Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Filtration Methods for Microplastic Removal in Wastewater Streams — A Review

This review surveys filtration, membrane, coagulation, and biological methods for removing microplastics from wastewater, concluding that membrane bioreactors and dynamic membranes are among the most effective current technologies. The paper provides a useful comparative overview for engineers and policymakers seeking cost-effective solutions to prevent microplastics from passing through treatment plants into waterways.

2023 International Journal of High Speed Electronics and Systems 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of microplastics from wastewater: available techniques and way forward

This review surveys the available techniques for removing microplastics from wastewater, including filtration, coagulation, biological treatment, and advanced methods like membrane bioreactors. Researchers found that while conventional treatment plants can remove a substantial fraction of microplastics, significant amounts still pass through to the environment. The study emphasizes the need for upgrading wastewater treatment systems to better capture these emerging contaminants.

2021 Water Science & Technology 100 citations
Article Tier 2

A comprehensive review of microplastics in wastewater treatment plants

This review surveys microplastic removal technologies used in wastewater treatment plants, comparing membrane bioreactors, electrocoagulation, coagulation-sedimentation, and biodegradation approaches. Understanding removal efficiency at treatment plants is critical because they are a primary pathway by which microplastics — and the toxic chemicals they carry — reach rivers, coastal waters, and ultimately drinking water supplies.

2024 BIO Web of Conferences 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Membrane bioreactor and rapid sand filtration for the removal of microplastics in an urban wastewater treatment plant

A wastewater treatment plant was monitored for 18 months to compare microplastic removal by membrane bioreactor technology versus rapid sand filtration, finding that membrane bioreactors achieved much higher removal efficiency but that both technologies still released microplastics into receiving waters.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 303 citations
Article Tier 2

Preventing Microplastic Release into Oceans through Wastewater Treatment Technologies.

Comparing immersed and sidestream membrane bioreactors for microplastic removal from wastewater, this analysis found membrane bioreactors more efficient than conventional treatment, identifying them as a key technology to prevent microplastic release to oceans.

2024 Science and Technology of Engineering Chemistry and Environmental Protection
Article Tier 2

Eradication of Microplastics in Wastewater Treatment: Overview

This review examined technologies for removing microplastics from wastewater, evaluating physical, chemical, and biological treatment methods and finding that while conventional treatment plants capture a significant fraction, emerging technologies like membrane filtration and coagulation are needed to achieve more complete removal.

2022 Biointerface Research in Applied Chemistry 21 citations
Article Tier 2

How to remove microplastics in wastewater? A cost-effectiveness analysis

A cost-effectiveness analysis of microplastic removal in wastewater treatment found that activated sludge, rapid sand filtering, and membrane bioreactor technologies differ substantially in removal efficiency and cost per unit removed, with membrane bioreactors achieving the highest removal but at prohibitive cost.

2021 Ecological Economics 72 citations
Article Tier 2

Membrane Processes for Microplastic Removal

This review evaluates the use of membrane technologies for removing microplastics and nanoplastics from wastewater treatment plant effluents. Researchers found that while membrane bioreactors show promise, most existing membrane approaches are still insufficient for comprehensive microplastic removal, especially for the smallest particles. The study suggests that specially designed membrane systems are needed as advanced tertiary treatment to prevent microplastic discharge into waterways.

2019 Molecules 316 citations
Article Tier 2

Technologies for the Removal of Microplastics from Wastewater: A Short Review

This review compares wastewater treatment technologies for removing microplastics, finding that membrane bioreactors and advanced filtration systems achieve the highest removal efficiencies (>95%) but that MPs accumulating in sludge may re-enter the environment through biosolid disposal. The analysis underscores that no current treatment system completely prevents MP discharge and that sludge management is a critical but underaddressed pathway to the environment.

2023 Global NEST International Conference on Environmental Science & Technology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence, identification and removal of microplastics in a wastewater treatment plant compared to an advanced MBR technology: Full-scale pilot plant

Researchers compared microplastic removal efficiency between a standard wastewater treatment plant and an advanced membrane bioreactor (MBR) system and found MBR technology achieved 99.7% removal — far outperforming conventional treatment — suggesting upgraded filtration systems are critical to keeping microplastics out of waterways.

2023 Journal of environmental chemical engineering 80 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastic particles in the aquatic environment: A systematic review

Among treatment technologies for microplastic removal from water, membrane bioreactors achieved the highest efficiency (>99%), followed by activated sludge (~98%) and rapid sand filtration (~97%), while hybrid treatment approaches showed the best overall removal performance.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 238 citations
Review Tier 2

A review of microplastic removal from water and wastewater by membrane technologies

This review examines how membrane filtration technologies can remove microplastics from drinking water and wastewater. Researchers found that advanced membranes like nanofiltration, reverse osmosis, and membrane bioreactors are among the most effective methods for capturing microplastic particles that conventional treatment plants miss. The study compares membrane approaches with other removal methods and discusses the challenges of membrane fouling caused by microplastic accumulation.

