Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Fiber-based super-bridging agents improve flotation and settling during water treatment

Researchers evaluated fiber-based super-bridging agents as additives to conventional coagulation and flocculation processes in water treatment, finding that these fibers produced flocs 10-100 times larger than conventional treatments, improving flotation and settling efficiency and achieving residual turbidity below 1.5 NTU.

2024
Article Tier 2

Super-bridging fibrous materials for water treatment

Researchers engineered fiber-based materials that dramatically increase the size of clumped particles (called flocs) during water treatment, reducing the need for chemical additives by up to 60% while also effectively removing emerging contaminants like microplastics and nanoplastics from drinking water.

2022 npj Clean Water 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Demonstrating Scale-Up of a Novel Water Treatment Process using Super-Bridging Agents

This paper is not relevant to microplastics research — it evaluates cellulose fiber-based super-bridging agents for improving floc separation in wastewater treatment plants, without addressing microplastic removal or contamination.

2023 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of Classical and Emerging Contaminants in Water Treatment Using Super-Bridging Fiber-Based Materials

Researchers designed iron-grafted cellulose fibers and tested them for removing both classical contaminants and emerging pollutants including microplastics from wastewater, demonstrating high removal efficiency across a broad range of contaminant types in a single treatment step.

2023 ACS ES&T Water 20 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

Sustainable Removal of Microplastics and Natural Organic Matter from Water by Coagulation–Flocculation with Protein Amyloid Fibrils

Researchers developed a novel water treatment method using protein-based amyloid fibrils as a natural flocculant to remove microplastics and dissolved organic matter from water. The method achieved removal efficiencies above 97% for both microplastic particles and humic acid, outperforming conventional chemical flocculants at the same dosage. The approach offers a sustainable, biodegradable alternative to traditional water treatment chemicals for addressing microplastic contamination.

2021 Environmental Science & Technology 160 citations
Article Tier 2

Fibrous super-bridging agents simultaneously improve contaminants removal and sludge dewatering via a very compact three-in-one process

Researchers developed a compact three-step water treatment process using fibrous bridging agents that simultaneously removes contaminants — including nanoplastics and microplastics — and dewaters sludge more efficiently than conventional methods. This streamlined approach could make clean water treatment more accessible for small towns and underserved communities in developing countries.

2025 npj Clean Water 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics removal by coagulation: cutting-edge coagulants and coagulation processes

This review examines how coagulation, a water treatment process that clumps particles together for easier removal, can be used to filter microplastics from water. Researchers summarize recent advances in coagulant materials, including novel hybrid formulations, and the factors that influence their effectiveness. The study highlights coagulation as a practical and scalable approach for addressing microplastic contamination in water treatment systems.

2024 Pigment & Resin Technology 6 citations
Article Tier 2

From Mineral Salts to Smart Hybrids: Coagulation–Flocculation at the Nexus of Water, Energy, and Resources – A Critical Review

A review traced innovations in coagulation-flocculation-sedimentation treatment from simple mineral salts to advanced hybrid nanomaterial additives for water purification. These advances are relevant to improving the efficiency of removing microplastics during conventional water treatment.

2025 Preprints.org 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhancing nano and microplastics destabilization: Synergistic effects of natural mucin and conventional coagulants in water and wastewater treatment

Researchers investigated whether combining jellyfish mucus with conventional water treatment coagulants could improve removal of micro- and nanoplastics from water. The synergistic combination achieved over 90% removal efficiency with settling times under 5 minutes, outperforming either agent alone by leveraging bridging and entrapment mechanisms.

2025 Environmental Technology & Innovation 2 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

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

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

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

Elimination of a Mixture of Microplastics Using Conventional and Detergent-Assisted Coagulation

Researchers tested coagulation as a method to remove microplastics from tap water, evaluating how microplastic type (PE and PVC), water pH, coagulant dose, and microplastic concentration affect removal efficiency, and finding that detergent-assisted coagulation improves performance.

2023 Materials 20 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

Tailored cellulose-based flocculants for microplastics removal: Mechanistic insights, pH influence, and efficiency optimization

Researchers developed plant-derived (cellulose-based) flocculants that clump microplastics together so they can be more easily removed from water, finding that a low concentration of 0.001 g/mL was optimal and that both electrical charge and water-repelling interactions drive the process depending on the type of plastic.

2025 Powder Technology 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent innovations in microplastics and nanoplastics removal by coagulation technique: Implementations, knowledge gaps and prospects

This review evaluates coagulation, a water treatment technique that uses chemicals to clump particles together for easier removal, as a method for eliminating microplastics and nanoplastics from water. Researchers found that coagulation can effectively remove these plastic particles, especially when combined with other treatment steps, but performance varies based on plastic size, shape, and water chemistry. The study identifies key knowledge gaps and recommends further research to optimize coagulation for real-world microplastic removal.

2023 Water Research 71 citations
Article Tier 2

Coagulation technologies for separation of microplastics in water: current status

This review examines how coagulation water treatment technologies can remove microplastics from water. Conventional coagulation achieves 8-98% removal efficiency while electrocoagulation achieves 8-99%, depending on conditions, offering a potentially effective approach for reducing microplastics in drinking water and wastewater.

2023 Journal of Physics Conference Series
Article Tier 2

Efficiency of Coagulation/Flocculation for the Removal of Complex Mixture of Textile Fibers from Water

Researchers tested coagulation and flocculation for removing a mixture of synthetic and natural textile fibers from water, finding that the presence of natural fibers significantly affected removal efficiency compared to single-fiber studies, which has practical implications for wastewater treatment.

2023 Processes 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Sustainable coagulative removal of microplastic from aquatic systems: recent progress and outlook

This review examines how natural coagulants from plants, animals, and microbes can be used to remove microplastics from water as a greener alternative to conventional chemical treatments. These bio-based coagulants, especially when combined with nanotechnology, show promising removal rates while avoiding the toxic residues left by traditional chemical approaches.

2025 RSC Advances 20 citations
Article Tier 2

The Effects of Microplastics on Floc Formation, Nutrient Removal and Settleability in Wastewater Treatment

Researchers investigated how microplastics affect floc formation, nutrient removal, and settleability in wastewater treatment systems, examining the mechanisms by which these ubiquitous anthropogenic pollutants entering via packaging, cosmetics, and other production sectors disrupt activated sludge processes.

2024
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
Systematic Review Tier 1

Natural-based coagulants/flocculants for microplastics and nanoplastics removal via coagulation–flocculation: a systematic review

This systematic review evaluates how natural plant-based materials can be used to remove microplastics and nanoplastics from water through coagulation and flocculation processes. The findings show that these sustainable, nature-derived alternatives can effectively capture plastic particles during water treatment, offering a greener approach to reducing microplastic contamination in our drinking water.

2026 International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology