Papers

61,005 results
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Review Tier 2

Removal of microplastics and nanoplastics in water treatment processes: A systematic literature review

Researchers systematically reviewed 103 studies across 26 water treatment plants in 12 countries to assess how well various technologies remove microplastics and nanoplastics from drinking water, finding that while coagulation, filtration, and advanced treatments help, significant gaps remain. The review identifies that no single process achieves complete removal, leaving microplastics as a persistent contaminant in treated water supplies.

2024 Journal of Water Process Engineering 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Drinking Water: A Review of Sources, Removal, Detection, Occurrence, and Potential Risks

This review examines how microplastics enter drinking water supply systems, evaluates methods for their detection and removal, and summarizes what is known about their occurrence in treated water. Researchers found that while conventional water treatment removes a significant portion of microplastics, no current method eliminates them completely. The study highlights the need for improved monitoring standards and further research into the long-term health effects of ingesting microplastics through drinking water.

2025 Toxics 4 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

Microplastics in Water: Occurrence, Human Health Impact and Methods of Analysis

This review covers the occurrence of microplastics in water sources globally, summarizing human health impacts from ingestion and inhalation, and evaluating available treatment technologies for removing microplastics from drinking water. The authors conclude that conventional water treatment is insufficient for complete microplastic removal.

2024 Oriental Journal Of Chemistry 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of microplastics via drinking water treatment: Current knowledge and future directions

This review examines what is currently known about microplastics in drinking water systems and how well existing water treatment processes remove them. Researchers found that while conventional treatment steps like coagulation and filtration do reduce microplastic levels, significant amounts can still persist through to tap water. The study calls for more research into optimizing treatment processes and developing monitoring strategies specifically targeting microplastic contamination in drinking water.

2020 Chemosphere 386 citations
Article Tier 2

Advancements and Regulatory Situation in Microplastics Removal from Wastewater and Drinking Water: A Comprehensive Review

This review examines current methods for detecting and removing microplastics from wastewater and drinking water treatment plants. Researchers found that while existing treatment processes remove many microplastics, some particles still pass through to discharge into natural water bodies. The study also provides an overview of regulations and policies in the United States addressing microplastic contamination in water systems.

2024 Microplastics 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Problems, Challenges, and Removing Methods of Micro Plastics from Water

This review examines the presence of microplastics in drinking water — both tap and bottled — and the technologies available to remove them. Microplastics have been detected in drinking water worldwide, and while conventional treatment removes some particles, smaller nanoplastics largely pass through. The authors assess filtration, coagulation, and advanced treatment options for improving microplastic removal in drinking water systems.

2021 International Journal for Research in Applied Science and Engineering Technology
Article Tier 2

A Perspective on Green Solutions and Future Research Paths for Microplastic and Nanoplastic Contamination in Drinking Water

This review examines the presence of microplastics and nanoplastics in drinking water and evaluates current and emerging technologies for their detection and removal. The researchers highlight that conventional water treatment plants are not fully equipped to remove the smallest plastic particles, and that improved monitoring and green remediation technologies are needed. The study underscores the importance of developing better methods to protect drinking water supplies from plastic contamination.

2024 CLEAN - Soil Air Water 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of nanoplastics in water treatment processes: A review

This review examines technologies for removing nanoplastics from water, noting that conventional treatment processes effective for larger plastics often fail to capture these tiny particles. Researchers evaluated emerging methods including microbial degradation, membrane filtration, and photocatalysis, finding that combined approaches offer the best removal rates. The study highlights that more research is needed to develop practical, large-scale solutions for nanoplastic contamination in drinking water and wastewater.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 146 citations
Article Tier 2

A critical review on recent research progress on microplastic pollutants in drinking water

This critical review synthesizes research on microplastic contamination in drinking water sources and treatment systems. The study highlights that microplastics have been found in rivers, lakes, and treatment facilities worldwide, and that bioaccumulation of these persistent particles through drinking water represents a potential concern that requires further investigation into health effects and improved removal technologies.

