Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Identification, removal of microplastics and surfactants from laundry wastewater using electrocoagulation method

Laundry wastewater from a 2 kg synthetic fabric load released up to 114,300 microfibers per wash, and an electrocoagulation treatment removed roughly 98% of those fibers along with surfactants and organic load in about 25 minutes at a cost of US$0.53 per cubic meter. The results highlight both how significant laundry is as a microplastic source and that electrocoagulation is a cost-effective option for treating it before wastewater reaches natural waterways.

2023 Water Emerging Contaminants & Nanoplastics 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Ozonation and its Application in Wastewater Treatment

Not relevant to microplastics — this review covers ozonation and catalytic ozonation as wastewater disinfection and organic pollutant degradation technologies, with no focus on microplastic contamination.

2023 International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Degradation of microplastics by electrocoagulation technology: Combination oxidation and flocculation effects

Researchers evaluated electrocoagulation technology for removing four common types of microplastics from water and discovered that the process works through both oxidation and flocculation mechanisms. Flocculation accounted for the majority of removal (69-77%), while electrochemical oxidation via hydroxyl radicals contributed an additional 8-21% depending on the plastic type. The study found that PVC and polypropylene were removed most effectively due to their hydrophilic properties, and a neutral pH of 7 provided the best balance between the two removal mechanisms.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Effective Removal of Microplastics Using a Process of Ozonation Followed by Flocculation with Aluminum Sulfate and Polyacrylamide

Researchers tested a two-step water treatment process combining ozonation with flocculation to remove microplastics. They found that ozone pretreatment roughened the microplastic surfaces and added chemical groups that dramatically improved removal rates, from 40% to 91%, during the subsequent flocculation step. The findings suggest this combined approach could significantly enhance microplastic removal in conventional water treatment plants.

2025 Separations 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Refining Microbubble Ozonation Processes for Polyester Microplastic Removal: Optimization and Kinetic Analysis

Researchers optimized microbubble ozonation for removing polyester microplastics from synthetic textile effluent, using a COD-based quantification approach to track degradation efficiency under varying ozone dose and contact time conditions.

2025 CLEAN - Soil Air Water
Article Tier 2

The impact of ozonation on PET and PVC microplastics in model urban wastewater

Researchers investigated the effects of 6-hour ozonation treatment on PET and PVC microplastics in model urban wastewater, evaluating ozonation as an advanced oxidation process for microplastic degradation and assessing changes in polymer structure and surface chemistry for both plastic types.

2025 Global NEST International Conference on Environmental Science & Technology
Article Tier 2

Electrocoagulation/Electroflotation Process for Removal of Organics and Microplastics in Laundry Wastewater

Researchers optimised an electrocoagulation/electroflotation process for treating laundry wastewater using response surface methodology, testing different electrode combinations, pH levels, current strengths, and treatment times. Using Fe-Al electrodes at pH 9 with 2.16 A for 60 minutes, they achieved 91%, 94%, 98%, and 100% removal of COD, surfactant, microplastics, and colour respectively, at an operating cost of $1.32 per cubic metre.

2020 CLEAN - Soil Air Water 81 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of microplastics from wastewater through electrocoagulation-electroflotation and membrane filtration processes

Researchers investigated electrocoagulation-electroflotation and membrane filtration for removing microplastics from wastewater, finding that combining these processes effectively recovers microplastic particles from treatment plant effluent.

2021 Water Science & Technology 149 citations
Article Tier 2

Promoting degradation of polyamide-microplastic fibers using hydroxy radical

Researchers found that hydroxyl radicals generated in water can degrade polyamide microplastic fibers shed from synthetic textiles. This approach offers a potential chemical treatment pathway for removing synthetic fiber microplastics from laundry wastewater before they reach waterways.

2023 Research Square (Research Square)
Article Tier 2

Effects of different oxidants on the behaviour of microplastic hetero-aggregates

Researchers studied how different oxidants (ozone, chlorine, UV) affect the aggregation and settling behavior of microplastics in water treatment, finding that oxidation altered surface chemistry and changed hetero-aggregate formation with natural particles. The results have implications for predicting microplastic removal efficiency in drinking water and wastewater treatment plants.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Electrochemical remediation of microplastics: Progress and prospects in water treatment

This review examines electrochemical methods for removing microplastics from water, including electrocoagulation, electro-oxidation, and the electro-Fenton process. Evidence indicates that electro-oxidation can achieve removal rates as high as 99 percent under optimized conditions. The study highlights these techniques as promising alternatives for water treatment but calls for further research to scale them up for real-world applications.

2025 Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of Microplastics from Laundry Wastewater Using Coagulation and Membrane Combination: A Laboratory-Scale Study

Researchers characterized microplastics in raw domestic laundry wastewater (9,000–11,000 particles/L, dominated by polyester fibers) and tested whether combining coagulation with ultrafiltration membrane filtration improved MP removal. The combined process significantly enhanced removal compared to coagulation alone, highlighting laundry wastewater as a major MP source amenable to treatment at scale.

