Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Modelling of Diffusiophoretic Motion for Microplastic Filtration in Microchannel Flows.

Researchers developed microchannel designs that harness diffusiophoresis -- particle motion driven by electrolyte solute gradients in a cross-flow orientation -- to filter micrometer-sized particles such as microplastics from water. The modeling study demonstrates the potential of this mechanism to enable low-cost, decentralized water filtration without energy-intensive pressure-driven systems.

2024
Article Tier 2

Model analysis of electroflotation water treatment of wastewater containing microplastics

This study developed a mathematical model describing how electroflotation can remove microplastics from wastewater, identifying key factors affecting efficiency. Better process models help optimize treatment systems for removing plastic particles before they enter waterways.

2023 Journal of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences
Article Tier 2

Filtering and continuously separating microplastics from water using electric field gradients formed electrochemically in the absence of buffer

Scientists developed a microfluidic system that uses electric fields to continuously separate particles — including microplastics — from water flow without chemical additives. Electric field-based separation could offer a low-energy, chemical-free approach to removing microplastics from water streams.

2021 Chemical Science 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic separation and enrichment in microchannels under derivative electric field gradient by bipolar electrode reactions

Researchers used microfluidic channels equipped with bipolar electrodes to create electric field gradients that efficiently separate and concentrate microplastic particles from water at the microscale. Computer simulations optimized the channel design and voltage settings, offering a potential precision tool for removing microplastics from aquatic environments.

2024 Scientific Reports 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Separation and trapping of nanoparticles using pressure-driven flow and electrokinetic transport in micro- and nanochannels

Researchers investigated the separation and trapping of nanoparticles in micro- and nanochannels using combined pressure-driven flow and electrokinetic transport, exploring these techniques as potential methods for detecting and recovering nanoplastics dispersed in aquatic environments.

2025 Mechanical Engineering Journal
Article Tier 2

Performance of Electrified MXene Membranes in Real Wastewater Applications

Researchers investigated the performance of electrified MXene-based membranes for nanoplastic removal from real wastewater, finding that applying an electric field significantly improved nanoplastic rejection through electrostatic repulsion and electrocoagulation mechanisms while also increasing water flux compared to non-electrified conditions.

2025 Global NEST International Conference on Environmental Science & Technology
Article Tier 2

Electrified membranes for microplastic fouling mitigation

This study explored electrified membranes as a solution to the severe fouling of water treatment membranes caused by microplastics. Applying electrical current to membranes can repel negatively charged microplastics, reducing clogging and improving the efficiency of microplastic removal from drinking water.

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

The exploitation of bio-electrochemical system and microplastics removal: Possibilities and perspectives

This review explores bio-electrochemical systems as a sustainable alternative for removing microplastics from water, since current removal methods are costly, energy-intensive, and can release toxic chemicals. Bio-electrochemical systems use microorganisms to generate electricity while simultaneously treating wastewater, offering a cleaner approach. Though still in early research stages, this technology could provide an efficient and environmentally friendly way to reduce microplastic contamination in water supplies.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 14 citations
Article Tier 2

DC Versus AC Electrokinetic-Driven Strategy Coupled with a Miniaturized Electrochemical-SERS Hydrogel Chip toward Dynamic Monitoring of Microplastics

DC versus AC electrokinetic strategies coupled with microfluidic devices were compared for separating and concentrating microplastics from water samples. The study advances electrokinetic methods as efficient tools for microplastic extraction and preconcentration ahead of analysis.

2025 Analytical Chemistry 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of microplastic particle transmission in a microfiltration process using fluorescence measurements: Effect of pore size and flux

Researchers evaluated how microplastic particles are transmitted through a microfluidic device under controlled flow conditions, finding that particle size, shape, and surface properties influenced transport and deposition rates. The results provide fundamental data for modeling microplastic behavior in small-scale water systems.

2024 Journal of Membrane Science 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Focusing, sorting, and separating microplastics by serial faradaic ion concentration polarization

Researchers demonstrated a microfluidic technique that uses electric fields to continuously separate two types of microplastic particles in flowing water. This lab-on-chip approach could be developed into tools for monitoring or removing specific microplastic types from water treatment systems.

2020 Chemical Science 54 citations
Article Tier 2

Utilizing Electrosorption for Efficient Removal of Polyethylene Microplastics from Water: Critical Factors and Mechanistic Insights

Researchers developed an electrosorption method using graphite felt electrodes to remove tiny polyethylene microplastics from water. By optimizing voltage, flow rate, and salt concentration, they achieved a removal efficiency of nearly 97%. The study lays groundwork for a scalable technology that could help capture microplastics that slip through conventional wastewater treatment systems.

2025 ACS ES&T Engineering 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Surface Charge Regulation of Nanoplastics in Aquatic Environments

Researchers developed a coupled mathematical model integrating electrostatic and diffusion equations to predict how environmental factors regulate the surface charge of nanoplastics in aquatic systems. The model revealed that pH, ionic strength, and dissolved organic matter all critically influence nanoplastic surface charge, governing their aggregation and transport behavior.

