Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

CFD Simulation of DAF processing for removal microplastic in different flotation solution

Researchers used computational fluid dynamics to simulate dissolved air flotation (DAF) for removing microplastics from various wastewater types. The simulations showed that optimal bubble-to-particle ratios and flow conditions significantly improved removal efficiency, providing a design framework for scaling up DAF in water treatment systems.

2025 Water Science & Technology
Article Tier 2

Simultaneous monitoring of flow patterns, and bubble, and plastics micro-particle characteristics in Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF)

Researchers used a lab-scale dissolved air flotation (DAF) tank to simultaneously track microbubbles and microplastic particles, finding that particle dynamics and flow regimes within the tank significantly influenced removal performance. The study offers insights for optimizing DAF water treatment systems to better capture microplastics during drinking water or wastewater processing.

2023 Process Safety and Environmental Protection 12 citations
Article Tier 2

The removal efficiency and mechanism of microplastic enhancement by positive modification dissolved air flotation

Researchers enhanced dissolved air flotation by modifying the process with positively charged surfaces to improve microplastic removal from freshwater, finding that the modified approach significantly outperformed conventional dissolved air flotation across three common polymer types.

2020 Water Environment Research 90 citations
Article Tier 2

Determinação de condições operacionais de um processo de flotação por ar dissolvido para tratamento de água

Researchers determined operational conditions for a dissolved air flotation (DAF) process for water treatment, testing how key parameters affect removal of suspended inorganic and organic matter. The study optimized DAF settings to improve water quality to levels suitable for human or industrial use, with relevance to treating waters that may contain microplastics.

2025
Article Tier 2

Numerical study on the mechanism of microplastic separation from water by cyclonic air flotation

This numerical study modeled the separation of microplastics from water using cyclone separators, optimizing design parameters and flow conditions to improve removal efficiency across different particle sizes and densities.

2024 Water Research 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of Microplastic From Liquid Medium By Dissolved Air Flotation

Researchers tested dissolved air flotation (DAF) as a technique for removing PVC microplastics from water, conducting flotation tests with coagulant dosage optimization using a suspension of 400 mg/L PVC particles in water supply.

2024 Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental
Article Tier 2

Removal of Micro/Nano-Plastics from Water by Flotation Technology: A Review

This review covers flotation technology as a method for removing micro- and nanoplastics from water, explaining how dissolved air flotation, electroflotation, and froth flotation work to separate plastic particles. The authors assess performance data across particle sizes and polymer types and identify remaining challenges for scaling these approaches.

2025 JORDANIAN JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING AND CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES (JJECI)
Article Tier 2

An efficient extraction device for microplastics in marine sediments and its applications

Researchers developed a new high-efficiency extraction device for separating microplastics from marine sediment samples using air pumps and metal perforated plate fillers. The device demonstrated improved effectiveness and efficiency compared to conventional density flotation methods for isolating plastic particles. The study suggests this tool could enhance the accuracy of quantitative microplastic detection in marine environments where sediments serve as significant pollution sinks.

2024 RSC Advances 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Performanceof Coagulation-Assisted Dissolved AirFlotation Process for Microplastics Removal from Synthetic WastewaterContaining Fat, Oil and Grease

Researchers optimized a coagulation-assisted dissolved air flotation (DAF) process for removing polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics from synthetic wastewater containing fat, oil, and grease, achieving removal efficiencies of 88-90% with added coagulants compared to only 27-28% for DAF alone. The presence of fat, oil, and grease further enhanced MP removal to 95%, suggesting that hydrophobic interactions facilitate aggregation between MPs and these substances.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Model analysis of electroflotation water treatment of wastewater containing microplastics

This study developed a mathematical model describing how electroflotation can remove microplastics from wastewater, identifying key factors affecting efficiency. Better process models help optimize treatment systems for removing plastic particles before they enter waterways.

2023 Journal of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences
Article Tier 2

A unified modelling framework for type I (discrete) settling and rising of microplastics in primary sedimentation tanks

Researchers developed and validated a unified mathematical model for simulating how microplastics of different polymer types, sizes, and densities settle or rise in primary sedimentation tanks, predicting removal efficiencies of 12–94% and showing that adding skimming improves performance.

2023 Journal of Environmental Management 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Hydrophobicity–water/air–based enrichment cell for microplastics analysis within environmental samples: A proof of concept

Researchers developed a new microplastic separation device that uses the hydrophobic properties of plastic particles combined with fine air bubbles to quickly and effectively extract microplastics from sediment and soil samples. The new method avoids harsh solvents that can degrade microplastic particles and offers a faster alternative to existing separation techniques.

2019 MethodsX 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Marine microplastic separation device based on micro nano bubble flotation technology

Researchers designed a marine microplastic separation device using micro-nano bubble flotation technology to address limitations of existing methods, enabling continuous separation of microplastic particles from seawater with improved efficiency and reduced risk of secondary contamination.