2023 Environmental Research 70 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Drinking Water:Current Knowledge, Quality Assuranceand Future Directions

This review synthesizes current knowledge on microplastics in drinking water, covering their occurrence in source waters, behavior during treatment processes, and potential health implications. Researchers found that while drinking water treatment plants remove a portion of microplastics, standardized quality assurance methods are still lacking. The study calls for improved monitoring protocols and treatment technologies to better address microplastic contamination in tap water.

2024 Polish Journal of Environmental Studies 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in water: types, detection, and removal strategies

This review covers the different types of microplastics found in water, methods used to detect them, and strategies for removing them from water sources. Microplastics enter water systems from both industrial sources and the breakdown of larger plastic waste, posing threats to aquatic life and potentially human health. The authors evaluate removal techniques including filtration, chemical treatment, and biological approaches that could help clean contaminated water.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 34 citations
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

Microplastics in drinking water treatment – Current knowledge and research needs

This review examines the current state of knowledge about microplastics in drinking water treatment, including how treatment plants remove these particles. Researchers found that conventional treatment processes like coagulation and filtration can remove a significant portion of microplastics, but some particles still pass through to finished water. The study identifies key research gaps around the effectiveness of different treatment technologies and the health implications of residual microplastics.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 421 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent occurrence of microplastics in freshwater and efficiency of available treatment technologies

Researchers reviewed six years of global data on microplastics in freshwater systems, finding them in rivers, lakes, and groundwater across five continents, with conventional water treatment removing 85–95% of larger particles but struggling with smaller fragments. The review also found that nanoplastics may be 10–100 times more common than microplastics yet remain nearly impossible to detect with current technology.

2025 Next research. 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics: review of removal methods for drinking water production

This review examined methods for removing microplastics from drinking water, responding to the growing detection of microplastic contaminants in rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and both tap and bottled water. The review surveys emerging treatment technologies capable of addressing microplastics as pollutants in drinking water production, synthesizing evidence on removal efficiency, limitations, and practical applicability for water utilities.

2024 LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas)
Article Tier 2

Micro- and Nanoplastic Pollution of Freshwater and Wastewater Treatment Systems

This review examined micro- and nanoplastic pollution in freshwater systems and wastewater treatment, summarizing sources, removal efficiency, and the fate of particles that pass through treatment processes into receiving waters.

2017 Springer Science Reviews 168 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics toxicity, detection, and removal from water/wastewater

This review summarizes the current state of knowledge on microplastic toxicity and methods for detecting and removing them from water and wastewater. It covers the health risks posed by microplastics, including their ability to carry harmful chemicals and pathogens, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of various removal technologies. The authors highlight that while some treatment methods can remove most microplastics, no single approach is fully effective, and better solutions are needed to protect drinking water supplies.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 66 citations
Article Tier 2

Challenges and Treatment of Microplastics in Water

This review covers the challenges of detecting and removing microplastics from water, noting that their small size and diverse composition make treatment difficult. Most conventional water treatment processes are not designed to remove microplastics effectively.

2018 InTech eBooks 42 citations
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

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
Review Tier 2

Microplastic Contamination in Drinking Water: A Review

This review summarized current research on microplastic contamination in drinking water, covering detection methods, occurrence data, and health implications. The authors found microplastics widely present in tap and bottled water worldwide and noted that conventional treatment processes remove them incompletely, raising ongoing concerns about chronic low-level human ingestion.

2025 Journal of Health Science and Pharmacy
Article Tier 2

Microplastic: Unveiling the Stealthy Polluters in Our Water

This review covers microplastic contamination in water sources, documenting sources, environmental pathways, analytical detection methods, and potential human health risks from drinking water containing plastic particles, along with emerging mitigation strategies.

2025 Personalia Pelajar
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in water: Occurrence, fate and removal

A global study found that up to 83% of tap water samples contained microplastic fibers, and these particles have been linked to harmful effects in animals. This review covers the latest findings on where microplastics come from, how they move through the environment, and what methods show promise for removing them from drinking water to reduce human exposure.

2024 Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 60 citations