Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Performance of rapid sand filter – single media to remove microplastics

This study evaluated the performance of a rapid sand filter as a single-media drinking water treatment step for microplastic removal, finding moderate removal efficiency that varied with particle size and filter operation parameters.

2021 Water Science & Technology Water Supply 75 citations
Article Tier 2

The Effect of Filter Media Size and Loading Rate to Filter Performance of Removing Microplastics using Rapid Sand Filter

This study evaluated how filter media size and hydraulic loading rate affect rapid sand filter performance in removing microplastics from water. Smaller sand media (0.39 mm) and lower loading rates achieved greater MP removal, suggesting that optimizing these parameters can improve conventional water treatment for plastic particles.

2022 Journal of Engineering and Technological Sciences 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Rapid Sand Filtration Technique for Remediation of Microplastics

Researchers tested rapid sand filtration as a technique for removing microplastics from water, evaluating particle removal efficiency across different plastic sizes, shapes, and filter media. The technique achieved meaningful microplastic reduction and was proposed as a practical water treatment enhancement.

2024 Microplastics 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigations and comparison of a conventional sand filter and a modified sand filter for water purification.

This study compared the performance of conventional sand filters and modified sand filters for purifying drinking water. Improving the efficiency of sand filtration is relevant to microplastics research since enhanced sand filters have shown potential for removing microplastic particles from drinking water supplies.

2023 Sustainability Agri Food and Environmental Research
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

Reasoning of the Efficiency of Consistent Filtration on Rapid Filters

This study examined consistent filtration through rapid sand filters with different filter media loadings as a way to reduce operating costs at water treatment plants. Optimizing water treatment filtration is relevant to improving the removal of microplastics from drinking water.

2023 Municipal economy of cities
Article Tier 2

What have we known so far about microplastics in drinking water treatment? A timely review

This review summarizes research on microplastic occurrence and removal in drinking water treatment, covering both laboratory and full-scale studies through August 2021. Researchers found that conventional treatment processes like coagulation-flocculation, membrane filtration, and sand filtration are generally effective at reducing microplastics in water, though results vary widely depending on conditions. The study identifies key factors influencing removal efficiency and highlights the need for further research on nanoplastics in drinking water.

2021 Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering 68 citations
Article Tier 2

Performance of filters applied for removal of microplastics from water – testing methodology

Researchers tested deep-bed polypropylene filters and pleated cellulose filters for their ability to remove microplastics from water in a controlled laboratory setting. The study provides useful data for designing water filtration systems that can capture plastic particles before they reach consumers.

2023 Desalination and Water Treatment 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Rapid sand filtration for <10 μm-sized microplastic removal in tap water treatment: Efficiency and adsorption mechanisms

Researchers tested a sand filtration system for removing very small microplastics (under 10 micrometers) from tap water and achieved a 98% removal rate. The sand captured microplastics through a combination of physical trapping and chemical bonding, and backwashing successfully regenerated the filter by removing 97% of captured particles. This is a promising finding because most existing water treatment technologies struggle to capture the smallest microplastics, which are the ones most likely to be absorbed by the human body.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 56 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of Types and Depths of Media Filter to Reducing Turbidity Concentration

This study compared the effectiveness of silica and zeolite filter media at different depths for reducing water turbidity. Improved filtration methods for water treatment are relevant for microplastic removal, as similar rapid sand filtration approaches can capture plastic particles from drinking water.

2023 INSOLOGI Jurnal Sains dan Teknologi
Article Tier 2

Studi Literatur: Efektivitas Penyisihan Kelimpahan Mikroplastik Menggunakan Teknologi Filter Pasir dan Membran Reverse Osmosis pada Pengolahan Air Minum

This literature review examines the effectiveness of sand filter technology and reverse osmosis membrane systems for removing microplastics from water, synthesizing findings on removal efficiencies, particle size thresholds, and operational considerations for water treatment applications.

2025 Jurnal Teknologi Lingkungan Lahan Basah
Article Tier 2

Efficient removal of microplastics through a combined treatment process: Pre-filtration and adsorption

A combined treatment process integrating coagulation, sedimentation, and filtration achieved efficient removal of microplastics from drinking water. The study supports the feasibility of adapting existing water treatment infrastructure to address microplastic contamination.

