Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

The effects of ultraviolet irradiation treatment on the surface properties of microplastics

UV irradiation was used to modify microplastic surface properties, making them more hydrophilic, which improved flotation efficiency — a water treatment technique that relies on particle hydrophobicity — demonstrating a pretreatment approach to enhance MP removal from water.

2025 IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science
Article Tier 2

Effect of UV-degraded microplastics on Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) removal

Polypropylene and polystyrene microplastics subjected to 30 days of UVC irradiation showed altered surface properties and reduced removal efficiency in dissolved air flotation (DAF) water treatment, with UV-degraded microplastics presenting greater challenges for conventional water treatment processes than pristine particles.

2025 E3S Web of Conferences
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

Ultraviolet-C and vacuum ultraviolet inducing surface degradation of microplastics

Researchers studied how UV-C and vacuum ultraviolet irradiation affect the surfaces of four common microplastic types during water disinfection. They found that standard UV doses used in wastewater treatment had little effect, but higher doses caused significant surface cracking, chemical bond breakdown, and changes in hydrophobicity. The study suggests that UV disinfection in wastewater plants can alter microplastic surface properties, which may affect how these particles interact with pollutants and organisms downstream.

2020 Water Research 265 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of different oxidants on the behaviour of microplastic hetero-aggregates

Researchers studied how different oxidants (ozone, chlorine, UV) affect the aggregation and settling behavior of microplastics in water treatment, finding that oxidation altered surface chemistry and changed hetero-aggregate formation with natural particles. The results have implications for predicting microplastic removal efficiency in drinking water and wastewater treatment plants.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of surfactants on the chemical coagulation of aged microplastics by ultraviolet (UV)

Researchers investigated how two surfactants, LAS and Tween-20, influence the removal efficiency of UV-aged microplastics through chemical coagulation, finding that Tween-20 achieved removal efficiency greater than 90%, providing insights into the interaction between these common wastewater pollutants and the coagulation treatment process.

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

Coagulation studies on photodegraded and photocatalytically degraded polystyrene microplastics using polyaluminium chloride

Researchers studied how UV light exposure and photocatalytic degradation change the properties of polystyrene microplastics and affect their removal by a common water treatment chemical. They found that UV-treated microplastics developed rougher surfaces and new chemical groups that made them easier to remove through coagulation. The study suggests that understanding how weathered microplastics behave differently from fresh ones is important for optimizing water treatment processes.

2023 Waste Management 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Surface change of microplastics in aquatic environment and the removal by froth flotation assisted with cationic and anionic surfactants

This study found that microplastics become less water-repellent after months of sitting in natural river water due to surface weathering and mineral buildup, which makes them harder to remove by flotation methods. The researchers then showed that adding surfactants (soap-like chemicals) could restore the microplastics' water-repellent properties and make flotation effective again. This work advances practical methods for cleaning microplastics out of contaminated water.

2023 Water Research 98 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects and applications of surfactants on the release, removal, fate, and transport of microplastics in aquatic ecosystem: a review

Researchers reviewed how surfactants interact with microplastics in aquatic environments, finding that surfactants can modify microplastic surface properties and influence their removal during wastewater treatment processes like filtration, flotation, and coagulation. The study suggests that surfactant concentration is a crucial factor affecting both the transport and the pollutant-carrying capacity of microplastics in water systems.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Effective Removal of Microplastics Using a Process of Ozonation Followed by Flocculation with Aluminum Sulfate and Polyacrylamide

Researchers tested a two-step water treatment process combining ozonation with flocculation to remove microplastics. They found that ozone pretreatment roughened the microplastic surfaces and added chemical groups that dramatically improved removal rates, from 40% to 91%, during the subsequent flocculation step. The findings suggest this combined approach could significantly enhance microplastic removal in conventional water treatment plants.

2025 Separations 3 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

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

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

Fate and potential risks of microplastic fibers and fragments in water and wastewater treatment processes

Researchers tested how different water treatment steps handle microplastic fibers and fragments, finding that sand filtration was most effective at 98% removal, while activated sludge and chemical treatment removed only 55-61%. Importantly, UV-based disinfection caused microplastic fragments to release dissolved chemicals that were toxic to cells and bacteria. This study reveals that some water treatment processes, while removing visible microplastics, may inadvertently create new chemical hazards from the plastic particles they break down.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Modifications of ultraviolet irradiation and chlorination on microplastics: Effect of sterilization pattern

Researchers found that both UV irradiation and chlorination used in drinking water treatment alter the surface properties, size distribution, and chemical composition of microplastics, with combined treatments producing greater modifications and potentially increasing the release of plastic additives and adsorbed contaminants.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 38 citations
Article Tier 2

An assessment of the impact of structure and type of microplastics on ultrafiltration technology for microplastic remediation

Researchers assessed ultrafiltration technology for microplastic removal from water, finding that membrane performance varied based on microplastic structure, size, and polymer type, with implications for optimizing tertiary treatment in water purification systems.

2023 Science Progress 30 citations
Article Tier 2

A review of microplastic surface interactions in water and potential capturing methods

This review examines how microplastics behave as colloidal particles in water, generating surface charges that drive interactions with other contaminants and environmental constituents. The study explains that classical colloidal theory can help predict microplastic behavior, and that surface modifications from environmental exposure influence how these particles interact in water systems. Several removal techniques including coagulation, filtration, and air flotation are discussed as potential methods for capturing microplastics in water treatment.

2023 Water Science and Engineering 50 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparison of surficial modification of micro-sized polyethylenein between by UV/O3 and UVO submerged system

Researchers compared ozone and UV oxidation methods for chemically modifying the surface of polyethylene microplastics in water, finding that different treatment combinations create distinct surface changes. Understanding how weathering alters microplastic surfaces is important for predicting their environmental behavior and toxicity.

2021 Environmental Engineering Research 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Changes in physical and chemical properties of microplastics by ozonation

Researchers examined how ozone treatment in water systems changes the physical and chemical properties of six common types of microplastics. They found that ozonation altered surface roughness, wettability, and chemical composition of the plastics, with some types being more affected than others. The findings are important because these changes could influence how microplastics interact with other pollutants and organisms in treated water.

2024 Process Safety and Environmental Protection 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Fate and transformation of microplastics due to electrocoagulation treatment: Impacts of polymer type and shape

Researchers tested how electrocoagulation, a cost-effective water treatment method, removes and transforms different types and shapes of microplastics. They found that the technique removed over 88 percent of microplastics overall, with fibers being captured more effectively than fragments. The treatment also caused physical and chemical changes to the plastic surfaces, indicating that electrocoagulation both removes and partially degrades microplastic pollutants.

2023 Environmental Pollution 60 citations
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

Investigation of Surface Alteration of Microplastics by Using UV Irradiation

UV radiation causes polystyrene and other plastic microparticles to undergo photooxidative degradation, changing their surface chemistry and potentially making them more likely to adsorb or release chemical pollutants. Understanding these weathering processes is important for predicting the environmental behavior and toxicity of microplastics.

2020 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Membrane fouling characteristics and mechanisms in coagulation-ultrafiltration process for treating microplastic-containing water

This study investigated how microplastics affect membrane fouling during a common water treatment process that combines coagulation with ultrafiltration. Researchers found that while microplastics initially worsen membrane fouling, adding the right amount of coagulant can actually turn the plastics into an advantage by creating a looser filter cake that improves water flow.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 25 citations