Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Surface characteristics of polystyrene microplastics mainly determine their coagulation performances

Researchers evaluated polyaluminum sulfate coagulant for removing polystyrene microplastics from water, achieving 90.4% removal at optimal dosage. Surface characteristics of microplastics including density, particle size, and adsorbed substances significantly influenced coagulation efficiency.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 50 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

Enhanced Removal of Polystyrene Microplastics from Water Through Coagulation Using Polyaluminum Ferric Chloride with Coagulant Aids

Researchers tested enhanced coagulation using modified coagulants to remove polystyrene microplastics from water, finding that surface-modified coagulants achieved significantly higher removal efficiencies than conventional alum. Removal reached over 90% under optimized conditions, demonstrating a practical upgrade pathway for conventional water treatment plants to reduce microplastic discharge.

2024 Environmental Engineering Science 7 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

Microplastic removal in coagulation-flocculation: Optimization through chemometric and morphological insights

Researchers optimized the coagulation-flocculation process — a standard water treatment step where chemicals cause particles to clump and settle — for removing three types of microplastics: polypropylene, polyethylene, and polystyrene. Polystyrene was removed most efficiently, and adjusting pH, coagulant type, and dosage significantly improved removal rates, providing practical guidance for upgrading existing water treatment plants to better capture microplastics.

2026 Journal of Ecological Engineering
Article Tier 2

Removal of Microplastics from Wastewater Treatment Plants by Coagulation

Researchers tested coagulation-based methods for removing microplastics from wastewater using polyaluminum chloride and polyferric sulfate, with and without polyacrylamide additives. The best results came from combining polyaluminum chloride with cationic polyacrylamide, which achieved 87.5% removal of polystyrene microplastics. The study suggests that cationic polyacrylamide works especially well because of electrostatic interactions with negatively charged microplastic particles.

2026 Sustainability
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

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

Microplastics removal from natural surface water by coagulation process

Researchers compared the effectiveness of ferrous and aluminum sulfate coagulants for removing microplastics from natural surface water, finding that both successfully removed polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride particles. Ferrous sulfate showed slightly higher removal efficiency, and the addition of coagulant aids further improved results. The study demonstrates that conventional coagulation processes already used in drinking water treatment can meaningfully reduce microplastic contamination.

2024 Desalination and Water Treatment 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Electrocoagulation Assessment to Remove Micropolystyrene Particles in Wastewater

Researchers evaluated the use of electrocoagulation for removing micropolystyrene particles from synthetic wastewater, testing variables like electrode material, current density, and particle size. They found that the process was effective at removing microplastics, with aluminum electrodes and higher current densities achieving the best results. The study supports electrocoagulation as a viable treatment technology for reducing microplastic loads in wastewater.

2024 ACS ES&T Water 18 citations
Article Tier 2

The suitability and mechanism of polyaluminum-titanium chloride composite coagulant (PATC) for polystyrene microplastic removal: Structural characterization and theoretical calculation

Researchers developed a new coagulant (a chemical that clumps particles together for removal) that effectively removes polystyrene microplastics from water. The composite coagulant worked better than standard water treatment chemicals across a wider range of water conditions, using hydrogen bonding to capture the plastic particles. This technology could improve drinking water treatment plants' ability to filter out microplastics before water reaches consumers.

2023 Water Research 74 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

Evaluating the performance of electrocoagulation system in the removal of polystyrene microplastics from water

Researchers tested electrocoagulation, a water treatment method that uses electric current to clump particles together, for removing polystyrene microplastics from water. Using aluminum electrodes at neutral pH, they achieved over 90% removal efficiency. This technology could provide a practical and effective way to remove microplastics from drinking water and wastewater, reducing human exposure to these contaminants.

2023 Environmental Research 40 citations
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

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

Removal of polystyrene and polyethylene microplastics using PAC and FeCl3 coagulation: Performance and mechanism

Researchers studied how two common water treatment coagulants, PAC and iron chloride, remove polystyrene and polyethylene microplastics from water. They found that PAC was more effective than iron chloride, and that alkaline conditions improved removal rates. The study provides practical insights for drinking water treatment plants looking to reduce microplastic contamination in their supply.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 303 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
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

Effect of Fe and Al based coagulants and disinfectants on polyethylene microplastics removal in coagulation process through response surface methodology

Researchers optimized polyethylene microplastic (PEMP) removal from drinking water using response surface methodology (RSM) with Box-Behnken Design, testing pH, PEMP size, coagulant dosage, and polyacrylamide dosage as independent variables. Comparing ferric chloride and poly aluminum chloride as coagulants, they identified optimal conditions for maximizing PEMP removal efficiency, providing guidance for improving microplastic removal at drinking water treatment plants.

2022 Water Science & Technology 15 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