Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Performance evaluation of MBR in treating microplastics polyvinylchloride contaminated polluted surface water

Researchers evaluated a membrane bioreactor (MBR) for treating surface water spiked with polyvinylchloride microplastics at 10 particles/L, finding it achieved over 80% removal of organic matter and 95% ammonia removal, though microplastic addition initially inhibited performance before recovery within days. The study found that PVC microplastics increased irreversible membrane fouling, with the membrane module and bio-carrier adsorption being the main rejection mechanisms.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 113 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics accumulation on performance of membrane bioreactor for wastewater treatment

Researchers simulated the long-term accumulation of polypropylene microplastics in membrane bioreactors used for wastewater treatment. They found that while microplastic accumulation did not reduce the removal of key pollutants like COD and ammonia nitrogen, it did increase membrane fouling and alter the composition of microbial communities in the reactor. The study suggests that microplastic buildup in wastewater treatment systems may affect operational efficiency over time.

2021 Chemosphere 77 citations
Article Tier 2

Fouling behavior of nano/microplastics and COD, TOC, and TN removal in MBR: A comparative study

This study tested a membrane bioreactor (MBR) — a combination of biological treatment and membrane filtration used in wastewater plants — for its ability to remove nano- and microplastics from wastewater. The system achieved 99.4% removal of organic pollutants and complete removal of nanoplastics, and found that more hydrophilic membranes were better at capturing microplastics. The study also examined how microplastics foul and clog membranes over time, which is a practical challenge for wastewater treatment operations. These results support MBRs as a promising technology for reducing microplastic discharges from treatment plants into waterways.

2025 Water Environment Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring the effects of polyethylene and polyester microplastics on biofilm formation, membrane Fouling, and microbial communities in Modified Ludzack-Ettinger-Reciprocation membrane bioreactors

Researchers investigated how polyethylene pellets and polyester fibers affect membrane bioreactor performance in wastewater treatment. They found that PE pellets increased membrane fouling rates 2-3 times faster, while polyester fibers reduced nitrate removal efficiency from 99.6% to 90.9% and decreased beneficial denitrifying bacteria. The study also found that microplastics in treatment systems can harbor pathogens and alter microbial community structures.

2024 Bioresource Technology 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent advances on micro/nanoplastic pollution and membrane fouling during water treatment: A review

Researchers reviewed recent advances in understanding how micro- and nanoplastics contribute to membrane fouling during water treatment processes. The study found that while membrane separation effectively removes microplastics from wastewater effluent, fouling caused by plastic particles along with dissolved organics and extracellular polymers remains a key obstacle, and understanding the fouling mechanisms is critical for improving treatment efficiency.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 64 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of polypropylene microplastics on the performance of membrane bioreactors in wastewater treatment

Researchers studied how polypropylene microplastics affect membrane bioreactors, a type of wastewater treatment system. They found that while these systems can effectively filter out microplastics, higher concentrations and smaller particle sizes caused membrane clogging and reduced treatment efficiency over time, which is important for designing better wastewater treatment facilities.

2025 Environmental Research 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics on performance of sequencing-batch membrane bioreactor for simulated municipal wastewater treatment

Researchers assessed the impact of PET microplastics on a sequencing-batch membrane bioreactor treating simulated municipal wastewater and found that PET MPs altered microbial community composition, reduced treatment efficiency at higher concentrations, and increased membrane fouling. The study highlights risks to wastewater infrastructure from microplastic contamination.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastic accumulation on floc characteristics and fouling behavior in a membrane bioreactor

Researchers found that accumulating microplastics in membrane bioreactors over 124 days decreased sludge floc size, floc hydrophobicity, and extracellular polymeric substance molecular size while increasing EPS concentration and negative surface charge, altering microbial community composition and increasing membrane fouling severity.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 99 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of polyvinylchloride microplastics on the toxicity of nanoparticles and antibiotics to aerobic granular sludge: Nitrogen removal, microbial community and resistance genes

Researchers examined how PVC microplastics affect wastewater treatment systems that also contain copper oxide nanoparticles and the antibiotic ciprofloxacin. They found that low concentrations of microplastics actually reduced some toxic effects of the other pollutants, but higher concentrations worsened nitrogen removal efficiency and increased antibiotic resistance genes. The study highlights the complex ways microplastics can alter the behavior of other contaminants in water treatment.

2023 Environmental Research 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of Membrane Fouling by Microplastic Particles in Tertiary Wastewater Treatment Processes

Researchers evaluated membrane fouling caused by microplastic particles during tertiary wastewater treatment, finding that microplastics contributed to fouling through pore blocking and cake layer formation, which reduced membrane performance and treatment efficiency.

