Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Effects of different treatment processes in four municipal wastewater treatment plants on the transport and fate of microplastics

Researchers investigated microplastic transport and fate across four municipal wastewater treatment plants in southeastern China, finding that different treatment processes varied in their microplastic removal efficiency, with fibers and fragments as the dominant types.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 86 citations
Article Tier 2

[Research Advances in Removal Efficiency and Mechanism of Microplastics in Drinking Water Treatment Plants].

This Chinese-language review examined removal mechanisms and efficiency of microplastics in drinking water treatment systems, covering coagulation, filtration, and advanced treatment processes. It provided guidance on optimizing treatment plant operations to address microplastic contamination.

2024 PubMed
Article Tier 2

[Whole Process Analysis and Fate Behavior of Microplastics in Urban Wastewater Treatment Plants, Including their Occurrence Forms, Components, and Removal Efficiency].

A full-process analysis at a wastewater treatment plant in Hohhot, China found that fibrous microplastics were most abundant, accounting for 61.8 percent of total particles, with particle size and abundance changing across treatment stages. The study maps how microplastics migrate and what fraction is removed by each treatment step.

2024 PubMed 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and Removal of Microplastics in Tertiary Wastewater Treatment Plants: A Case Study of Three Plants in Zhengzhou, China

Researchers studied microplastic occurrence and removal efficiency at three wastewater treatment plants in Zhengzhou, China. The study found influent concentrations ranging from 147 to 289 particles per liter, with removal efficiencies between 76% and 91%, indicating that while treatment plants significantly reduce microplastic levels, substantial quantities still pass through to receiving waters.

2024 Processes 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and Characteristics of Microplastics in a Wastewater Treatment Plant

Researchers sampled the inflow, outflow, and sludge of a Chinese wastewater treatment plant, finding up to 44 microplastic particles per liter in incoming water — mostly polyester fibers. The plant removed about 96% of microplastics, but the remaining fraction was still discharged into receiving waterways.

2021 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Abundance and removal characteristics of microplastics at a wastewater treatment plant in Zhengzhou

Researchers investigated microplastic abundance and removal efficiency across treatment stages at a wastewater treatment plant in Zhengzhou, China, sampling sewage at each processing section to track migration and fate of microplastics. The study characterized removal rates and identified which treatment stages were most effective at capturing microplastic contaminants.

2020 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 77 citations
Article Tier 2

Abundance, morphology, and removal efficiency of microplastics in two wastewater treatment plants in Nanjing, China

Researchers investigated microplastic abundance, morphology, and removal efficiency at two wastewater treatment plants in Nanjing, China, finding four microplastic shapes including fragments, granules, films, and fibres across varying sizes and proportions. The study examined how treatment technology, operational parameters, and sewage source characteristics influenced microplastic removal rates.

2020 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 65 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and fate of microplastics from a water source to two different drinking water treatment plants in a megacity in eastern China

Researchers tracked microplastics through two drinking water treatment plants in a major Chinese city and found that treatment removed 73-83% of microplastics from the water. However, some microplastics were still present in the treated drinking water, and chlorine disinfection actually increased polystyrene levels. The smallest particles (2-5 micrometers) were the hardest to remove, which is a concern because smaller particles may be more easily absorbed by the human body.

2024 Environmental Pollution 32 citations
Article Tier 2

The Pollution Characteristics and Fate of Microplastics in Typical Wastewater Treatment Systems in Northern China

Researchers analyzed microplastic contamination at two wastewater treatment plants in Zhengzhou, China, finding overall removal efficiencies of about 93 and 96 percent respectively. Fibers and fragments were the most common microplastic shapes detected, with much of the removed material ending up concentrated in sewage sludge. The study raises concerns that while treatment processes are effective at reducing waterborne microplastics, the contaminated sludge may redistribute the pollution when applied to agricultural land.

2024 Separations 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution characteristics of microplastics in wastewater treatment plants in mega cities–the case study of Chengdu City

Researchers studied microplastic distribution and removal across wastewater treatment plant processes in China, finding that WWTPs intercept large quantities of MPs before discharge but that residual concentrations in effluent still represent a significant pathway for environmental MP release.

2025 Scientific Reports 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Abundance, Characteristics, and Removal of Microplastics in Wastewater Treatment Plant located in Southwest China

Researchers investigated microplastic abundance, characteristics, and removal efficiency at a wastewater treatment plant in Leshan, Southwest China, finding influent concentrations of 267.74 particles/L reduced to 68.34 particles/L in effluent, achieving a 74.48% total removal rate, with smaller particles (0.05-0.3 mm) being the most prevalent and hardest to remove.

2025 E3S Web of Conferences
Article Tier 2

Spatiotemporal Distribution Characteristics and Removal Efficiency of Microplastics in a Wastewater Treatment Plant

Researchers examined microplastic removal efficiency across three seasons at a wastewater treatment plant in Zhengzhou, China, sampling influent, process effluent, and final effluent. They found an overall removal efficiency of 86%, with polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate as the dominant polymer types and fragment- and granule-shaped particles comprising over 80% of microplastics detected.

