Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Understanding and Improving Microplastic Removal during Water Treatment: Impact of Coagulation and Flocculation

Researchers systematically tested coagulation and flocculation for removing microplastics from drinking water, finding that removal efficiency depended strongly on plastic particle size and whether particles had been weathered, with smaller pristine particles being the hardest to remove.

2020 Environmental Science & Technology 424 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic removal by coagulation: a review of optimizing the reaction conditions and mechanisms

This review examines recent advances in using coagulation to remove microplastics from water and wastewater, analyzing how factors like coagulant type, dosage, pH, and particle shape affect removal efficiency. Researchers found that optimizing these reaction conditions is critical for maximizing microplastic removal while reducing energy costs. The study highlights significant knowledge gaps in understanding the mechanisms behind coagulation-based microplastic removal and calls for more extensive research.

2023 Water Emerging Contaminants & Nanoplastics 47 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent innovations in microplastics and nanoplastics removal by coagulation technique: Implementations, knowledge gaps and prospects

This review evaluates coagulation, a water treatment technique that uses chemicals to clump particles together for easier removal, as a method for eliminating microplastics and nanoplastics from water. Researchers found that coagulation can effectively remove these plastic particles, especially when combined with other treatment steps, but performance varies based on plastic size, shape, and water chemistry. The study identifies key knowledge gaps and recommends further research to optimize coagulation for real-world microplastic removal.

2023 Water Research 71 citations
Review Tier 2

Microplastic removal by coagulation/flocculation: A review and bibliometric analysis

This review of existing research found that a common water treatment method called coagulation (where chemicals help clump particles together so they can be removed) works well at filtering out microplastics from drinking water and wastewater. The treatment is especially good at removing larger microplastic pieces, but struggles with the tiniest ones under 10 micrometers. This matters because microplastics are showing up everywhere in our water supply, and this research suggests we already have proven technology that could help reduce our exposure to these plastic particles.

2026 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances
Article Tier 2

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.

2023 Materials 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment and Optimization of Coagulation Process in Water Treatment Plant: A Review

This review assessed coagulation processes in water treatment plants, examining how factors like coagulant type, dosage, pH, and mixing conditions can be optimized to improve removal of turbidity, organic matter, and emerging contaminants including microplastics.

2022 ASEAN Journal of Science and Engineering 34 citations
Article Tier 2

The influence of coagulation process conditions on theefficiency of microplastic removal in water treatment

Researchers investigated how coagulation process conditions — including coagulant type, pH, and microsand addition — affect the removal of polyethylene, PVC, and textile microfibers from river water, municipal wastewater, laundry effluent, and synthetic matrices. Ferric chloride and polyaluminum chloride both achieved substantial removal, with performance varying significantly by water matrix and microplastic type.

2025 National Repository of Dissertations in Serbia
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Recent advances in microplastic removal from drinking water by coagulation: Removal mechanisms and influencing factors

A meta-analysis and random forest model found that coagulation can effectively remove microplastics from drinking water, with particle shape being the most important factor affecting removal efficiency, followed by coagulant type and dosage. Charge neutralization is the dominant mechanism for small microplastics, while adsorption bridging and sweeping work better for larger particles.

2024 Environmental Pollution 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Coagulation technologies for separation of microplastics in water: current status

This review examines how coagulation water treatment technologies can remove microplastics from water. Conventional coagulation achieves 8-98% removal efficiency while electrocoagulation achieves 8-99%, depending on conditions, offering a potentially effective approach for reducing microplastics in drinking water and wastewater.

2023 Journal of Physics Conference Series
Article Tier 2

Evaluating theEfficiency of Enhanced Coagulationfor Nanoplastics Removal Using Flow Cytometry

Researchers evaluated the efficiency of enhanced coagulation for removing nanoplastics from water using flow cytometry as a quantification tool, addressing the interconnected challenges of nanoplastic removal and detection in conventional water treatment systems.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

The removal of microplastics from water by coagulation: A comprehensive review

This review comprehensively examined coagulation as a technology for removing microplastics from drinking water and wastewater treatment plants, analyzing the mechanisms, influencing factors, and effectiveness of different coagulants for microplastic removal.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 151 citations
Article Tier 2

Tailored cellulose-based flocculants for microplastics removal: Mechanistic insights, pH influence, and efficiency optimization

Researchers developed plant-derived (cellulose-based) flocculants that clump microplastics together so they can be more easily removed from water, finding that a low concentration of 0.001 g/mL was optimal and that both electrical charge and water-repelling interactions drive the process depending on the type of plastic.