2025 Journal of Environmental Management 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Efektivitas Filter Pasir dalam Menyisihkan Kelimpahan Mikroplastik pada Air Baku Air Minum: Tinjauan Literatur

This Indonesian literature review analyzed the effectiveness of sand filters in removing microplastics from drinking water sources, finding that rapid sand filters achieved up to 98% removal efficiency primarily through physical interception and adsorption mechanisms.

2025 Empiricism Journal
Article Tier 2

Sustainable sand filtration strategies for microplastic removal in irrigation water

Researchers evaluated the performance of sand filtration systems with different configurations for removing microplastics from irrigation water, examining how filter parameters affect removal efficiency. The study found that optimised sand filter design can substantially reduce microplastic concentrations in agricultural irrigation water, offering a low-cost intervention to limit microplastic entry into soil-food systems.

2025 Environmental Research
Article Tier 2

Removal efficiency of micro- and nanoplastics (180 nm–125 μm) during drinking water treatment

Researchers tested how effectively standard drinking water treatment processes remove micro- and nanoplastics ranging from 180 nanometers to 125 micrometers. They found that coagulation and sedimentation alone removed less than 2% of plastic particles, while granular filtration was far more effective, achieving 87% to nearly 100% removal depending on particle size. The study also found that biofilm formation on microplastics significantly improved their removal during coagulation treatment.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 268 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic removal in conventional drinking water treatment processes: Performance, mechanism, and potential risk

Researchers tested how well conventional drinking water treatment processes remove microplastic particles ranging from 10 to 90 micrometers in diameter. They found that larger particles were effectively removed by coagulation and sand filtration, but about 16% of the smallest particles passed through. The study also discovered that UV-based disinfection can fragment remaining microplastics into even smaller pieces and increase water toxicity, suggesting current treatment methods may need improvement.

2021 Water Research 183 citations
Article Tier 2

Performance of intermittent sand and coke filters for the removal of size-ranged microplastics

Researchers tested sand and coke filters at a laboratory scale to remove microplastics from water and found that coke-based filters achieved up to 92.79% removal efficiency, outperforming sand alone. These low-cost filtration systems could be added to wastewater treatment plants to significantly reduce the number of microplastics reaching rivers and oceans.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of a Water Treatment System for Removing Microplastic in an Aqueous Media

Researchers evaluated the microplastic removal efficiency of a hybrid water treatment system combining a Bradley-type hydrocyclone, sand filter, and polymeric microfiltration membrane, applying mass balance equations and solid-liquid separation models to determine removal performance across different MP size fractions.

2025 Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental
Article Tier 2

Contamination and Removal Efficiency of Microplastics and Synthetic Fibres in a Conventional Drinking Water Treatment Plant

Researchers found that a conventional drinking water treatment plant in Geneva removed the majority of microplastics from raw water, with coagulation and sand filtration contributing most to removal, though some particles persisted through to finished drinking water.

2022 Frontiers in Water 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Understanding and Improving Microplastic Removal during Water Treatment: Impact of Coagulation and Flocculation

Researchers systematically tested coagulation and flocculation for removing microplastics from drinking water, finding that removal efficiency depended strongly on plastic particle size and whether particles had been weathered, with smaller pristine particles being the hardest to remove.

2020 Environmental Science & Technology 424 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic removal across ten drinking water treatment facilities and distribution systems

Researchers characterized microplastic removal across ten drinking water treatment facilities and found that conventional municipal treatment achieved greater than 97.5% removal, primarily through granular media filtration or ultrafiltration. Untreated source waters contained between approximately 1,200 and 7,200 microplastic particles per liter, with polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyamide being the most common types. The findings provide valuable data on microplastic exposure through drinking water and the effectiveness of existing treatment processes.

2025 npj Clean Water 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of microplastic sampling and extraction methods for drinking waters

This study compared sampling and extraction methods for microplastics in drinking water, testing stainless steel filters, glass fiber filters, and centrifugal approaches, and finding substantial variation in recovery efficiency depending on particle size and method, underscoring the urgent need for standardized protocols to enable cross-study comparisons.

2021 Chemosphere 61 citations
Article Tier 2

Developing a Methodology for the Testing of Microplastics in Drinking Water Treatment Plants

Researchers developed a standardized methodology for testing microplastic removal efficiency at drinking water treatment plants, including sampling, analysis, and reporting protocols. Having consistent methods is critical for comparing microplastic contamination across different water treatment facilities and establishing regulatory benchmarks.

2021 Research Portal (Queen's University Belfast)
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)