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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Integrating microplastic management into a broader wastewater decision-making framework. Is activated granular sludge (AGS) a game changer?
ClearEfficient removal of microplastic particles from wastewater through formation of heteroagglomerates during the activated sludge process
Microplastic particles were efficiently removed from wastewater using a novel treatment process, demonstrating high removal rates across different plastic sizes and polymer types. The technology contributes to the toolkit for preventing microplastic discharge from wastewater treatment plants into receiving waters.
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.
Mechanisms underlying the detrimental impact of micro(nano)plastics on the stability of aerobic granular sludge: Interactions between micro(nano)plastics and extracellular polymeric substances
Researchers found that both micro- and nanoplastics at realistic concentrations harmed the performance of aerobic granular sludge, a technology used for wastewater treatment, by reducing its ability to remove nitrogen. The plastic particles interacted with the sticky substances that hold the sludge granules together, weakening their structural integrity. The study reveals a specific mechanism by which plastic pollution can undermine wastewater treatment systems that communities rely on for clean water.
Microplastics removal through water treatment plants: Its feasibility, efficiency, future prospects and enhancement by proper waste management
Researchers reviewed over 80 studies on water treatment plant performance and found microplastic removal ranges widely — from 16% in basic primary treatment up to near 100% with advanced membrane systems — but a major flaw is that removed microplastics concentrate in sludge, which can re-enter the environment. The review recommends optimizing coagulants and sludge treatment to prevent microplastics from simply being relocated rather than eliminated.
Current progress of continuous-flow aerobic granular sludge: A critical review.
This review examines the development of continuous-flow aerobic granular sludge technology for wastewater treatment, which offers advantages over conventional systems in terms of compactness and energy efficiency. While focused on wastewater engineering, such systems are relevant to microplastic removal since wastewater treatment plants are a major pathway for microplastics entering the environment.
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.
The Effects of Microplastics on Floc Formation, Nutrient Removal and Settleability in Wastewater Treatment
Researchers investigated how microplastics affect floc formation, nutrient removal, and settleability in wastewater treatment systems, examining the mechanisms by which these ubiquitous anthropogenic pollutants entering via packaging, cosmetics, and other production sectors disrupt activated sludge processes.
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.
Selection of a sustainable treatment process for removal of microplastics from wastewater by axiomatic design and PROMETHEE
Researchers compared multiple water treatment processes for microplastic removal and identified selection criteria for sustainable treatment approaches, finding that coagulation-flocculation, membrane filtration, and biological treatment each offered different trade-offs in cost, efficiency, and byproduct generation.
The Effects of Microplastics on Floc Formation, Nutrient Removal and Settleability in Wastewater Treatment
Researchers examined the interactions of microplastics with activated sludge in wastewater treatment plants, investigating effects on floc formation, nutrient removal efficiency, and settleability to understand how microplastic contamination may compromise treatment performance.
Recent approaches and advanced wastewater treatment technologies for mitigating emerging microplastics contamination – A critical review
This review critically assessed advanced wastewater treatment technologies for removing microplastics, noting that conventional treatment plants act as both barriers and point sources for microplastic release into the environment. The study suggests that advanced treatment approaches such as membrane filtration and advanced oxidation processes show promise for improving microplastic removal efficiency from wastewater.
Effects of degradable and non-degradable microplastics on SPNEDPR-AGS system: Sludge characteristics, nutrient transformation, key enzyme, and microbial community
Researchers examined how degradable and non-degradable microplastics affect an aerobic granular sludge (AGS) wastewater treatment system, measuring impacts on granule formation, microbial community, and treatment performance. Degradable microplastics caused more pronounced disruption to the AGS system than conventional non-degradable plastics.
Distribution and removal mechanism of microplastics in urban wastewater plants systems via different processes
Researchers compared the microplastic removal efficiency of three wastewater treatment technologies and found that the anaerobic-anoxic-oxic process achieved the highest removal rate at 83.9%. Most microplastics were transferred to sludge during primary and secondary treatment stages, with dehydrated sludge containing significant concentrations. The study highlights that while wastewater treatment plants effectively intercept most microplastics, they also redistribute contamination to sludge, which may become a secondary pollution source.