2025 Powder Technology 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Size and Shape Distribution of Microplastics in PET Recycled Wastewater and Their Removal Behavior during the Coagulation–Flocculation Process

Researchers investigated the size and shape distribution of microplastics in wastewater from a PET recycling facility and evaluated removal efficiency through coagulation-flocculation, finding that fragment-shaped and medium-sized particles were most abundant and most effectively removed. The study demonstrates that coagulation-flocculation is a strong candidate for controlling microplastic release from plastic recycling facilities.

2025 Journal of Engineering Science and Technology Management (JES-TM)
Article Tier 2

Microplastic removal in batch and dynamic coagulation-flocculation-sedimentation systems is controlled by floc size

This study found that microplastic removal during water treatment is strongly controlled by coagulant dosage and operating conditions, with sweep flocculation at higher dosages achieving much better removal than charge-neutralization regimes used at lower dosages.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of coagulation characteristics on the aggregation of microplastics in upper-ocean turbulence

This study investigated how coagulation conditions affect microplastic aggregation in water treatment, finding that coagulant type and dose significantly influence floc formation with plastic particles and ultimately removal efficiency.

2024 Advances in Water Resources 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics removal by coagulation: cutting-edge coagulants and coagulation processes

This review examines how coagulation, a water treatment process that clumps particles together for easier removal, can be used to filter microplastics from water. Researchers summarize recent advances in coagulant materials, including novel hybrid formulations, and the factors that influence their effectiveness. The study highlights coagulation as a practical and scalable approach for addressing microplastic contamination in water treatment systems.

2024 Pigment & Resin Technology 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluating the Efficiency of Enhanced Coagulation for Nanoplastics Removal Using Flow Cytometry

Flow cytometry was used to quantify fluorescently labeled nanoplastics removal during enhanced coagulation-flocculation water treatment, demonstrating that this technique enables accurate detection and process optimization for nanoplastic removal in drinking water treatment.

2025 ACS ES&T Water 3 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

Chemical Coagulation Applied for the Removal of Polyethylene and Expanded Polystyrene Microplastics

Researchers evaluated the use of aluminum sulfate-based coagulation and flocculation processes for removing polyethylene and expanded polystyrene microplastics from water. The study used factorial experimental designs to optimize treatment conditions including coagulant dosage and pH, demonstrating the potential of chemical coagulation as a microplastic removal strategy.

2023 Journal of Ecological Engineering 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Fate and transformation of microplastics due to electrocoagulation treatment: Impacts of polymer type and shape

Researchers tested how electrocoagulation, a cost-effective water treatment method, removes and transforms different types and shapes of microplastics. They found that the technique removed over 88 percent of microplastics overall, with fibers being captured more effectively than fragments. The treatment also caused physical and chemical changes to the plastic surfaces, indicating that electrocoagulation both removes and partially degrades microplastic pollutants.

2023 Environmental Pollution 60 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
Article Tier 2

Investigating the Potential of Coagulants to Improve Microplastics Removal in Wastewater and Tap Water

Researchers found that adding coagulants (FeCl3 or Al2(SO4)3) to wastewater and tap water improved microplastic removal, with aluminum sulfate achieving 43% and 62% removal efficiencies respectively, though the high concentrations required suggest that combining coagulants with organic polyelectrolytes could improve practicality.

2025 Microplastics
Article Tier 2

Optimization of polypropylene microplastics removal using conventional coagulants in drinking water treatment plants via response surface methodology

Researchers optimized coagulation of polypropylene microplastics from drinking water using polyaluminium chloride as coagulant and response surface methodology to identify optimal conditions. The maximum predicted removal rate under optimal conditions (pH 9, 200 ppm PACl, 21 ppm polyacrylamide) was approximately 19.7% for the smallest microplastic size tested, indicating that conventional coagulation alone has limited effectiveness for polypropylene microplastics.

2022 Journal of Environmental Health Science and Engineering 19 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