Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Uncovering the performance and intrinsic mechanism of different hydrolyzed AlTi species in polystyrene nanoplastics coagulation

Researchers systematically compared how different aluminum-titanium coagulant species remove nanoplastics from water, finding that polymeric AlTi species outperform monomeric ones by achieving 95% turbidity removal at lower doses through a combination of charge neutralization and chemical complexation with the nanoplastic surface.

2024 Water Research 6 citations
Article Tier 2

New insights into the fate and interaction mechanisms of hydrolyzed aluminum-titanium species in the removal of aged polystyrene

Researchers investigated the interaction between polyaluminum-titanium chloride composite coagulant species and aged polystyrene microplastics, revealing how species transformation during coagulation affects the removal efficiency of microplastics from water.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Improving nanoplastic removal by coagulation: Impact mechanism of particle size and water chemical conditions

Researchers found that coagulation using aluminum chlorohydrate and polyacrylamide achieved up to 98.5% removal efficiency for polystyrene nanoplastics, with smaller particles being easier to remove, though humic acid in water competed for adsorption sites and reduced effectiveness.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 112 citations
Article Tier 2

Microcosmic mechanism analysis of the combined pollution of aged polystyrene with humic acid and its efficient removal by a composite coagulant

Researchers analyzed how aged polystyrene interacts with humic acid at the molecular level and developed a novel polyaluminum-titanium chloride composite coagulant that effectively removes these combined pollutants from water across different pH conditions.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of dissolved organic matter characteristics and inorganic species on the stability and removal by coagulation of nanoplastics in aqueous media

Researchers investigated how dissolved organic matter type and ionic composition affect the stability and coagulation removal of nanoplastics, finding that biopolymers rich in proteins and carbohydrates most effectively stabilize particles through steric repulsion, while polymer aluminum chloride (PACl) outperforms alum as a coagulant in the presence of organic matter.

2024 Chemosphere 7 citations
Article Tier 2

The suitability and mechanism of polyaluminum-titanium chloride composite coagulant (PATC) for polystyrene microplastic removal: Structural characterization and theoretical calculation

Researchers developed a new coagulant (a chemical that clumps particles together for removal) that effectively removes polystyrene microplastics from water. The composite coagulant worked better than standard water treatment chemicals across a wider range of water conditions, using hydrogen bonding to capture the plastic particles. This technology could improve drinking water treatment plants' ability to filter out microplastics before water reaches consumers.

2023 Water Research 74 citations
Article Tier 2

Surface characteristics of polystyrene microplastics mainly determine their coagulation performances

Researchers evaluated polyaluminum sulfate coagulant for removing polystyrene microplastics from water, achieving 90.4% removal at optimal dosage. Surface characteristics of microplastics including density, particle size, and adsorbed substances significantly influenced coagulation efficiency.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 50 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of Microplastics on the Coagulation Mechanism of Polyaluminum–Titanium Chloride Composite Coagulant for Organic Matter Removal Revealed by Optical Spectroscopy

This study investigated how microplastics interfere with a water treatment coagulant (PATC) designed to remove dissolved organic matter from drinking water. High concentrations of aged polystyrene microplastics competed with organic matter for active binding sites on the coagulant, reducing its effectiveness at removing certain compounds while also slowing the breakdown of its most reactive component. The results show microplastics in source water can compromise the efficiency of conventional water purification processes.

2024 ACS ES&T Engineering 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Aggregation of carboxyl-modified polystyrene nanoplastics in water with aluminum chloride: Structural characterization and theoretical calculation

Aluminum chloride coagulation effectively removed carboxyl-modified polystyrene nanoplastics from water, with structural characterization and theoretical calculations showing that charge neutralization and sweep flocculation mechanisms both contributed to aggregation and sedimentation of the nanoplastics.

2021 Water Research 83 citations
Article Tier 2

Coagulation of TiO2, CeO2 nanoparticles, and polystyrene nanoplastics in bottled mineral and surface waters. Effect of water properties, coagulant type, and dosage

Polyaluminum chloride was more effective than iron chloride at coagulating TiO2, CeO2 nanoparticles, and polystyrene nanoplastics in drinking water sources, requiring lower doses to achieve particle removal. Nanoplastics were harder to coagulate than metal oxide nanoparticles, indicating that current water treatment practices may inadequately remove plastic nanoparticles from drinking water.

2020 Water Environment Research 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics removal from natural surface water by coagulation process

Researchers compared the effectiveness of ferrous and aluminum sulfate coagulants for removing microplastics from natural surface water, finding that both successfully removed polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride particles. Ferrous sulfate showed slightly higher removal efficiency, and the addition of coagulant aids further improved results. The study demonstrates that conventional coagulation processes already used in drinking water treatment can meaningfully reduce microplastic contamination.

2024 Desalination and Water Treatment 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of surface functional groups of polystyrene micro/nano plastics on the release of NOM from flocs during the aging process

Researchers studied how polystyrene micro- and nanoparticles with different surface functional groups affect the release of natural organic matter from coagulation flocs during aging. They found that smaller nanoparticles had a greater impact on natural organic matter release than larger microplastics. The study highlights a hidden risk in water treatment, where microplastics in the coagulation process could compromise the effectiveness of removing organic contaminants from drinking water.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Phenolic-modified cationic polymers as coagulants for microplastic removal

Researchers developed phenolic-modified cationic polymer coagulants inspired by natural metal-phenolic coordination chemistry, achieving over 90% removal of polystyrene microplastics from water. The surface modification approach simplified the two-step coagulation process and expanded the range of effective coagulant materials.