2024 International Journal of Frontiers in Engineering Technology
Article Tier 2

Towards a More Sustainable Water Treatment: Design of a Hydrodynamic Test Rig and Testing of a Novel Microplastic Filter Using Biomimetics

Researchers designed a hydrodynamic test rig and a novel biomimetic microplastic filter inspired by aquatic filter-feeding organisms, aiming to improve solid-liquid separation in water treatment. The study demonstrates how biological filtration strategies can inform more sustainable industrial microplastic removal approaches.

2024 Sustainability
Article Tier 2

Is froth flotation a potential scheme for microplastics removal? Analysis on flotation kinetics and surface characteristics

This study evaluated froth flotation as a method for removing microplastics from water, finding that surface hydrophobicity governs flotation efficiency and that the technique shows promise as a scalable treatment option for certain polymer types.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 76 citations
Article Tier 2

Settling model to predict microplastics removal efficiency in wastewater treatments

A mathematical settling model was built to predict how efficiently wastewater treatment plants remove microplastics based on particle density, size, shape, and surface loading rates. The model shows that dense, large, spherical particles settle most readily, while light fibers and films are far harder to remove — providing treatment plant operators and engineers with a practical tool for optimizing processes to reduce the discharge of microplastics into rivers and coastal waters.

2024 Environmental Progress & Sustainable Energy 3 citations
Article Tier 2

A novel, highly efficient method for the separation and quantification of plastic particles in sediments of aquatic environments

Researchers improved a density separation method for isolating microplastics from aquatic sediments, achieving higher recovery rates and reducing processing time compared to earlier approaches. The validated method was designed to be reproducible and cost-effective, addressing the need for reliable standardized protocols in microplastic monitoring.

2012 Limnology and Oceanography Methods 654 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhanced microplastic removal using a mini-hydrocyclone with microbubbles

Researchers improved microplastic separation from water by combining mini-hydrocyclones with microbubble injection, finding that the microbubbles reduced apparent microplastic density and substantially improved separation efficiency for particles with densities similar to water.

2025 Water Research
Article Tier 2

Microplastic removal in coagulation-flocculation: Optimization through chemometric and morphological insights

Researchers optimized the coagulation-flocculation process — a standard water treatment step where chemicals cause particles to clump and settle — for removing three types of microplastics: polypropylene, polyethylene, and polystyrene. Polystyrene was removed most efficiently, and adjusting pH, coagulant type, and dosage significantly improved removal rates, providing practical guidance for upgrading existing water treatment plants to better capture microplastics.

2026 Journal of Ecological Engineering
Article Tier 2

Removal of Microplastics/Microfibers and Detergents from Laundry Wastewater by Microbubble Flotation

Researchers developed a microbubble flotation system that removes over 98% of microplastics and 95% of detergent surfactants from laundry wastewater. The study successfully scaled the approach from bench-level to a pilot-scale column over 5 meters tall, demonstrating a practical, cost-effective solution for treating one of the largest sources of microplastic pollution entering waterways.

2024 ACS ES&T Water 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Fate of microplastics in sludge concentration: Experimental evaluation of gravity thickening and flotation processes

Researchers tracked microplastics through two common wastewater sludge treatment processes — gravity thickening and dissolved air flotation — finding that polymer density strongly determines where plastics end up, with lighter HDPE escaping into wastewater streams while heavier particles stayed in sludge, suggesting these steps could be targeted for early microplastic removal.

2025 Results in Engineering
Article Tier 2

Enhanced removal of microplastics using microflotation

Researchers demonstrated that microflotation, a process using optimized small bubble sizes, can remove 84-98% of microplastics from water without requiring chemical additives like flocculants or coagulants. Using a pilot-scale system, they tested removal of 30 and 100 micrometer polystyrene particles across environmentally relevant concentrations. The study suggests that microflotation offers an efficient and chemical-free alternative for microplastic removal in water treatment applications.

2026 The Science of The Total Environment
Article Tier 2

Advanced nanobubble flotation for enhanced removal of sub-10 µm microplastics from wastewater

Scientists developed a nanobubble-assisted flotation technique that improves removal of very small microplastics (under 10 micrometers) from wastewater by up to 17% compared to traditional methods. Removing these tiny particles is especially important because their small size makes them more likely to pass through water treatment and eventually be consumed by humans.

2024 Nature Communications 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Optimization of elutriation device for filtration of microplastic particles from sediment

Researchers optimized an elutriation device — which uses upward water flow to separate particles by density — achieving high microplastic recovery rates from sediment by adjusting flow rate and column diameter. The optimized device provides a practical, low-cost tool for extracting microplastics from environmental sediment samples in research and monitoring programs.

2015 Marine Pollution Bulletin 55 citations