chemical bond breakdown, and changes in hydrophobicity. The study suggests that UV disinfection in wastewater plants can alter microplastic surface properties, which may affect how these particles interact with pollutants and organisms downstream.

2020 Water Research 265 citations
Article Tier 2

Modifications of ultraviolet irradiation and chlorination on microplastics: Effect of sterilization pattern

Researchers found that both UV irradiation and chlorination used in drinking water treatment alter the surface properties, size distribution, and chemical composition of microplastics, with combined treatments producing greater modifications and potentially increasing the release of plastic additives and adsorbed contaminants.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects and applications of surfactants on the release, removal, fate, and transport of microplastics in aquatic ecosystem: a review

Researchers reviewed how surfactants interact with microplastics in aquatic environments, finding that surfactants can modify microplastic surface properties and influence their removal during wastewater treatment processes like filtration, flotation, and coagulation. The study suggests that surfactant concentration is a crucial factor affecting both the transport and the pollutant-carrying capacity of microplastics in water systems.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 11 citations
Article Tier 2

The removal efficiency and mechanism of microplastic enhancement by positive modification dissolved air flotation

Researchers enhanced dissolved air flotation by modifying the process with positively charged surfaces to improve microplastic removal from freshwater, finding that the modified approach significantly outperformed conventional dissolved air flotation across three common polymer types.

2020 Water Environment Research 90 citations
Article Tier 2

Surface Reactions in Selective Modification: The Prerequisite for Plastic Flotation

This review examines the surface chemistry modifications used in plastic flotation separation, a process that selectively separates mixed plastic waste streams for recycling by exploiting differences in surface hydrophilicity. Improving plastic recycling efficiency through better sorting technology reduces the amount of plastic waste that ultimately degrades into environmental microplastics.

2020 Environmental Science & Technology 57 citations
Article Tier 2

Treatment technologies for the removal of micro plastics from aqueous medium

Researchers reviewed treatment technologies for removing microplastics from water, finding that while multiple methods including filtration, membrane processes, and coagulation show promise, their effectiveness depends on microplastic size, type, and concentration.

2022 AIP conference proceedings 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Vacuum UV (VUV) Photo‐Oxidation of Polymer Surfaces to Enhance Adhesion

Not relevant to microplastics — this paper reviews vacuum UV photo-oxidation techniques for improving adhesion and hydrophilicity of polymer surfaces, focused on industrial materials processing rather than environmental plastic pollution.

2024 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Pre-oxidization-induced change of physicochemical characteristics and removal behaviours in conventional drinking water treatment processes for polyethylene microplastics

Researchers investigated how pre-oxidation treatments alter the physicochemical properties of polyethylene microplastics and found that oxidation changed surface characteristics and influenced removal efficiency during conventional drinking water treatment processes.

2020 RSC Advances 23 citations
Article Tier 2

The effect of Ozonation on the chemical structure of microplastics

Ozone treatment of microplastics in water caused oxidative changes to polymer surfaces including carbonyl group formation and surface cracking, which altered hydrophobicity and potentially increased the capacity of treated particles to adsorb contaminants, suggesting that ozonation in water treatment may chemically transform rather than eliminate microplastic hazards.

2021 IOP Conference Series Materials Science and Engineering 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Non-Negligible Effects of UV Irradiation on Transformation and Environmental Risks of Microplastics in the Water Environment

This review examines how UV irradiation drives photoaging of microplastics in aquatic environments, altering their surface chemistry, mechanical properties, and adsorption capacity for co-pollutants, and thereby amplifying their ecotoxicological risks beyond those of virgin plastic particles.

2021 Journal of Xenobiotics 43 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigation of Surface Alteration of Microplastics by Using UV Irradiation

UV radiation causes polystyrene and other plastic microparticles to undergo photooxidative degradation, changing their surface chemistry and potentially making them more likely to adsorb or release chemical pollutants. Understanding these weathering processes is important for predicting the environmental behavior and toxicity of microplastics.

2020 4 citations
Article Tier 2

A Novel Application of Ultrasound for Removal of Aqueous Microplastics

Researchers investigated bath-type ultrasonication as a novel method for removing microplastics from aqueous environments, reporting this as the first application of this technique for microplastic remediation. The ultrasound-based approach showed promise as an effective treatment strategy for addressing microplastic pollution in water systems.

2025 ACS ES&T Water
Article Tier 2

The influence of oxidation and hydrophobic coupling on the transport behavior of polyethylene microplastics: The synergistic effect of ultraviolet aging and surfactants

Researchers investigated how ultraviolet aging and surfactant attachment interact to influence the transport behavior of polyethylene microplastics, finding that UV oxidation increases oxygen-containing surface groups and reduces hydrophobicity, which in turn alters surfactant adsorption and modifies particle mobility in environmental systems. The study addresses a gap in understanding the coupled effects of oxidative aging and surface chemistry on microplastic transport.

2025 Environmental Pollution
Article Tier 2

Effects of UV-based oxidation processes on the degradation of microplastic: Fragmentation, organic matter release, toxicity and disinfection byproduct formation

This study examined how UV-based water treatment processes break down microplastics, finding that while the treatments fragment the plastics into smaller pieces, they also release potentially toxic organic compounds. The smaller fragments and released chemicals may actually pose greater risks than the original microplastics. This is an important finding because it suggests that some water purification methods could unintentionally make microplastic pollution more hazardous to human health.

2023 Water Research 92 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigation of the effect of microplastics on the UV inactivation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in water

Researchers found that polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride microplastics significantly reduced UV disinfection effectiveness against antibiotic-resistant bacteria, as bacteria associated with microplastic surfaces were shielded from UV exposure, creating a potential public health concern.

2022 Water Research 39 citations
Article Tier 2

A review of microplastic surface interactions in water and potential capturing methods

This review examines how microplastics behave as colloidal particles in water, generating surface charges that drive interactions with other contaminants and environmental constituents. The study explains that classical colloidal theory can help predict microplastic behavior, and that surface modifications from environmental exposure influence how these particles interact in water systems. Several removal techniques including coagulation, filtration, and air flotation are discussed as potential methods for capturing microplastics in water treatment.

2023 Water Science and Engineering 50 citations
Article Tier 2

Enrichment of microplastic pollution by micro-nanobubbles

Researchers investigated micro-nanobubbles as a novel technique for concentrating and removing microplastic pollution from water, finding that bubble-particle interactions can significantly enrich microplastic concentrations and offer a promising avenue for remediation.

2022 Chinese Physics B 5 citations
Article Tier 2

UVA-induced weathering of microplastics in seawater: surface property transformations and kinetics

Researchers studied how UVA radiation weathers microplastics in seawater, examining changes to surface properties and degradation rates. The study developed a model integrating an aging index with degradation kinetics, finding that UV exposure significantly transforms microplastic surface characteristics, which affects their behavior and potential ecological impact in marine environments.

2025 Frontiers in Marine Science 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Effective Removal of Microplastics Using a Process of Ozonation Followed by Flocculation with Aluminum Sulfate and Polyacrylamide

Researchers tested a two-step water treatment process combining ozonation with flocculation to remove microplastics. They found that ozone pretreatment roughened the microplastic surfaces and added chemical groups that dramatically improved removal rates, from 40% to 91%, during the subsequent flocculation step. The findings suggest this combined approach could significantly enhance microplastic removal in conventional water treatment plants.

2025 Separations 3 citations