2023 Water Science & Technology 146 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of polypropylene microplastics on the performance of membrane bioreactors in wastewater treatment

Researchers studied how polypropylene microplastics affect membrane bioreactors, a type of wastewater treatment system. They found that while these systems can effectively filter out microplastics, higher concentrations and smaller particle sizes caused membrane clogging and reduced treatment efficiency over time, which is important for designing better wastewater treatment facilities.

2025 Environmental Research 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics occurrence and fate in full-scale treatment wetlands

Researchers assessed microplastic occurrence and fate across full-scale treatment wetlands, finding that constructed wetlands effectively remove a significant proportion of MPs from wastewater but that removal efficiency varies with wetland design and MP characteristics.

2023 Water Research 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Review and future outlook for the removal of microplastics by physical, biological and chemical methods in water bodies and wastewaters

This review compares physical, biological, and chemical methods for removing microplastics from water and wastewater, including newer approaches like advanced membranes, bacterial degradation, and electrochemical treatment. Each method has trade-offs between removal efficiency, cost, and environmental impact, and no single technique currently solves the problem completely. The review emphasizes that developing effective microplastic removal technology is urgent for protecting both ecosystems and human drinking water supplies.

2025 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic removal and management strategies for wastewater treatment plants

This review examines how well different wastewater treatment technologies remove microplastics and what management strategies can improve performance. While conventional treatment plants can remove a large percentage of microplastics from water, the particles often end up concentrated in sewage sludge that gets applied to farmland. The study highlights the need for advanced treatment options and better management of biosolids to prevent microplastics from simply being transferred from water to soil.

2023 Chemosphere 133 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

Investigation of microplastics removal methods from aquatic environments

This review summarizes current methods for removing microplastics from water environments, including filtration, coagulation, biological degradation, and advanced oxidation. No single technique is fully effective, and the authors note that combining methods and improving wastewater treatment infrastructure is essential.

2021 Heritage and Sustainable Development ISSN 2712-0554 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro- and nanoplastics removal mechanisms in wastewater treatment plants: A review

This review examines how conventional wastewater treatment plants remove micro- and nanoplastics, and evaluates advanced technologies like membrane filtration and electrocoagulation that could improve removal rates. While existing treatment plants can capture most microplastics, they still release significant quantities into waterways through their enormous discharge volumes. The study highlights that biological treatment steps may also transform microplastics in potentially harmful ways that need further investigation.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 88 citations
Article Tier 2

Innovative technologies for removal of micro plastic: A review of recent advances

Researchers reviewed emerging technologies for removing microplastics from wastewater, covering filtration, coagulation, biological treatment, and other methods used at treatment plants. The review highlights which approaches show the most promise and calls for broader adoption and improved standardization so that microplastics are more consistently captured before they reach rivers, lakes, and oceans.

2024 Heliyon 55 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhanced Microplastics Removal from Paper Recycling Industry Wastewater Using Membrane Bioreactor Technology

A membrane bioreactor (MBR) system was evaluated for removing microplastics from paper recycling industry wastewater, achieving high removal efficiencies by combining biological treatment with membrane filtration to prevent MP discharge into receiving water bodies.

2025 Nature Environment and Pollution Technology
Article Tier 2

Conventional and Advanced Treatment Technologies for Microplastics in Water Treatment Facilities

This review evaluated both conventional and advanced water treatment methods for removing microplastics from wastewater. Researchers found that while techniques like coagulation, filtration, and membrane bioreactors can remove most microplastics, treatment plants still release significant quantities due to the sheer volume of water processed, and microplastic-laden sludge applied to farmland creates another pathway for environmental contamination.

2024 Preprints.org 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Optimization of microplastic removal based on the complementarity of constructed wetland and microalgal-based system

This review examines how constructed wetlands and microalgal-based systems can each remove microplastics from wastewater, along with the limitations of using either approach alone. Researchers found that microplastic accumulation can block wetland substrates and inhibit nitrogen removal, while microalgae face separation challenges in effluent. The study proposes combining both biotechnologies to expand the size range of microplastics removed and improve long-term wastewater treatment sustainability.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 13 citations
Article Tier 2

The application of bioremediation in wastewater treatment plants for microplastics removal: a practical perspective

This review assessed strategies for incorporating bioremediation into wastewater treatment plants specifically targeting microplastic removal, including bioaugmentation with microplastic-degrading microorganisms. The authors identified potential in using biofilm reactors and enhanced biological treatment but noted that microbial degradation of common polymers in wastewater timeframes remains limited.

2022 Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering 44 citations