Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Current progress of continuous-flow aerobic granular sludge: A critical review.

This review examines the development of continuous-flow aerobic granular sludge technology for wastewater treatment, which offers advantages over conventional systems in terms of compactness and energy efficiency. While focused on wastewater engineering, such systems are relevant to microplastic removal since wastewater treatment plants are a major pathway for microplastics entering the environment.

2023 The Science of the total environment
Article Tier 2

A nanotechnology roadmap for circular wastewater management

This review paper summarizes research on using tiny particles called nanoparticles to make wastewater treatment more efficient and environmentally friendly. The technology could help clean water while also recovering valuable materials like nutrients and energy, but scientists still need to solve problems like how to use it safely on a large scale. Better wastewater treatment matters for human health because it helps ensure our water supply stays clean and reduces pollution in the environment.

2026 Frontiers in Environmental Engineering
Article Tier 2

Biopolymers in Aerobic Granular Sludge—Their Role in Wastewater Treatment and Possibilities of Re-Use in Line with Circular Economy

This review examines the composition and role of extracellular polymeric substances in aerobic granular sludge, finding that the high alginate content of granules not only improves wastewater treatment performance but also presents opportunities for polymer recovery aligned with circular economy principles.

2021 Energies 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of microplastics from wastewater: available techniques and way forward

This review surveys available techniques for removing microplastics from wastewater within a circular economy framework, discussing innovative treatment technologies, integrated risk-based approaches, and regulatory and economic guidelines needed to advance water resource recovery facilities beyond conventional pollutant removal.

2023 IWA Publishing eBooks 3 citations
Article Tier 2

From Waste to Watts: Updates on Key Applications of Microbial Fuel Cells in Wastewater Treatment and Energy Production

This review summarizes advances in microbial fuel cell technology for simultaneous wastewater treatment and electricity generation, highlighting improvements in electrode materials, reactor designs, and microbial communities that have increased power output and treatment efficiency.

2022 Sustainability 56 citations
Article Tier 2

Unifying concepts in methanogenic, aerobic, and anammox sludge granulation

This review examined the unifying biological and engineering principles behind granular sludge formation across methanogenic, aerobic, and anammox wastewater treatment systems, identifying shared mechanisms that drive microbial aggregation into dense, functional granules.

2023 Environmental Science and Ecotechnology 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Circular Economy in Wastewater Treatment Plant—Water, Energy and Raw Materials Recovery

This review proposes a conceptual framework for future wastewater treatment plants operating as resource recovery facilities within a circular economy, focusing on technologies for recovering water, energy, and raw materials including nutrients and biopolymers.

2023 Energies 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Wastewater and sludge valorisation: a novel approach for treatment and resource recovery to achieve circular economy concept

This review highlights novel approaches for wastewater and sludge valorisation within a circular economy framework, focusing on recovering value-added products including biopolymers, nutrients, and energy to achieve sustainable development goals and combat water scarcity.

2023 Frontiers in Chemical Engineering 48 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects and fate of microfibres on wastewater treatment: Insights into treatment performance, microbiome selection and synergetic impacts on functional organisms in granular sludge reactors

Researchers investigated the effects of denim and polyester microfibres on the performance of aerobic granular sludge wastewater treatment reactors, examining impacts on treatment efficiency, microbiome composition, and synergistic effects on functional microbial organisms.

2025
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on granular sludge: A review

This review examined how microplastics affect granular sludge properties and wastewater treatment efficiency in biological treatment systems, with wastewater plants considered major sinks for microplastics. The review found that harmful effects on granular characteristics are closely associated with microplastic size and concentration, summarizing how MPs disrupt granule formation and settleability.

2024 E3S Web of Conferences
Article Tier 2

Effects and Fate of Microfibres on Wastewater Treatment: Insights into Treatment Performance, Microbiome Selection and Synergetic Impacts on Functional Organisms in Granular Sludge Reactors

Researchers examined the effects of polyester and denim microfibres on aerobic granular sludge reactors used in wastewater treatment, finding that fibre presence influences treatment performance, microbiome community composition, and the function of key organisms in the granular sludge. The findings reveal that textile microfibres reaching wastewater plants can have synergistic negative impacts on biological treatment processes.

2025
Article Tier 2

Exploring Microbial-Based Green Nanobiotechnology for Wastewater Remediation: A Sustainable Strategy

This review examines how microbial-based green nanotechnology can serve as a sustainable alternative to conventional wastewater treatment methods. Researchers found that nanoparticles synthesized using microorganisms offer a cost-effective, eco-friendly approach to removing a broad range of water contaminants. The study compares the performance of these green nanomaterials against traditional treatment methods across factors like reusability, efficiency, and scalability.