2025 Water
Article Tier 2

[Removal of Microplastics by Different Treatment Processes in Shanghai Large Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants].

A study of two large wastewater treatment plants in Shanghai found that microplastic concentrations in incoming sewage were very high, and overall removal efficiency ranged from 63% to 90% depending on treatment processes. Even with high removal rates, large volumes of microplastics are still discharged to waterways daily.

2019 PubMed 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence Characterization and Contamination Risk Evaluation of Microplastics in Hefei’s Urban Wastewater Treatment Plant

Researchers characterized microplastic contamination at various stages of a wastewater treatment plant in Hefei, China, under both dry and rainy weather conditions. They found that while the treatment process removed a significant portion of microplastics, notable amounts still passed into the effluent, with rain increasing contamination levels. The study provides a detailed assessment of how effectively current wastewater treatment technology handles microplastic pollution.

2023 Water 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of wastewater treatment process on pollution characteristics and fate of microplastics

Researchers investigated microplastic abundance and removal efficiency across four wastewater treatment plants using different treatment technologies, finding influent concentrations between 539 and 1,290 particles per liter that were reduced substantially by primary and secondary treatment. Smaller microplastic particles proved hardest to remove and most likely to persist in final effluent.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 45 citations
Article Tier 2

Nano/microplastics in water and wastewater treatment processes – Origin, impact and potential solutions

This review examined the origin, fate, and impacts of nano- and microplastics in water and wastewater treatment processes, finding that small particle sizes and diverse polymer compositions make complete removal challenging across conventional and advanced treatment stages. The authors identify detection limitations and process instability as key barriers to effective water treatment for nanoplastics.

2019 Water Research 624 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic abundance, characteristics, and removal in wastewater treatment plants in a coastal city of China

Researchers studied microplastic contamination across seven wastewater treatment plants in the coastal Chinese city of Xiamen and found that while treatment removed the vast majority of particles, the remaining microplastics still entered coastal waters in significant quantities due to high effluent volumes. Fibers and fragments were the most common microplastic types detected. The study underscores that wastewater treatment plants are both a barrier to and a source of marine microplastic pollution.

2019 Water Research 480 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution of Microplastics in Domestic Wastewater and Microplastics Removal Potential in Wastewater Treatment Plants

Researchers examined the distribution of microplastics in domestic wastewater in Indonesia and assessed the microplastic removal potential of wastewater treatment plants, using digestion, vacuum filtration, and microscopy to identify microplastics by concentration, shape, size, and color across treatment stages.

2023 Journal of Ecological Engineering 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Synthesis of dominant plastic microfibre prevalence and pollution control feasibility in Chinese freshwater environments

This review of microplastic pollution in Chinese freshwater environments found that microfibres dominate plastic morphologies in over 65% of samples from surface water, sediments, and wastewater effluents, and identifies fishing gear, textiles, and urban runoff as key microfibre sources requiring targeted pollution control.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 41 citations
Article Tier 2

The contamination of microplastics in China's aquatic environment: Occurrence, detection and implications for ecological risk

This review summarized microplastic contamination across marine environments, freshwater systems, and wastewater treatment plants in China, one of the world's top plastic-producing countries. The study highlights that research on how microplastics transfer between connected water environments remains lacking, and the microscale toxicity of microplastics is still poorly understood.

2021 Environmental Pollution 91 citations
Article Tier 2

Effectiveness of conventional municipal wastewater treatment plants in microplastics removal: Insights from multiple analytical techniques

Researchers evaluated the effectiveness of conventional municipal wastewater treatment plants in removing microplastics across multiple treatment stages, finding removal efficiencies of 70–90% but documenting that billions of particles still pass through in final effluent daily.

2025 Journal of Environmental Sciences 4 citations
Article Tier 2

A study on characteristics of microplastic in wastewater of South Korea: Identification, quantification, and fate of microplastics during treatment process

Microplastics were tracked through three South Korean wastewater treatment plants with different tertiary treatment methods, finding 75–92% removal by primary and secondary treatment and over 98% removal after tertiary treatment. The study confirms that advanced treatment steps are necessary to approach near-complete microplastic removal from municipal wastewater.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 555 citations
Article Tier 2

A mini-review on discharge characteristics and management of microplastics in sewage treatment plants

This Chinese mini-review examines the characteristics and removal efficiency of microplastics in sewage treatment plants, and discusses the risks associated with microplastics in effluents and their effects on the organisms in receiving waters. It provides context for why routine monitoring of microplastics in wastewater is being initiated.

2018 Journal of The Korean Society of Water and Wastewater 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of microplastics in municipal sewage from China's largest water reclamation plant

Microplastics were tracked through China's largest water reclamation plant, finding an influent concentration of 12.03 ± 1.29 items/L reduced by over 95% to 0.59 ± 0.22 items/L in reclaimed water, with PET, PS, and PP accounting for over 70% of detected particles. The study demonstrates that large-scale advanced water reclamation can achieve very high microplastic removal efficiency.

2019 Water Research 398 citations