Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Removal behaviors and mechanism of polystyrene microplastics by coagulation/ultrafiltration process: Co-effects of humic acid

Researchers investigated coagulation-ultrafiltration for removing polystyrene microplastics from drinking water, finding that aluminum-based coagulants achieved over 92% removal efficiency and that humic acid co-presence affected the removal mechanism and membrane fouling.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 45 citations
Article Tier 2

Microcosmic mechanism analysis of the combined pollution of aged polystyrene with humic acid and its efficient removal by a composite coagulant

Researchers analyzed how aged polystyrene interacts with humic acid at the molecular level and developed a novel polyaluminum-titanium chloride composite coagulant that effectively removes these combined pollutants from water across different pH conditions.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of Different Coagulants on Microplastics Removal

Researchers compared the effectiveness of different coagulants—including aluminum sulfate, ferric chloride, and polyaluminum chloride—for removing microplastics from water, finding significant performance differences dependent on plastic particle size, charge, and coagulant dose.

2025 The Knowledge Bank (The Ohio State University)
Article Tier 2

Improving nanoplastic removal by coagulation: Impact mechanism of particle size and water chemical conditions

Researchers found that coagulation using aluminum chlorohydrate and polyacrylamide achieved up to 98.5% removal efficiency for polystyrene nanoplastics, with smaller particles being easier to remove, though humic acid in water competed for adsorption sites and reduced effectiveness.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 112 citations
Article Tier 2

The influence of coagulation process conditions on theefficiency of microplastic removal in water treatment

Researchers investigated how coagulation process conditions — including coagulant type, pH, and microsand addition — affect the removal of polyethylene, PVC, and textile microfibers from river water, municipal wastewater, laundry effluent, and synthetic matrices. Ferric chloride and polyaluminum chloride both achieved substantial removal, with performance varying significantly by water matrix and microplastic type.

2025 National Repository of Dissertations in Serbia
Article Tier 2

Investigating the Potential of Coagulants to Improve Microplastics Removal in Wastewater and Tap Water

Researchers found that adding coagulants (FeCl3 or Al2(SO4)3) to wastewater and tap water improved microplastic removal, with aluminum sulfate achieving 43% and 62% removal efficiencies respectively, though the high concentrations required suggest that combining coagulants with organic polyelectrolytes could improve practicality.

2025 Microplastics
Article Tier 2

Coagulation properties of magnetic magnesium hydroxide for removal of microplastics in the presence of kaolin and humic acid

A magnetic magnesium hydroxide coagulant was prepared and combined with a polymer flocculant to remove polyethylene microplastics from water, achieving 87.1% removal efficiency. The magnetic component allowed easy post-treatment separation, and the presence of kaolin and humic acid in the water affected removal performance.

2022 Environmental Technology 8 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastics removal from aquatic environment by coagulation: Selecting the best coagulant based on variables determined from a systematic review

This systematic review and experimental study identifies the most effective methods for removing microplastics from water using coagulation, a common water treatment technique. Researchers tested different coagulants on three types of microplastics and found that aluminum-based coagulants were most effective. These findings could help water treatment plants better remove microplastics from the water supply before it reaches our taps.

2023 Heliyon 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and nanoplastics in water: Improving removal in wastewater treatment plants with alternative coagulants

Laboratory tests showed that conventional aluminum sulfate (alum) coagulant becomes much less effective at removing micro- and nanoplastics from water at pH above 7.8—a common condition in municipal wastewater—but switching to aluminum chlorohydrate largely restores removal efficiency. This matters because wastewater treatment plants are a critical barrier preventing microplastics from entering rivers and oceans, and many currently use alum. The study gives water utilities a practical, drop-in solution to significantly improve microplastic capture under challenging water chemistry.

