Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Research progress on microplastics in wastewater treatment plants: A holistic review

This review provides a holistic assessment of microplastics in wastewater treatment plants, covering sampling methods, occurrence patterns across treatment stages, removal efficiencies, and the environmental risks posed by microplastic discharge through effluent and sludge.

2022 Journal of Environmental Management 88 citations
Article Tier 2

The fate of microplastics in wastewater treatment plants: An overview of source and remediation technologies

This review examines how wastewater treatment plants serve as key pathways for microplastic entry into the environment, analyzing removal efficiencies across different treatment stages and identifying advanced technologies for improved microplastic remediation.

2022 Environmental Technology & Innovation 159 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Wastewater Treatment Plants: Characteristics, Occurrence and Removal Technologies

This review summarizes how wastewater treatment plants are a major pathway for microplastics entering the environment, covering the types, sizes, and sources of microplastics found in wastewater. While treatment plants can remove many microplastics, significant amounts still escape into rivers and oceans through treated water and sludge. The authors evaluate various removal technologies and recommend advanced treatment methods to better prevent microplastics from reaching water supplies.

2024 Water 46 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in wastewater treatment plants: Sources, properties, removal efficiency, removal mechanisms, and interactions with pollutants

This review examines microplastic sources, properties, removal efficiency, and removal mechanisms across different wastewater treatment plant stages. Researchers found that while treatment plants remove a significant portion of microplastics, they cannot eliminate them entirely, resulting in the continued release of millions of particles into the environment daily through effluent and sludge.

2023 Water Science & Technology 128 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent advances in treatment of microplastics in wastewater

This review examines current methods for removing microplastics from wastewater, including conventional treatment processes and newer advanced techniques. Researchers found that while standard treatment plants can remove a significant portion of microplastics, many particles still pass through into waterways, and the captured plastics often end up concentrated in sewage sludge. The study highlights the need for improved treatment technologies to more effectively address microplastic contamination in water systems.

2024 IWA Publishing eBooks 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Fate and occurrence of microplastics in wastewater treatment plants

This review summarizes recent research on the abundance and removal of microplastics in wastewater treatment plants, examining how different treatment stages capture or release microplastic particles and assessing the overall efficiency of current infrastructure.

2023 Environmental Science Advances 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics removal through water treatment plants: Its feasibility, efficiency, future prospects and enhancement by proper waste management

Researchers reviewed over 80 studies on water treatment plant performance and found microplastic removal ranges widely — from 16% in basic primary treatment up to near 100% with advanced membrane systems — but a major flaw is that removed microplastics concentrate in sludge, which can re-enter the environment. The review recommends optimizing coagulants and sludge treatment to prevent microplastics from simply being relocated rather than eliminated.

2021 Environmental Challenges 181 citations
Article Tier 2

Sources, fate, effects, and analysis of microplastic in wastewater treatment plants: A review

This review examines how wastewater treatment plants handle microplastics, finding that while they can remove over 90% of particles, the sheer volume of water processed means billions of microplastics still escape into waterways daily. The remaining microplastics also concentrate in sewage sludge, which is often spread on agricultural land. Wastewater treatment plants are both a filter for and a redistribution point of microplastic pollution.

2023 Environmental Engineering Research 31 citations
Review Tier 2

The Effect of Wastewater Treatment Plants on Retainment of Plastic Microparticles to Enhance Water Quality—A Review

This review examined how well wastewater treatment plants remove microplastics, finding that most conventional systems achieve high removal rates but still discharge significant plastic quantities in treated effluent and sludge. Improving treatment efficiency and preventing sludge application to farmland are key strategies for reducing microplastic release.

2021 Journal of Environmental Protection 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Wastewater

This review examines microplastic detection, occurrence, and removal across wastewater treatment plant stages, finding that while treatment plants are a major source of microplastic pollution, no standardized detection protocols exist and removal efficiency remains inconsistent across facilities.

