Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Presence of Microplastic in Erzurum Urban Wastewater Treatment Plant

Researchers investigated microplastic presence at the inlet and outlet of the Erzurum Urban Wastewater Treatment Plant in Turkey, finding average concentrations of 36,400 MP/m3 in influent and 2,875 MP/m3 in effluent. Tertiary treatment achieved over 90% removal efficiency, while primary and secondary treatment alone proved insufficient for effective microplastic removal.

2024 Brilliant Engineering
Article Tier 2

A review of microplastics in wastewater treatment plants in Türkiye: Characteristics, removal efficiency, mitigation strategies for microplastic pollution and future perspective

This review comprehensively examines microplastic pollution in wastewater treatment plants across Turkiye, analyzing their characteristics, abundance, and removal efficiency. Researchers found that while treatment plants remove a significant portion of microplastics, effluent discharge still represents an important source of microplastic contamination to aquatic environments.

2024 Water Science & Technology 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of microplastics removal efficiency at a wastewater treatment plant discharging to the Sea of Marmara

Researchers tracked microplastics through all compartments of a secondary wastewater treatment plant in Istanbul, finding that the plant removed about 86% of incoming microplastics but still discharged a substantial number to the Sea of Marmara, with fibers as the dominant form.

2021 Environmental Pollution 106 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of Microplastics in a Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant With Tertiary Treatment: Removal Efficiencies and Loading Per Day Into the Environment

Researchers measured microplastic removal efficiency at a Spanish wastewater treatment plant with advanced tertiary treatment, finding it removed about 97% of incoming microplastics but still discharged an estimated 4.6 million microplastic particles per day into the environment. Even high-efficiency treatment plants release substantial microplastic loads into receiving waters.

2021 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in municipal wastewater treatment plants in Turkey: a comparison of the influent and secondary effluent concentrations

Microplastics were detected in both influent and secondary effluent at two wastewater treatment plants in Turkey, with fibers as the predominant type in both streams. The study confirms that Turkish wastewater systems discharge substantial numbers of microplastic particles into receiving waters, consistent with findings from other countries.

2018 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 275 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic occurrence and characteristics in a municipal wastewater treatment plant in Jakarta

A Jakarta wastewater treatment plant was found to remove about 91% of incoming microplastics, yet still discharged an estimated 352 microplastic particles per second into the aquatic environment. Fibers were the dominant shape, and particles ranged from 100 to 5,000 µm. This study highlights that even efficient treatment plants are significant ongoing sources of microplastic pollution in urban waterways.

2023 IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic emission trends in Turkish primary and secondary municipal wastewater treatment plant effluents discharged into the Sea of Marmara and Black Sea

Researchers tracked microplastic emission trends from Turkish primary and secondary municipal wastewater treatment plant effluents, finding that while treatment reduces MP concentrations, significant quantities are still discharged into receiving water bodies.

2023 Environmental Research 50 citations
Article Tier 2

Identification, Quantification, and Evaluation of Microplastics Removal Efficiency in a Water Treatment Plant (A Case Study in Iran)

Researchers investigated microplastic occurrence and removal efficiency across treatment stages of a drinking water treatment plant in Iran, finding an influent concentration of 1597.7 MPs/L with an overall removal efficiency of 83.7%, yet still discharging an estimated 2.25 x 10^11 MPs daily into the distribution system, with PP, PE, and PET as the dominant polymers.

2022 Air Soil and Water Research 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of wastewater treatment process on pollution characteristics and fate of microplastics

Researchers investigated microplastic abundance and removal efficiency across four wastewater treatment plants using different treatment technologies, finding influent concentrations between 539 and 1,290 particles per liter that were reduced substantially by primary and secondary treatment. Smaller microplastic particles proved hardest to remove and most likely to persist in final effluent.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 45 citations
Article Tier 2

Nationwide evaluation of microplastic properties in municipal wastewater treatment plants in South Korea

Researchers evaluated microplastic levels at 22 municipal wastewater treatment plants across South Korea and found that while the plants remove over 99% of microplastics, the sheer volume of treated water still releases significant quantities into receiving waterways. Most removal happened during the sedimentation stage, and the most common microplastic types found were fragments and fibers under 300 micrometers. The study suggests that despite high removal efficiency, wastewater treatment plants remain an important source of microplastic discharge into the environment.

2024 Environmental Pollution 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Toward a Better Understanding of the Contribution of Wastewater Treatment Plants to Microplastic Pollution in Receiving Waterways

This review examines how wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) contribute to microplastic pollution in receiving waterways, synthesizing evidence on removal efficiencies of different treatment stages and the characteristics of microplastics that escape into the environment. Researchers found that while WWTPs remove the majority of incoming microplastics, they remain a significant source of microplastic discharge due to the large volumes of wastewater processed daily.

2022 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and Characteristics of Microplastics in a Wastewater Treatment Plant

Researchers sampled the inflow, outflow, and sludge of a Chinese wastewater treatment plant, finding up to 44 microplastic particles per liter in incoming water — mostly polyester fibers. The plant removed about 96% of microplastics, but the remaining fraction was still discharged into receiving waterways.

2021 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Factors affecting microplastic retention and emission by a wastewater treatment plant on the southern coast of Caspian Sea

Researchers measured microplastic removal efficiency at a wastewater treatment plant on the southern Caspian Sea coast, finding that MP concentrations dropped from 12,667 items/m3 at the grit chamber to 423 items/m3 at the clarifier outlet, representing 96.7% removal. Fibers dominated all treatment stages and MP shape, size, and polymer type influenced removal rates across treatment steps.

2020 Chemosphere 114 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

Microplastics in an urban wastewater treatment plant: The influence of physicochemical parameters and environmental factors

Microplastics were quantified across four treatment stages of an urban wastewater treatment plant, finding an overall 90.3% removal efficiency with fragments and fibers dominating the final effluent, and identifying rainfall events and seasonal variation as significant factors affecting MP concentrations. The study highlights the importance of environmental variables when monitoring MP removal at WWTPs.

2019 Chemosphere 419 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 Tertiary Wastewater Treatment Plants: A Case Study of Three Plants in Zhengzhou, China

Researchers studied microplastic occurrence and removal efficiency at three wastewater treatment plants in Zhengzhou, China. The study found influent concentrations ranging from 147 to 289 particles per liter, with removal efficiencies between 76% and 91%, indicating that while treatment plants significantly reduce microplastic levels, substantial quantities still pass through to receiving waters.

2024 Processes 12 citations
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
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

Study of occurrence, abundance, and characterization of microplastics in wastewater treatment plant in New Delhi, India

Researchers quantified microplastic prevalence in influent, treated effluent, and sludge from a wastewater treatment plant in New Delhi, finding that MPs are present throughout the treatment process and that the plant incompletely removes them, discharging MPs into receiving waters.

2025 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
Article Tier 2

Distribution and occurrence of microplastics in wastewater treatment plants

Researchers investigated microplastic distribution in three industrial wastewater treatment plants in Vietnam, finding average removal efficiencies of only 21-26%, with billions of microplastic particles discharged daily into receiving waters from the largest plant.

2022 Environmental Technology & Innovation 119 citations
Article Tier 2

Abundance, characteristics, fate, and removal of microplastics during municipal wastewater treatment plant in the west of Iran: the case of Kermanshah city

A three-month study of a conventional activated sludge wastewater treatment plant in Kermanshah, Iran found that while the facility removed about 64% of incoming microplastics, large quantities still passed through into the effluent — making the plant a net source of microplastic pollution to the aquatic environment. Fibers dominated incoming samples while fragments were more prevalent in the treated effluent, and polyethylene was the most common polymer detected throughout.

2023 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 11 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

Evaluation of microplastic removal efficiency of wastewater-treatment plants in a developing country, Vietnam

Researchers evaluated microplastic removal efficiency at four wastewater treatment plants in Vietnam, finding removal rates of 92-99% but substantial daily microplastic loads still entering receiving waters through effluent discharge.

2023 Environmental Technology & Innovation 59 citations