Papers

20 results
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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

Simultaneous removal of Microcystis aeruginosa and microplastics by oxidation enhanced coagulation

A water treatment study found that combining hydrogen peroxide-enhanced iron coagulation simultaneously removed over 90% of both the harmful cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa and polystyrene microplastics from water, with algae biomass actually improving microplastic removal efficiency. This dual-contaminant treatment approach is promising for drinking water utilities that face both algal blooms and microplastic contamination.

2024 Environmental Pollution 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Coagulation performance and mechanism of different hydrolyzed aluminum species for the removal of composite pollutants of polyethylene and humic acid

Researchers examined how different forms of hydrolyzed aluminum coagulants remove polyethylene microplastics and humic acid from water. The study found that when humic acid adsorbs onto microplastic surfaces, it changes the removal dynamics, and polyaluminum chloride with hexagonal clusters achieved the best microplastic removal through adsorption bridging and sweeping mechanisms.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of Different Coagulants on Microplastics Removal

Researchers compared the effectiveness of different coagulants—including aluminum sulfate, ferric chloride, and polyaluminum chloride—for removing microplastics from water, finding significant performance differences dependent on plastic particle size, charge, and coagulant dose.

2025 The Knowledge Bank (The Ohio State University)
Article Tier 2

Understanding and characteristics of coagulation removal of composite pollution of microplastic and norfloxacin during water treatment

The coagulation removal of microplastics and the antibiotic norfloxacin together was studied in a water treatment context, finding that the presence of microplastics altered the coagulation behavior of norfloxacin and that their combined removal was less effective than treating either pollutant alone. The results highlight composite pollution as a challenge for conventional water treatment processes.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 61 citations
Article Tier 2

Heterogeneous aggregation between microplastics and microalgae: May provide new insights for microplastics removal

Researchers investigated heterogeneous aggregation between microplastics and various microalgal species, elucidating the formation process and influencing factors, which may provide new insights for developing microplastic removal strategies from aquatic environments.

2023 Aquatic Toxicology 42 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of microplastics from secondary wastewater treatment plant effluent by coagulation/flocculation with iron, aluminum and polyamine-based chemicals

Researchers tested iron, aluminum, and polyamine-based coagulants for removing small microplastics (<10 µm) from secondary wastewater treatment plant effluent, finding that coagulation-flocculation can remove a substantial fraction but that efficiency varies by chemical and particle size.

2020 Water Research 340 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 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
Article Tier 2

Revealing the influencing mechanisms of polystyrene microplastics (MPs) on the performance and stability of the algal-bacterial granular sludge

Researchers investigated how polystyrene microplastics affect algal-bacterial granular sludge used in wastewater treatment, finding that the sludge removed over 96% of incoming microplastics but that microplastics inhibited COD removal by 2.6 to 4.1% and total phosphorus removal by 2.9 to 5.8%. Structural stability was compromised through oxidative stress, altered protein composition, and reduced abundance of key functional bacteria.

2022 Bioresource Technology 73 citations
Article Tier 2

Comprehensive effects of microplastics on algae-laden surface water treatment by coagulation-ultrafiltration combined process: Algae cultivation, coagulation performance and membrane fouling development

Researchers studied how microplastics affect the treatment of algae-contaminated drinking water using a combined filtration process. They found that microplastics initially stimulated algae growth by 58% but then suppressed the algae's release of organic compounds, and the plastics actually helped form larger clumps during water treatment. While microplastics complicated the treatment process in some ways, understanding these interactions is important for ensuring drinking water plants can effectively remove both algae and microplastics.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 17 citations
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

The interaction mechanisms of algal organic matter (AOM) and various types and aging degrees of microplastics

This study examined the interaction mechanisms between algal organic matter and microplastics of varying types and ages, finding that organic matter composition and plastic surface properties jointly determine adsorption affinity and the nature of plastic-AOM complexes.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 7 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

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

The Inhibition of Microcystin Adsorption by Microplastics in the Presence of Algal Organic Matters

Researchers found that polyethylene, polystyrene, and polymethyl methacrylate microplastics can adsorb microcystin MC-LR from water, but the presence of algal intracellular organic matter (IOM) reduced this adsorption by up to 22.7% due to competitive binding, suggesting that microplastic uptake of harmful natural toxins is likely overestimated in realistic aquatic conditions.

2022 Toxics 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Efficient removal of microplastic particles from wastewater through formation of heteroagglomerates during the activated sludge process

Researchers found that across diverse microplastic polymer types, shapes, and sizes, more than 90% of spiked microplastic particles were incorporated into activated sludge flocs within 15 minutes of aeration and mixing during the wastewater treatment process. The similar removal behavior across all MP variants was attributed to near-neutral zeta potentials in filtered wastewater, suggesting van der Waals forces drive heteroagglomerate formation regardless of microplastic properties.

2025
Article Tier 2

Interplay of plastic pollution with algae and plants: hidden danger or a blessing?

Researchers tested the ability of three microalgae species to remove microplastics from water through bioadhesion, finding that all three species could adsorb particles onto their surfaces. Removal efficiency depended on particle size, surface charge, and algae cell morphology.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 65 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal and toxic forecast of microplastics treated by electrocoagulation: Influence of dissolved organic matter

Electrocoagulation was evaluated for removing microplastics from water, with researchers investigating how co-pollutants and water chemistry affect removal efficiency and identifying the degradation products and toxicity of residual MPs post-treatment. The method showed high removal rates under optimized conditions but generated some toxic byproducts that require further management.

2022 Chemosphere 45 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhancing nano and microplastics destabilization: Synergistic effects of natural mucin and conventional coagulants in water and wastewater treatment

Researchers investigated whether combining jellyfish mucus with conventional water treatment coagulants could improve removal of micro- and nanoplastics from water. The synergistic combination achieved over 90% removal efficiency with settling times under 5 minutes, outperforming either agent alone by leveraging bridging and entrapment mechanisms.

2025 Environmental Technology & Innovation 2 citations