2022 ACS ES&T Water 39 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics accumulation and antibiotics contamination in anaerobic membrane bioreactors for municipal wastewater treatment

This study found that when aged PVC microplastics and the antibiotic ciprofloxacin are both present in wastewater treatment systems, they interact to make each other's harmful effects worse. The combination cut treatment efficiency in half and disrupted the microbes needed for wastewater processing, raising concerns about how microplastic pollution could undermine water treatment that protects public health.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Response of wastewater treatment performance and bacterial community to original and aged polyvinyl chloride microplastics in sequencing batch reactors

This study found that PVC microplastics, both fresh and aged, severely harmed wastewater treatment processes by reducing the removal of harmful chemicals like ammonia and organic pollutants. The microplastics shifted the bacterial communities in the treatment system, reducing helpful nitrogen-removing bacteria while promoting other types. This means microplastic contamination of wastewater plants could lead to poorer water treatment quality, allowing more pollutants to reach rivers and drinking water sources.

2025 Bioresource Technology 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Towards microplastics contribution for membrane biofouling and disinfection by-products precursors: The effect on microbes

Researchers found that microplastics in raw water increased microbial growth and altered community composition during ultrafiltration, promoting extracellular polymer production that accelerated membrane fouling and elevated disinfection by-product formation in treated water.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics fouling and interaction with polymeric membranes: A review

This review examined microplastic fouling of polymeric membranes used in water treatment, analyzing how MPs affect membrane permeability and rejection performance, and discussing strategies — including surface modification and pre-treatment — to mitigate fouling.

2021 Chemosphere 113 citations
Article Tier 2

Treatment of Synthetic Wastewater Containing Polystyrene (PS) Nanoplastics by Membrane Bioreactor (MBR): Study of the Effects on Microbial Community and Membrane Fouling

This study treated synthetic wastewater containing polystyrene nanoplastics using membrane bioreactor technology, evaluating removal efficiency across operational conditions and examining how nanoplastics affect biological treatment performance.

2024 Membranes 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics affect membrane biofouling and microbial communities during gravity-driven membrane filtration of primary wastewater

Researchers investigated how microplastics of different sizes and concentrations affect gravity-driven membrane filtration systems used for decentralized wastewater treatment. The study found that microplastics reduced permeate flux by 9 to 54% and altered biofilm microbial communities on the membrane surface, potentially compromising treatment performance.

2024 Chemosphere 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Revealing How Polyvinyl Chloride Microplastic Physicochemically Affect the Anaerobic Digestion of Waste Activated Sludge

PVC microplastics in sewage sludge change the surface chemistry of sludge flocs, raising the energy barrier between sludge and the microbes that break it down and causing microbial communities to reorganise. At low concentrations PVC initially increases contact efficiency, but at higher concentrations it coats sludge surfaces and blocks microbial access, ultimately reducing methane production in anaerobic digesters — a finding relevant to the performance and safety of wastewater treatment plants receiving plastic-contaminated sludge.

2023 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhanced membrane fouling by microplastics during nanofiltration of secondary effluent considering secretion, interaction and deposition of extracellular polymeric substances

Researchers found that microplastics significantly worsen membrane fouling during nanofiltration of treated wastewater, increasing both short-term and long-term fouling resistance by up to 46% and 27% respectively. The study reveals that microplastics influence fouling through their effects on bacterial extracellular polymeric substance secretion, interaction with coexisting pollutants, and deposition on membrane surfaces.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 37 citations
Article Tier 2

The Potential Role of Membrane Technology in the Removal of Microplastics from Wastewater

This review examines membrane filtration as a technology for removing microplastics from wastewater, finding it promising but limited by issues of fouling and chemical instability. Improving membrane technology could significantly reduce the amount of microplastics discharged into waterways from treatment plants.

2021 Journal of Applied Membrane Science & Technology 21 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
Article Tier 2

Preventing Microplastic Release into Oceans through Wastewater Treatment Technologies.

Comparing immersed and sidestream membrane bioreactors for microplastic removal from wastewater, this analysis found membrane bioreactors more efficient than conventional treatment, identifying them as a key technology to prevent microplastic release to oceans.

2024 Science and Technology of Engineering Chemistry and Environmental Protection
Article Tier 2

Insight into effect of polyethylene microplastic on nitrogen removal in moving bed biofilm reactor: Focusing on microbial community and species interactions

Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics affect nitrogen removal in wastewater treatment bioreactors and found that low concentrations slightly improved the process, while higher concentrations disrupted it. The microplastics changed the microbial communities responsible for breaking down nitrogen in wastewater. This matters because less effective wastewater treatment means more nitrogen pollution in waterways, and microplastics entering treatment plants could reduce their ability to clean water effectively.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence, identification and removal of microplastics in a wastewater treatment plant compared to an advanced MBR technology: Full-scale pilot plant

Researchers compared microplastic removal efficiency between a standard wastewater treatment plant and an advanced membrane bioreactor (MBR) system and found MBR technology achieved 99.7% removal — far outperforming conventional treatment — suggesting upgraded filtration systems are critical to keeping microplastics out of waterways.

2023 Journal of environmental chemical engineering 80 citations
Article Tier 2

Mitigation of membrane particulate fouling by nano/microplastics via physical cleaning strategies

This study assessed physical cleaning strategies for removing nano- and microplastic fouling from membrane surfaces used in water treatment, finding that backwashing and chemical cleaning effectiveness varied by plastic particle size and surface charge.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 64 citations