Effects of microplastics on granular sludge: A review
This review examined how microplastics affect granular sludge properties and wastewater treatment efficiency in biological treatment systems, with wastewater plants considered major sinks for microplastics. The review found that harmful effects on granular characteristics are closely associated with microplastic size and concentration, summarizing how MPs disrupt granule formation and settleability.
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.
Removing microplastics from wastewater using leading-edge treatment technologies: a solution to microplastic pollution—a review
This review examined leading-edge treatment technologies for removing microplastics from wastewater, as treatment plants are a major pathway for microplastics entering the environment. Researchers evaluated various advanced treatment methods including membrane filtration, advanced oxidation, and electrocoagulation for their microplastic removal efficiency. The study suggests that combining multiple treatment approaches may be necessary to effectively reduce microplastic discharge from wastewater systems.
Micro- and nanoplastics in granular sludge systems: mechanisms of disruption, retention, and microbial adaptation in wastewater treatment technologies
This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics disrupt the biological systems used to treat wastewater, focusing on granular sludge technologies. Plastic particles damage the microbial communities that break down waste by causing oxidative stress and breaking apart the protective structures that hold bacteria together. This matters because if wastewater treatment becomes less effective due to plastic contamination, more pollutants including microplastics could pass through into waterways that supply drinking water.
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.
Impact of the concentration and type of microplastics on the treatment efficiency and biomass structure in aerobic granular sludge reactors
Researchers investigated how polyethylene terephthalate and polyethylene microplastics at varying concentrations affect treatment efficiency, granule morphology, extracellular polymer production, microbial species composition, and metabolic activity in aerobic granular sludge reactors used for wastewater treatment. The study tested four hypotheses regarding MP effects on both the biological performance and structural integrity of aerobic granular sludge as a promising technology for MP-contaminated wastewater.
Selection of bacterial strains to bioaugment granular sludge and improve the removal of recalcitrant pollutants
This study evaluated bacterial strains that can be added to granular sludge in wastewater treatment plants to improve removal of hard-to-treat pollutants. Enhanced biological treatment could improve removal of microplastics and associated contaminants from wastewater before discharge.
Targeting nanoplastic and microplastic in wastewater
Researchers established a novel correlation between nanoplastic removal and total suspended solids (TSS) reduction during aggregation-based wastewater treatment, successfully predicting nanoplastic removal across a wide range of polymer types, sizes, surface functionalisations, and ageing histories under 41 different treatment conditions. The work addresses a key methodological gap in monitoring nanosized plastic pollutants in wastewater effluent streams.
Micro- and nanoplastics removal from water and solid matrices: Technologies, challenges, and future perspectives
Researchers reviewed a decade of research on micro- and nanoplastic removal technologies across water and solid matrices, finding that conventional water treatment achieves over 80% microplastic removal but transfers most particles to sludge rather than degrading them, while advanced oxidation processes show strong degradation potential under controlled but not yet real-world conditions.
Understanding microplastic presence in different wastewater treatment processes: Removal efficiency and source identification
Researchers tracked microplastic removal across different treatment stages at two wastewater treatment plants and found overall removal rates of 90% and 97%. They discovered that population density in the served area was a bigger driver of influent microplastic levels than sewage volume, and that activated sludge served as the primary trap for captured particles. The study identified laundry washing and daily consumer products as the main sources of microplastics entering the treatment plants.
Enhancing Microplastics Removal from Wastewater Using Electro-Coagulation and Granule-Activated Carbon with Thermal Regeneration
Combining electrocoagulation with granular activated carbon treatment significantly improved microplastic removal from wastewater compared to standard treatment, achieving removal efficiencies above 95% and offering a feasible enhancement for sewage treatment plants.