2025 The Journal of Physical Chemistry B
Article Tier 2

Modeling and multi-objective optimization of forward osmosis process

Researchers developed and optimized a mathematical model for forward osmosis processes used in wastewater treatment and seawater desalination. The study demonstrated that gradient-based optimization with temperature- and agent-dependent parameters can improve process efficiency, which is relevant to membrane technologies that may help address microplastic contamination in water systems.

2024 Desalination 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Electro-coagulation pretreatment for improving nanofiltration membrane performance during reclamation of microplastic-contaminated secondary effluent: unexpectedly enhanced membrane fouling and mechanism analysis by MD-DFT simulation

Researchers evaluated electro-coagulation as a pretreatment step for improving nanofiltration membrane performance during treatment of microplastic-contaminated wastewater. They found that at low electrical current, the pretreatment unexpectedly worsened membrane fouling because residual microplastics provided habitats for microbes that secreted sticky metabolites. At higher current levels, however, electro-coagulation effectively eliminated the negative effects of microplastics, revealing the importance of optimizing treatment parameters.

2024 Chemical Engineering Journal 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Diffusiophoresis: a novel transport mechanism - fundamentals, applications, and future opportunities

This paper is not primarily about microplastics. It reviews diffusiophoresis, a physical transport mechanism where particles move in response to chemical concentration gradients, covering both fundamental science and applications in water filtration, drug delivery, and biological systems. While the removal of microplastics is briefly mentioned as one potential application of active diffusiophoresis, the paper is a broad physics review rather than a study of microplastic pollution.

2023 Frontiers in Sensors 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of Microplastics on the Flow-Through Electro-Peroxone Process: A Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation

Researchers used computational fluid dynamics simulations to examine how microplastics affect mass transfer in a flow-through electro-peroxone advanced oxidation process, finding that microplastic presence alters fluid dynamics and contaminant removal efficiency in ways that static experimental measurements cannot easily capture.

2024 ACS ES&T Water
Article Tier 2

Innovative prototype for the mitigation of water pollution from microplastics to safeguard the environment and health

Researchers developed an innovative prototype device for removing microplastics from water through a combination of filtration and electrocoagulation, demonstrating high MP removal efficiency from both synthetic and real water samples in controlled trials.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment
Article Tier 2

Pollutant dispersion and nanoparticle dynamics in magnetized bioconvection for sustainable water treatment

This theoretical study proposes a water treatment system that combines magnetic fields with microorganism-driven fluid dynamics (bioconvection) to improve the removal of nanoscale pollutants including microplastics. Mathematical modeling shows that applying a magnetic field slows fluid velocity in ways that can enhance pollutant capture, while bacteria distribute themselves in patterns that aid dispersal and removal. Although still at the theoretical stage, the approach offers a potential framework for more energy-efficient water purification technologies capable of targeting the very smallest plastic particles.

2025 Scientific Reports 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Towards a More Sustainable Water Treatment: Design of a Hydrodynamic Test Rig and Testing of a Novel Microplastic Filter Using Biomimetics

Researchers designed a hydrodynamic test rig and a novel biomimetic microplastic filter inspired by aquatic filter-feeding organisms, aiming to improve solid-liquid separation in water treatment. The study demonstrates how biological filtration strategies can inform more sustainable industrial microplastic removal approaches.

2024 Sustainability
Article Tier 2

Removal and Fouling Influence of Microplastics in Fertilizer Driven Forward Osmosis for Wastewater Reclamation

Forward osmosis driven by fertilizer draw solution was found to efficiently remove micro- and nanoplastics while producing irrigation-quality water, though microplastics caused membrane fouling that reduced water flux over time, requiring further optimization for practical implementation.

2021 Membranes 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of microplastics from wastewater through electrocoagulation-electroflotation and membrane filtration processes

Researchers investigated electrocoagulation-electroflotation and membrane filtration for removing microplastics from wastewater, finding that combining these processes effectively recovers microplastic particles from treatment plant effluent.

2021 Water Science & Technology 149 citations
Article Tier 2

Direct membrane filtration for wastewater treatment and resource recovery: A review

Researchers review direct membrane filtration technologies — including pressure-driven, osmotic, thermal, and electrically driven processes — for wastewater treatment and nutrient recovery, evaluating treatment efficiency and identifying membrane fouling as the primary operational challenge, with physical and chemical cleaning strategies highlighted as key to long-term viability.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 602 citations
Article Tier 2

Utilizing Electrosorptionfor Efficient Removal ofPolyethylene Microplastics from Water: Critical Factors and MechanisticInsights

An electrosorption method was developed to remove polyethylene microplastics from wastewater, demonstrating improved removal efficiency compared to conventional treatment, especially for smaller particles that typically escape standard wastewater treatment plants.

2025 Figshare