Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Behavior and removal of microplastics during desalination in a lab-scale direct contact membrane distillation system

Researchers explored microplastic behavior in a direct contact membrane distillation system for seawater desalination, finding that the membrane effectively removed microplastics from drinking water while certain plastic types degraded under the high operating temperatures.

2023 Desalination 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Analysis of membrane surface after the filtration of surface water containing microplastic

Researchers tested ultrafiltration and nanofiltration membranes on real river water containing microplastics and found both membrane types completely removed plastic particles from the filtered water, though the deposited microplastics reduced water flow through the membranes over time — confirming membrane filtration as an effective but imperfect water treatment strategy.

2025 Desalination and Water Treatment 2 citations
Review Tier 2

A review of microplastic removal from water and wastewater by membrane technologies

This review examines how membrane filtration technologies can remove microplastics from drinking water and wastewater. Researchers found that advanced membranes like nanofiltration, reverse osmosis, and membrane bioreactors are among the most effective methods for capturing microplastic particles that conventional treatment plants miss. The study compares membrane approaches with other removal methods and discusses the challenges of membrane fouling caused by microplastic accumulation.

2023 Water Science & Technology 146 citations
Article Tier 2

Membrane Distillation and Other Membrane-Related Applications for Water Cleaning and Desalination

Despite its title referencing membrane distillation for water cleaning, this paper is an editorial or introductory overview of membrane-based water treatment technologies — not a study of microplastic pollution. It broadly addresses global water scarcity challenges and is not directly relevant to microplastics research or human health.

2026 Membranes
Article Tier 2

New pilot scale concepts for water treatment with membrane technology

Researchers developed three pilot-scale water treatment concepts based on membrane technology: microfiltration/ultrafiltration for stormwater collection and purification, direct membrane filtration for wastewater treatment, and a combined forward osmosis, membrane distillation, and nanofiltration system for advanced water recovery. The pilot testing assessed the performance and practical feasibility of each approach for addressing global water scarcity.

2024 Lund University Publications (Lund University)
Article Tier 2

Membrane processes as a highly effective and eco-friendly technology for treating municipal water contaminated with micro- and nanoplastics.

Researchers evaluated membrane filtration as an environmentally friendly technology for removing micro- and nanoplastics from water, testing different membrane types and pore sizes. Membrane processes showed high removal efficiency for microplastics and outperformed conventional water treatment steps for the smallest particles.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Filtration Solutions for Microplastic Mitigation: Cutting-Edge Filtration Technologies and Membrane Innovations for Environmental Protection

This review focused on membrane-based filtration technologies—including microfiltration, ultrafiltration, and nanofiltration—as strategies for removing microplastics from water. The authors evaluated removal efficiencies across membrane types and concluded that while membranes show strong performance, fouling and operational costs remain barriers to large-scale deployment.

2025 Applied Sciences
Article Tier 2

Advancements in Sustainable Membrane Technologies for Enhanced Remediation and Wastewater Treatment: A Comprehensive Review

This review covers membrane filtration technologies—reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, and ultrafiltration—as methods for removing contaminants from water, with relevance to microplastic and nanoplastic removal from drinking water and wastewater. Advancing membrane-based treatment is critical for reducing the microplastic load in treated water that humans and ecosystems are ultimately exposed to.

2023 Acadlore Transactions on Geosciences 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Performance of filters applied for removal of microplastics from water – testing methodology

Researchers tested deep-bed polypropylene filters and pleated cellulose filters for their ability to remove microplastics from water in a controlled laboratory setting. The study provides useful data for designing water filtration systems that can capture plastic particles before they reach consumers.

2023 Desalination and Water Treatment 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Fabrication of dual-charged MOF-based ultrafiltration membrane to remove charged nanoplastics from wastewater

Researchers developed a new type of water filter membrane that can remove over 99% of nanoplastics from wastewater while maintaining high water flow. The membrane uses metal-organic framework nanoparticles that repel plastic particles through electrical charges and physical filtering. This technology could help prevent nanoplastics, which are too small for conventional filters, from reaching drinking water sources.

2025 Journal of Water Process Engineering 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Developing a Methodology for the Testing of Microplastics in Drinking Water Treatment Plants

Researchers developed a standardized methodology for testing microplastic removal efficiency at drinking water treatment plants, including sampling, analysis, and reporting protocols. Having consistent methods is critical for comparing microplastic contamination across different water treatment facilities and establishing regulatory benchmarks.

