Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastic on submerged nanofiltration for advanced drinking water treatment

Researchers investigated how microplastics in reservoir water affect the performance of submerged nanofiltration membranes used for drinking water treatment. The study found that the presence of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics influenced the removal of dissolved organic matter by the membrane, with implications for optimizing advanced water treatment processes.

2026 Scientific Reports
Article Tier 2

Recent advances on micro/nanoplastic pollution and membrane fouling during water treatment: A review

Researchers reviewed recent advances in understanding how micro- and nanoplastics contribute to membrane fouling during water treatment processes. The study found that while membrane separation effectively removes microplastics from wastewater effluent, fouling caused by plastic particles along with dissolved organics and extracellular polymers remains a key obstacle, and understanding the fouling mechanisms is critical for improving treatment efficiency.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 64 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of natural organic matter from surface water sources by nanofiltration and surface engineering membranes for fouling mitigation – A review

Researchers reviewed how nanofiltration membranes can remove natural organic matter — a key source of toxic disinfection byproducts — from drinking water, and assessed how surface engineering can reduce membrane clogging (fouling). They found that membranes modified with zwitterionic polymers show the most promise for maintaining clean, effective water treatment over time.

2023 Chemosphere 64 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on DBPs formation under the chlorination of natural organic matters

Researchers investigated how microplastics affect disinfection byproduct formation during chlorination of natural organic matter in water treatment, finding that the presence of microplastics can influence the generation of potentially harmful DBPs.

2022 Chemosphere 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Membrane processes as a highly effective and eco-friendly technology for treating municipal water contaminated with micro- and nanoplastics.

Researchers evaluated membrane filtration as an environmentally friendly technology for removing micro- and nanoplastics from water, testing different membrane types and pore sizes. Membrane processes showed high removal efficiency for microplastics and outperformed conventional water treatment steps for the smallest particles.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Treatment processes for microplastics and nanoplastics in waters: State-of-the-art review

This review summarized established and emerging treatment processes for removing microplastics and nanoplastics from drinking water and wastewater, evaluating coagulation, membrane filtration, advanced oxidation, and biological treatment in terms of removal efficiency and operational feasibility.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 102 citations
Article Tier 2

[Research Progress on Removal of Microplastics by Filtration in Drinking Water Treatment].

This review examines how media filtration at drinking water treatment plants removes microplastics, evaluating filter types, operating conditions, and removal efficiencies reported in the literature. It identifies filtration as a scalable, cost-effective barrier for MP removal and discusses optimisation strategies to improve performance.

2025 PubMed
Article Tier 2

Coagulation/Flocculation-Ultrafiltration Optimization in Drinking Water Treatment

This study optimized coagulation and flocculation conditions prior to ultrafiltration in drinking water treatment to better remove organic matter and reduce membrane fouling. Improved drinking water treatment also enhances the removal of microplastics that would otherwise pass through to treated tap water.

2023 TSpace
Article Tier 2

Towards microplastics contribution for membrane biofouling and disinfection by-products precursors: The effect on microbes

Researchers found that microplastics in raw water increased microbial growth and altered community composition during ultrafiltration, promoting extracellular polymer production that accelerated membrane fouling and elevated disinfection by-product formation in treated water.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluating the performance of the metal organic framework-based ultrafiltration membrane for nanoplastics removal

Researchers created an advanced membrane filter using metal-organic framework nanoparticles that removed over 99% of nanoplastics from water while maintaining high water flow rates. The membrane resisted fouling and worked reliably across multiple cycles and different water conditions. This type of technology could improve wastewater treatment plants' ability to prevent nanoplastics from reaching drinking water supplies.

2024 Separation and Purification Technology 19 citations
Review Tier 2

A review of microplastic removal from water and wastewater by membrane technologies

This review examines how membrane filtration technologies can remove microplastics from drinking water and wastewater. Researchers found that advanced membranes like nanofiltration, reverse osmosis, and membrane bioreactors are among the most effective methods for capturing microplastic particles that conventional treatment plants miss. The study compares membrane approaches with other removal methods and discusses the challenges of membrane fouling caused by microplastic accumulation.

2023 Water Science & Technology 146 citations
Article Tier 2

Fouling behavior of nano/microplastics and COD, TOC, and TN removal in MBR: A comparative study

This study tested a membrane bioreactor (MBR) — a combination of biological treatment and membrane filtration used in wastewater plants — for its ability to remove nano- and microplastics from wastewater. The system achieved 99.4% removal of organic pollutants and complete removal of nanoplastics, and found that more hydrophilic membranes were better at capturing microplastics. The study also examined how microplastics foul and clog membranes over time, which is a practical challenge for wastewater treatment operations. These results support MBRs as a promising technology for reducing microplastic discharges from treatment plants into waterways.

2025 Water Environment Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and removal of microplastics by advanced and conventional drinking water treatment facilities

Researchers evaluated the performance of both advanced and conventional drinking water treatment processes for removing microplastics, finding that advanced methods such as ultrafiltration substantially outperform standard coagulation and filtration. Most conventional treatment plants leave a meaningful fraction of microplastics in finished drinking water.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
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

Metal-organic framework membrane for waterborne micro/nanoplastics treatment

Researchers reviewed the potential of metal-organic framework (MOF) membranes — materials with highly tunable pore structures — to filter micro- and nanoplastics from water more effectively than conventional filtration. MOF membranes showed promise due to their adjustable surface chemistry and resistance to biological fouling, though challenges like particle clumping and structural stability still need to be resolved.

2023 Chemical Engineering Journal 60 citations
Article Tier 2

Fate of microplastics in the drinking water production

Researchers tracked the fate of microplastics through drinking water treatment processes, finding that conventional treatment steps like coagulation, sedimentation, and filtration removed the majority of microplastics but did not eliminate them entirely.

2022 Water Research 157 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and removal of microplastics by advanced and conventional drinking water treatment facilities

Researchers assessed microplastic occurrence and removal efficiency at drinking water treatment plants using both conventional and advanced treatment processes. Advanced treatment steps such as ultrafiltration and activated carbon significantly improved microplastic removal compared to conventional coagulation and filtration alone.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
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

Membrane processes as a highly effective and eco-friendly technology for treating municipal water contaminated with micro- and nanoplastics.

This review assessed membrane filtration processes as a method for removing micro- and nanoplastics from water, evaluating their effectiveness and environmental footprint compared to conventional treatment approaches. Membrane technologies showed high removal efficiency for both micro- and nanoplastics and were identified as among the most promising eco-friendly treatment options.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Filtration Solutions for Microplastic Mitigation: Cutting-Edge Filtration Technologies and Membrane Innovations for Environmental Protection

This review focused on membrane-based filtration technologies—including microfiltration, ultrafiltration, and nanofiltration—as strategies for removing microplastics from water. The authors evaluated removal efficiencies across membrane types and concluded that while membranes show strong performance, fouling and operational costs remain barriers to large-scale deployment.

2025 Applied Sciences