2022 Nanomaterials 78 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects and fate of microfibres on wastewater treatment: Insights into treatment performance, microbiome selection and synergetic impacts on functional organisms in granular sludge reactors

Researchers investigated the effects of denim and polyester microfibres on aerobic granular sludge reactor performance, examining how these commonly encountered anthropogenic fibres influence wastewater treatment efficiency, microbiome selection, and interactions with functional organisms.

2025
Article Tier 2

Algal–Bacterial Symbiotic Granular Sludge Technology in Wastewater Treatment: A Review on Advances and Future Prospects

This review examines algal-bacterial granular sludge technology for wastewater treatment, which achieves over 90% organic matter removal and can adsorb microplastics and heavy metals. The technology reduces aeration energy consumption by 30-50% compared to conventional systems through microalgal oxygen production, and machine learning models enable real-time optimization of treatment performance.

2025 Water 8 citations
Article Tier 2

The presence of microplastics in waste sludges

This Croatian review examines the presence of microplastics in sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plants and their pathways into terrestrial and aquatic environments. The authors discuss alternative sustainable sludge management approaches aligned with circular economy principles.

2023 Repository of Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology University of Zagreb
Article Tier 2

Progress on microalgae cultivation in wastewater for bioremediation and circular bioeconomy

This review explores the potential of microalgae cultivation in wastewater for bioremediation and circular bioeconomy, highlighting how microalgae can simultaneously treat wastewater while producing valuable biomass for various applications.

2022 Environmental Research 90 citations
Article Tier 2

Integrating microplastic management into a broader wastewater decision-making framework. Is activated granular sludge (AGS) a game changer?

Researchers compared three wastewater treatment technologies for their ability to remove microplastics: conventional activated sludge, membrane bioreactors, and activated granular sludge. While membrane bioreactors performed best at removing microplastics, activated granular sludge emerged as the most cost-effective option with strong overall environmental performance. The study suggests that integrating microplastic management into wastewater treatment decisions requires balancing removal efficiency against energy use, cost, and environmental impact.

2024 Journal of Water Process Engineering 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics pollution from wastewater treatment plants: A critical review on challenges, detection, sustainable removal techniques and circular economy

This review critically examines the challenges of detecting and removing microplastics from wastewater treatment plants, evaluating sustainable removal technologies and circular economy approaches to address this persistent source of aquatic microplastic pollution.

2022 Environmental Technology & Innovation 134 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro- and nanoplastics in granular sludge systems: mechanisms of disruption, retention, and microbial adaptation in wastewater treatment technologies

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics disrupt the biological systems used to treat wastewater, focusing on granular sludge technologies. Plastic particles damage the microbial communities that break down waste by causing oxidative stress and breaking apart the protective structures that hold bacteria together. This matters because if wastewater treatment becomes less effective due to plastic contamination, more pollutants including microplastics could pass through into waterways that supply drinking water.

2025 Water Research X 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Wastewater Valorization: Practice around the World at Pilot- and Full-Scale

This review summarizes pilot- and full-scale wastewater valorization practices globally, focusing on how water resource recovery facilities recover nutrients, energy, and bio-based materials from sewage and sludge to contribute to a circular economy. The authors identify effective technological strategies that are being implemented or scaled up worldwide.

2021 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Revolutionizing Wastewater Reuse: A Critical Review of Innovative Treatment Technologies for a Sustainable Energy-Water Nexus

This review critically examines innovative wastewater treatment technologies for sustainable reuse, covering advances in membrane filtration, electrochemical processes, advanced oxidation, and emerging contaminant removal including microplastics, in the context of addressing global water scarcity.

2025
Review Tier 2

A review of nature-based solutions for resource recovery in cities

This review examines nature-based solutions for resource recovery in cities, focusing on technologies that use microorganisms and ecological processes to shift urban systems from linear resource sinks toward more circular and sustainable models.

2020 Blue-Green Systems 92 citations
Article Tier 2

Selection of bacterial strains to bioaugment granular sludge and improve the removal of recalcitrant pollutants

This study evaluated bacterial strains that can be added to granular sludge in wastewater treatment plants to improve removal of hard-to-treat pollutants. Enhanced biological treatment could improve removal of microplastics and associated contaminants from wastewater before discharge.

2023 Global NEST International Conference on Environmental Science & Technology
Article Tier 2

Mechanisms underlying the detrimental impact of micro(nano)plastics on the stability of aerobic granular sludge: Interactions between micro(nano)plastics and extracellular polymeric substances

Researchers found that both micro- and nanoplastics at realistic concentrations harmed the performance of aerobic granular sludge, a technology used for wastewater treatment, by reducing its ability to remove nitrogen. The plastic particles interacted with the sticky substances that hold the sludge granules together, weakening their structural integrity. The study reveals a specific mechanism by which plastic pollution can undermine wastewater treatment systems that communities rely on for clean water.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 31 citations