2025 Membranes 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Transformation of Traditional Wastewater Treatment Methods into Advanced Oxidation Processes and the Role of Ozonation

This paper is not relevant to microplastics research — it reviews advanced oxidation processes with a focus on ozonation for wastewater treatment, covering microbial inactivation and degradation of organic pollutants.

2023 Journal of Ecological Engineering 11 citations
Review Tier 2

Chemical methods to remove microplastics from wastewater: A review

This review examines three chemical approaches for removing microplastics from wastewater: coagulation (clumping particles together), electrocoagulation (using electrical current), and advanced oxidation (breaking plastics down chemically). Each method has strengths and weaknesses in terms of cost, effectiveness, and potential byproducts. The research is important because wastewater treatment plants are a major pathway through which microplastics reach rivers, lakes, and ultimately human drinking water sources.

2024 Environmental Research 55 citations
Article Tier 2

Promoting Degradation of Polyamide-Microplastic Fibers Using Hydroxy Radical Generated by Electrochemical Advanced Oxidation Processes

Researchers demonstrated that hydroxyl radicals generated through electrochemical processes can degrade polyamide (nylon) microplastic fibers significantly faster than biological methods — reducing fiber diameter by nearly 14% and toughness by almost 79% within 12 hours. Chemical analysis confirmed that the hydroxyl radicals cleave the amide bonds in nylon, breaking the polymer into shorter compounds. This offers a promising wastewater treatment approach for removing synthetic microfibers released during textile washing, which currently pass through conventional sewage treatment plants largely intact.

2023 Journal of The Electrochemical Society 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Ozone-mediated breakdown of microplastics in aqueous environments

Researchers examined how ozone-based advanced oxidation processes break down microplastics in water treatment settings. They found that while ozone can degrade certain plastics, the effectiveness varies depending on particle size, polymer type, and treatment conditions, and the process may generate nanoplastic byproducts. The study highlights both the promise and limitations of ozone treatment as a strategy for removing microplastics from wastewater.

2025 Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Ultrasonic and Electrocoagulation Technologies in Wastewater Treatment and Material Circulation

This review examines how ultrasonic treatment and electrocoagulation — both advanced water treatment technologies — can be combined with catalysts to degrade and remove emerging pollutants from wastewater, including microplastics. The analysis highlights the practical effectiveness of these methods while noting that energy costs and scalability remain challenges for widespread adoption.

2024 VNU Journal of Science Earth and Environmental Sciences 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparative Analysis of Electrochemical Oxidation and Biodegradation for Microplastic Removal in Wastewater

Researchers compared electrochemical oxidation and biodegradation for removing polystyrene microplastics from wastewater, finding that electrochemical oxidation achieved superior removal efficiency and could serve as a more effective treatment pathway at wastewater treatment plants.

2025 Applied and Computational Engineering
Article Tier 2

Reactivity of four model microplastics with ozone.

Researchers investigated the reactivity of four model microplastic types with ozone, examining how ozone treatment affects the physicochemical properties of microplastics as a potential water treatment strategy for degrading plastic particles.

2025 SPIRE - Sciences Po Institutional REpository
Article Tier 2

Analysis of the presence of surfactante in the removal of microplastics by electrocoagulation

This study examined how the presence of surfactants in wastewater affects the removal of microplastics by electrocoagulation treatment. Understanding how co-pollutants interact is crucial for designing more effective wastewater treatment systems.

2023 LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas)
Article Tier 2

Electrocoagulation as a Possible Treatment for Wastewater Contaminated with Microplastics - A Review

This review examined electrocoagulation and hybrid membrane technologies as innovative approaches for removing microplastics from wastewater, noting that MPs are omnipresent pollutants capable of biomagnification. The review covered the effectiveness of electrochemical processes, advanced oxidation, and membrane filtration systems including their combination for enhanced microplastic removal.

2024 BIO Web of Conferences 1 citations
Article Tier 2

The efficacious of AOP-based processes in concert with electrocoagulation in abatement of CECs from water/wastewater

Researchers reviewed how combining electrocoagulation — an electrical water-cleaning method — with advanced oxidation processes like ozone, UV light, and Fenton reactions can dramatically improve the removal of hard-to-treat contaminants from water and wastewater. While these hybrid systems show strong results in the lab, the review notes that data for real-world industrial-scale applications, particularly for microplastics and pesticides, remains limited.

2023 npj Clean Water 63 citations
Article Tier 2

Remediation technology of microfibers from washing machine effuents

Researchers developed a treatment method combining Fenton oxidation and electro-sorption to remove polyester microfibers from washing machine wastewater. Washing synthetic clothing is a major source of microplastic fiber pollution, and effective wastewater treatment at the machine level could significantly reduce this pathway into aquatic environments.

2023
Article Tier 2

In-situ electrochemical oxidation: a revolutionary approach to degrading synthetic microfibers in laundry effluent

Researchers developed an in-situ electrochemical oxidation technique to degrade synthetic microfibers directly from washing machine effluent, eliminating the need for consumable mechanical filters that generate secondary waste. The method achieved effective microfiber degradation at the source without producing additional solid waste streams.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)