2023
Article Tier 2

A review of the removal of microplastics in global wastewater treatment plants: Characteristics and mechanisms

This review analyzed data from 38 wastewater treatment plants across 11 countries to understand how effectively they remove microplastics. While treatment plants can remove the majority of microplastics from wastewater, significant quantities still pass through into waterways, and the microplastics captured in sewage sludge may re-enter the environment when that sludge is applied to farmland.

2020 Environment International 589 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence, Characteristics, and Removal of Microplastics in Wastewater Treatment Plants

This review summarizes the occurrence, characteristics, and removal efficiency of microplastics in wastewater treatment plants, highlighting how these facilities simultaneously act as sinks trapping microplastics and as sources releasing them into surrounding aquatic and terrestrial environments.

2025
Article Tier 2

Microplastics removal in wastewater treatment plants: a critical review

This critical review of microplastic removal in wastewater treatment plants examines removal efficiencies across different treatment stages, finding that while WWTPs remove the majority of microplastics from influent, they still release millions of particles daily and are a major pathway for microplastics entering aquatic environments.

2020 Environmental Science Water Research & Technology 398 citations
Article Tier 2

Effectiveness of conventional municipal wastewater treatment plants in microplastics removal: Insights from multiple analytical techniques

Researchers evaluated the effectiveness of conventional municipal wastewater treatment plants in removing microplastics across multiple treatment stages, finding removal efficiencies of 70–90% but documenting that billions of particles still pass through in final effluent daily.

2025 Journal of Environmental Sciences 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and Removal of Microplastics in Wastewater Treatment Plants: Perspectives on Shape, Type, and Density

Researchers compiled data from multiple countries on microplastic removal efficiency across different stages of wastewater treatment plants. They found that removal rates varied widely, from 48% in some facilities to over 90% in others, depending on the treatment technologies employed. The study suggests that while conventional wastewater treatment can capture a significant portion of microplastics, advanced tertiary treatment methods are needed to further reduce discharge into the environment.

2024 Water 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Understanding microplastic presence in different wastewater treatment processes: Removal efficiency and source identification

Researchers tracked microplastic removal across different treatment stages at two wastewater treatment plants and found overall removal rates of 90% and 97%. They discovered that population density in the served area was a bigger driver of influent microplastic levels than sewage volume, and that activated sludge served as the primary trap for captured particles. The study identified laundry washing and daily consumer products as the main sources of microplastics entering the treatment plants.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in wastewater plants: A review of sources, characteristics, distribution and removal technologies

This review provides a comprehensive look at how microplastics enter, move through, and are removed from wastewater treatment plants. Researchers found that while treatment processes can remove a significant portion of microplastics from water, large quantities still escape into rivers and oceans. The study highlights the need for improved treatment technologies and better monitoring to reduce microplastic discharge from these facilities.

2024 Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Fate of Microplastic Pollution Along the Water and Sludge Lines in Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants

Researchers evaluated microplastic abundance and distribution across three municipal wastewater treatment plants using different treatment technologies. The study found that all three plants achieved greater than 97% microplastic removal along the water treatment line, with microplastics concentrating in the sludge fraction, underscoring the important role of sludge treatment in sequestering microplastics from wastewater.

2025 Microplastics 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Characterization and Removal of Microplastics in Different Stages of Wastewater Treatment Plants

This review examines the types, shapes, and sizes of microplastics found in domestic and industrial wastewaters and evaluates the removal efficiency of different treatment processes across wastewater treatment plant stages, noting that no existing process achieves 100% removal.

2024
Article Tier 2

Advancements and Regulatory Situation in Microplastics Removal from Wastewater and Drinking Water: A Comprehensive Review

This review examines current methods for detecting and removing microplastics from wastewater and drinking water treatment plants. Researchers found that while existing treatment processes remove many microplastics, some particles still pass through to discharge into natural water bodies. The study also provides an overview of regulations and policies in the United States addressing microplastic contamination in water systems.

2024 Microplastics 30 citations