2021 Research Portal (Queen's University Belfast)
Article Tier 2

Membrane Filtration Technique for Remediation of Microplastics

This chapter reviews membrane filtration as a technique for removing microplastics (plastics smaller than 5 mm) from water environments, examining how various membrane types and configurations intercept plastic particles during treatment. The authors discuss the advantages, limitations, and scalability of membrane-based approaches for microplastic remediation.

2024 Microplastics
Article Tier 2

A membrane cascade for size-based separation and concentration of nanoplastics in environmental waters

Researchers developed a cascade system of membrane filters that can separate and concentrate nanoplastics from environmental water samples by size. They demonstrated that the system effectively isolates nanoplastic particles while tracking recovery rates using fluorescent markers. The technology addresses a major challenge in nanoplastic research by providing a reliable method to extract these extremely small particles from water for accurate measurement and analysis.

2025 Separation and Purification Technology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

[Research Progress on Removal of Microplastics by Filtration in Drinking Water Treatment].

This review examines how media filtration at drinking water treatment plants removes microplastics, evaluating filter types, operating conditions, and removal efficiencies reported in the literature. It identifies filtration as a scalable, cost-effective barrier for MP removal and discusses optimisation strategies to improve performance.

2025 PubMed
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastic on submerged nanofiltration for advanced drinking water treatment

Researchers investigated how microplastics in reservoir water affect the performance of submerged nanofiltration membranes used for drinking water treatment. The study found that the presence of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics influenced the removal of dissolved organic matter by the membrane, with implications for optimizing advanced water treatment processes.

2026 Scientific Reports
Article Tier 2

Investigations and comparison of a conventional sand filter and a modified sand filter for water purification.

This study compared the performance of conventional sand filters and modified sand filters for purifying drinking water. Improving the efficiency of sand filtration is relevant to microplastics research since enhanced sand filters have shown potential for removing microplastic particles from drinking water supplies.

2023 Sustainability Agri Food and Environmental Research
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of membranes performance for microplastic removal in a simple and low-cost filtration system

Researchers tested three types of filter membranes (polycarbonate, cellulose acetate, and PTFE) for removing microplastics from water in a simple low-cost household system, finding all achieved over 94% removal by mass but that some plastic particles broke into smaller pieces during filtration. Cellulose acetate membranes performed best for long-term home use, offering a practical approach for reducing microplastic exposure from tap water.

2020 Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering 142 citations
Article Tier 2

Release of microplastics from polymeric ultrafiltration membrane system for drinking water treatment under different operating conditions

Researchers discovered that the plastic membrane filters used to purify drinking water can actually release microplastics into the treated water. The particles came not just from the membrane itself but also from plastic equipment in the system, meaning that water treatment technology designed to remove contaminants may inadvertently be adding new plastic particles to our drinking water.

2024 Water Research 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Direct filtration of microfibre-containing wastewater using nanofibre membranes: combined effects of mode of filtration and type of microfibre

Scientists tested how tiny plastic fibers from clothes and textiles affect water treatment systems that remove these pollutants from wastewater. They found that different types of plastic fibers either help or hurt the cleaning process depending on the material and how the water flows through filters. This research is important because it could help improve systems that remove microplastics from our water supply before they reach rivers, oceans, and potentially our drinking water.

2026 Chemical Engineering Journal Advances
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

Evaluating the performance of the metal organic framework-based ultrafiltration membrane for nanoplastics removal

Researchers created an advanced membrane filter using metal-organic framework nanoparticles that removed over 99% of nanoplastics from water while maintaining high water flow rates. The membrane resisted fouling and worked reliably across multiple cycles and different water conditions. This type of technology could improve wastewater treatment plants' ability to prevent nanoplastics from reaching drinking water supplies.

2024 Separation and Purification Technology 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Development and evaluation of a water treatment system for the removal of microplastics in an aqueous medium.

Researchers developed and evaluated a water treatment system for removing microplastics from aqueous media, addressing the urgent environmental concern of microplastic contamination in rivers, seas, and oceans and assessing the system's effectiveness as a promising water purification technology.

2025 LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas)
Article Tier 2

A solution for controling microplastics in drinking water

Researchers developed and tested a system for controlling microplastic contamination in drinking water, reporting on removal efficiency at levels relevant to public health. The approach offered effective microplastic reduction from drinking water sources including tap and bottled water.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

A solution for controling microplastics in drinking water

Researchers developed and tested a technology for controlling microplastic contamination in drinking water, targeting particles at concentrations relevant to typical tap and bottled water exposure. The solution demonstrated effective removal of microplastics from drinking water under realistic treatment conditions.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)