2026 The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering
Article Tier 2

Efficiency and mechanism of micro- and nano-plastic removal with polymeric Al-Fe bimetallic coagulants: Role of Fe addition

Researchers investigated polymeric Al-Fe bimetallic coagulants for removing micro- and nanoplastics from drinking water, finding that iron addition enhanced nanoplastic removal efficiency through improved charge neutralization and floc formation mechanisms.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Behaviour of M. aeruginosa–Microplastic composite pollutants in coagulation and sludge storage

Microcystis aeruginosa extracellular polymers promoted adhesion of microplastics to algal flocs during coagulation, improving MP removal efficiency with polyaluminum chloride, while microplastics had opposite effects on algal removal depending on whether inorganic or organic coagulants were used.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 4 citations
Article Tier 2

New insights into the fate and interaction mechanisms of hydrolyzed aluminum-titanium species in the removal of aged polystyrene

Researchers investigated the interaction between polyaluminum-titanium chloride composite coagulant species and aged polystyrene microplastics, revealing how species transformation during coagulation affects the removal efficiency of microplastics from water.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhanced removal of microplastic fibres using aluminium and chitosan-based coagulants assisted with microbubble technology

Researchers tested the removal of microplastic fibers from water using aluminium-based and chitosan-based coagulants combined with sedimentation and microbubble flotation techniques. The aluminium coagulant achieved the highest removal rate of 88% through sedimentation in humic acid-containing water, while chitosan achieved 78% removal using microbubble flotation at a lower dosage. The findings suggest that the natural coagulant chitosan has potential as an effective and greener alternative for microplastic fiber removal in water treatment.

2025 Journal of environmental chemical engineering 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhancing microplastic removal from natural water using coagulant aids

Researchers tested different chemical treatments for removing microplastic beads from natural water and found that polyaluminium chloride combined with polyacrylamide achieved over 95% removal across six common plastic types. The treatment worked on particles ranging from 10 to 1,000 micrometers, and natural organic matter in the water actually improved performance. The findings suggest that optimizing standard water treatment processes could be a practical way to reduce microplastic contamination in drinking water sources.

2024 Chemosphere 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Chemical Coagulation Applied for the Removal of Polyethylene and Expanded Polystyrene Microplastics

Researchers evaluated the use of aluminum sulfate-based coagulation and flocculation processes for removing polyethylene and expanded polystyrene microplastics from water. The study used factorial experimental designs to optimize treatment conditions including coagulant dosage and pH, demonstrating the potential of chemical coagulation as a microplastic removal strategy.

2023 Journal of Ecological Engineering 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhanced removal of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics through polyaluminum chloride coagulation with three typical coagulant aids

Researchers tested three coagulant aids — polyacrylamide (PAM), sodium alginate, and activated silicic acid — combined with polyaluminum chloride to remove PET microplastics from drinking water, finding that PAM at high dosage achieved up to 91.45% removal efficiency.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 153 citations
Article Tier 2

Optimization of polypropylene microplastics removal using conventional coagulants in drinking water treatment plants via response surface methodology

Researchers optimized coagulation of polypropylene microplastics from drinking water using polyaluminium chloride as coagulant and response surface methodology to identify optimal conditions. The maximum predicted removal rate under optimal conditions (pH 9, 200 ppm PACl, 21 ppm polyacrylamide) was approximately 19.7% for the smallest microplastic size tested, indicating that conventional coagulation alone has limited effectiveness for polypropylene microplastics.

2022 Journal of Environmental Health Science and Engineering 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Efficient Removal of Polyethylene UsingMagnesium Hydroxide and AnionicPolyacrylamide as Dual-Coagulant byCoagulation-Flocculation Processes

Researchers investigated the removal of polyethylene microplastics from simulated natural water using magnesium hydroxide and anionic polyacrylamide as dual coagulants, finding optimal conditions at 40 mg/L Mg2+, pH 12, and 20°C, achieving high removal efficiency via coagulation-flocculation.

2025 Polish Journal of Environmental Studies
Article Tier 2

Removal of microplastics from secondary wastewater treatment plant effluent by coagulation/flocculation with iron, aluminum and polyamine-based chemicals

Researchers tested iron, aluminum, and polyamine-based coagulants for removing small microplastics (<10 µm) from secondary wastewater treatment plant effluent, finding that coagulation-flocculation can remove a substantial fraction but that efficiency varies by chemical and particle size.

2020 Water Research 340 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Removal of most frequent microplastic types and sizes in secondary effluent using Al2(SO4)3: choosing variables by a fuzzy Delphi method

This study found that aluminum sulfate coagulation removed 72-99% of common microplastic types from secondary wastewater effluent, with removal efficiency varying by polymer type and particle size. Polyamide and polystyrene particles were removed most effectively, while polyethylene was more resistant, demonstrating that optimized coagulation can significantly reduce microplastic discharge from wastewater treatment plants.

2023 Scientific Reports 8 citations