2022 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal behaviors and mechanism of polystyrene microplastics by coagulation/ultrafiltration process: Co-effects of humic acid

Researchers investigated coagulation-ultrafiltration for removing polystyrene microplastics from drinking water, finding that aluminum-based coagulants achieved over 92% removal efficiency and that humic acid co-presence affected the removal mechanism and membrane fouling.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 45 citations
Article Tier 2

The heteroaggregation and deposition behavior of nanoplastics on Al2O3 in aquatic environments

Researchers systematically investigated heteroaggregation between polystyrene nanoplastics and aluminum oxide particles in aquatic environments, finding significant aggregation under acidic and neutral conditions that increased with ionic strength. Humic acid and fulvic acid inhibited deposition of nanoplastics onto aluminum oxide surfaces through charge reversal and steric repulsion, with humic acid being more effective.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of environmental and biological macromolecules on aggregation kinetics of nanoplastics in aquatic systems

Researchers studied how natural macromolecules like humic acid, alginate, and proteins influence the clumping behavior of polystyrene nanoplastics in water. They found that these macromolecules generally stabilized nanoplastics in sodium chloride solutions but caused them to aggregate in calcium chloride solutions, with effects varying by pH. The findings suggest that the environmental fate and transport of nanoplastics in natural waters depends heavily on the surrounding organic molecules and water chemistry.

2020 Water Research 135 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined effects of photoaging and natural organic matter on the colloidal stability of nanoplastics in aquatic environments

Researchers found that photoaging of polystyrene nanoplastics alters how natural organic matter interacts with their surfaces — reducing humic acid adsorption while increasing protein adsorption — with downstream effects on the nanoplastics' stability and transport in aquatic environments.

2022 Water Research 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhancing microplastic removal from natural water using coagulant aids

Researchers tested different chemical treatments for removing microplastic beads from natural water and found that polyaluminium chloride combined with polyacrylamide achieved over 95% removal across six common plastic types. The treatment worked on particles ranging from 10 to 1,000 micrometers, and natural organic matter in the water actually improved performance. The findings suggest that optimizing standard water treatment processes could be a practical way to reduce microplastic contamination in drinking water sources.

2024 Chemosphere 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Role of Poly(Ionic Liquid) in Aggregation Behavior of Micro‐Particles in Aqueous Solvent

Researchers synthesized novel polymer-based flocculants (poly(ionic liquids)) that outperformed conventional aluminum-based coagulants in aggregating polypropylene and polystyrene microplastics from natural seawater, even under the high-salinity conditions where conventional treatments fail. Removing microplastics from marine environments is uniquely challenging because salt disrupts standard coagulation chemistry; these metal-free flocculants offer a more effective alternative. The work identifies a promising class of water treatment chemicals specifically suited to saltwater microplastic remediation.

2026 Journal of Applied Polymer Science
Article Tier 2

Efficiency and mechanism of micro- and nano-plastic removal with polymeric Al-Fe bimetallic coagulants: Role of Fe addition

Researchers investigated polymeric Al-Fe bimetallic coagulants for removing micro- and nanoplastics from drinking water, finding that iron addition enhanced nanoplastic removal efficiency through improved charge neutralization and floc formation mechanisms.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of natural organic matter and inorganic ions on the stabilization of polystyrene micro-particles

Researchers investigated how natural organic matter (NOM) and inorganic ions affect the stabilization and aggregation behavior of polystyrene nanoplastics in water, finding that NOM enhanced colloidal stability while high ionic strength promoted aggregation. The results indicate that water chemistry plays a dominant role in determining nanoplastic mobility and persistence in natural freshwater environments.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhanced Removal of Polystyrene Microplastics from Water Through Coagulation Using Polyaluminum Ferric Chloride with Coagulant Aids

Researchers tested enhanced coagulation using modified coagulants to remove polystyrene microplastics from water, finding that surface-modified coagulants achieved significantly higher removal efficiencies than conventional alum. Removal reached over 90% under optimized conditions, demonstrating a practical upgrade pathway for conventional water treatment plants to reduce microplastic discharge.

2024 Environmental Engineering Science 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and nanoplastics in water: Improving removal in wastewater treatment plants with alternative coagulants

Conventional water treatment plants that use alum as a coagulant become significantly less effective at removing microplastics and nanoplastics as water pH rises above 7.8, which is common in municipal wastewater. Switching to alternative coagulants — particularly aluminum chlorohydrate and cationic polyamine blends — maintained high removal rates at elevated pH, with nanoplastic removal reaching 71% and microfiber removal staying above 95%. The findings offer practical guidance for upgrading treatment plants to better capture plastic particles before they are discharged into waterways.

2024 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Phase transition of Mg/Al-flocs to Mg/Al-layered double hydroxides during flocculation and polystyrene nanoplastics removal

Researchers investigated how magnesium-aluminum layered double hydroxide flocs remove polystyrene nanoplastics from water, finding that electrostatic adsorption and intermolecular forces drive capture efficiency above 90%, with pH-dependent crystal formation playing a key role in the removal mechanism.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 83 citations