Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

CFD Simulation of DAF processing for removal microplastic in different flotation solution

Researchers used computational fluid dynamics to simulate dissolved air flotation (DAF) for removing microplastics from various wastewater types. The simulations showed that optimal bubble-to-particle ratios and flow conditions significantly improved removal efficiency, providing a design framework for scaling up DAF in water treatment systems.

2025 Water Science & Technology
Article Tier 2

Modelling and application of dissolved air flotation for efficient separation of microplastics from sludges and sediments

Researchers developed and tested predictive models for dissolved air flotation (DAF) — a process that uses tiny air bubbles to lift particles out of water — to more efficiently remove microplastics from industrial sludge and sediments. The models accurately predicted how different plastic types, sizes, and shapes attach to air bubbles, enabling better design of microplastic removal systems at industrial scale.

2024 Journal of environmental chemical engineering 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Determinação de condições operacionais de um processo de flotação por ar dissolvido para tratamento de água

Researchers determined operational conditions for a dissolved air flotation (DAF) process for water treatment, testing how key parameters affect removal of suspended inorganic and organic matter. The study optimized DAF settings to improve water quality to levels suitable for human or industrial use, with relevance to treating waters that may contain microplastics.

2025
Article Tier 2

Removal of Microplastic From Liquid Medium By Dissolved Air Flotation

Researchers tested dissolved air flotation (DAF) as a technique for removing PVC microplastics from water, conducting flotation tests with coagulant dosage optimization using a suspension of 400 mg/L PVC particles in water supply.

2024 Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental
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

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

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

Enhanced removal of microplastics using microflotation

Researchers demonstrated that microflotation, a process using optimized small bubble sizes, can remove 84-98% of microplastics from water without requiring chemical additives like flocculants or coagulants. Using a pilot-scale system, they tested removal of 30 and 100 micrometer polystyrene particles across environmentally relevant concentrations. The study suggests that microflotation offers an efficient and chemical-free alternative for microplastic removal in water treatment applications.

2026 The Science of The Total Environment
Article Tier 2

Numerical study on the mechanism of microplastic separation from water by cyclonic air flotation

This numerical study modeled the separation of microplastics from water using cyclone separators, optimizing design parameters and flow conditions to improve removal efficiency across different particle sizes and densities.

2024 Water Research 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhanced microplastic removal using a mini-hydrocyclone with microbubbles

Researchers improved microplastic separation from water by combining mini-hydrocyclones with microbubble injection, finding that the microbubbles reduced apparent microplastic density and substantially improved separation efficiency for particles with densities similar to water.

2025 Water Research
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

Jet Drop Enrichment: A Low-Cost Method for Simultaneous PFAS and Microplastics Removal from Drinking Water

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and tiny microplastics are two of the hardest contaminants to remove from drinking water, and this study proposes a surprising solution: harnessing the micro-bubbles that naturally burst at a water surface, which fling surface-active pollutants into tiny airborne droplets that can be collected. The method achieved up to 99% removal of long-chain PFAS and fine microplastics simultaneously, and when combined with a resin pre-treatment step, also captured shorter-chain PFAS at over 90% efficiency. This bubble-based approach is low-energy, low-cost, and could complement existing water treatment infrastructure.

2026 ACS ES&T Engineering
Article Tier 2

Performanceof Coagulation-Assisted Dissolved AirFlotation Process for Microplastics Removal from Synthetic WastewaterContaining Fat, Oil and Grease

Researchers optimized a coagulation-assisted dissolved air flotation (DAF) process for removing polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics from synthetic wastewater containing fat, oil, and grease, achieving removal efficiencies of 88-90% with added coagulants compared to only 27-28% for DAF alone. The presence of fat, oil, and grease further enhanced MP removal to 95%, suggesting that hydrophobic interactions facilitate aggregation between MPs and these substances.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Removal in a Dynamic Coagulation-Flocculation-Sedimentation System

Researchers compared microplastic removal during standard jar tests (batch) and continuous-flow flocculation systems, finding that flocculation mechanisms and removal efficiency differed significantly between the two setups. Conventional jar testing may overestimate microplastic removal because the flow conditions in real treatment plants are different. These findings have direct implications for designing more effective microplastic removal in full-scale water treatment facilities.

2023 TSpace
Article Tier 2

Removal of Microplastics/Microfibers and Detergents from Laundry Wastewater by Microbubble Flotation

Researchers developed a microbubble flotation system that removes over 98% of microplastics and 95% of detergent surfactants from laundry wastewater. The study successfully scaled the approach from bench-level to a pilot-scale column over 5 meters tall, demonstrating a practical, cost-effective solution for treating one of the largest sources of microplastic pollution entering waterways.

2024 ACS ES&T Water 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of the Presence of Microplastics in Wastewater Treatment Plants: Development and Verification of Strategies for Their Quantification and Removal in Aqueous Streams

Researchers evaluated microplastic presence in wastewater treatment plants and developed a pilot capture system capable of detecting, quantifying, and removing microplastic particles from water. The study found that conventional treatment processes are insufficient for complete microplastic removal, highlighting the need for dedicated technologies to address this gap in water treatment infrastructure.

2025 Sustainability 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Advanced nanobubble flotation for enhanced removal of sub-10 µm microplastics from wastewater

Scientists developed a nanobubble-assisted flotation technique that improves removal of very small microplastics (under 10 micrometers) from wastewater by up to 17% compared to traditional methods. Removing these tiny particles is especially important because their small size makes them more likely to pass through water treatment and eventually be consumed by humans.

2024 Nature Communications 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Marine microplastic separation device based on micro nano bubble flotation technology

Researchers designed a marine microplastic separation device using micro-nano bubble flotation technology to address limitations of existing methods, enabling continuous separation of microplastic particles from seawater with improved efficiency and reduced risk of secondary contamination.

2024 International Journal of Frontiers in Engineering Technology
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

Evaluating theEfficiency of Enhanced Coagulationfor Nanoplastics Removal Using Flow Cytometry

Researchers evaluated the efficiency of enhanced coagulation for removing nanoplastics from water using flow cytometry as a quantification tool, addressing the interconnected challenges of nanoplastic removal and detection in conventional water treatment systems.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Enrichment of microplastic pollution by micro-nanobubbles

Researchers investigated micro-nanobubbles as a novel technique for concentrating and removing microplastic pollution from water, finding that bubble-particle interactions can significantly enrich microplastic concentrations and offer a promising avenue for remediation.

2022 Chinese Physics B 5 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

Investigation of Microplastics Behavior and Properties in Public Sewage Treatment Plant and Pre-treatment with Microbubbles

Korean researchers tracked microplastics through different stages of a public sewage treatment plant and tested microbubble pre-treatment to improve removal. Microplastic concentrations dropped from 719 particles per liter in raw sewage to 16 per liter after tertiary treatment, and microbubble aeration further enhanced early-stage removal.

2023 Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
Article Tier 2

Performance assessment of bubbles barriers for microplastic remediation

Researchers experimentally evaluated the performance of bubble barrier devices for collecting microplastics in natural and artificial streams, testing different configurations of bubble generators and alignment angles to determine which arrangements most effectively directed both floating and non-floating particles toward collection systems.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 16 citations