Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

The removal of microplastics from water by coagulation: A comprehensive review

This review comprehensively examined coagulation as a technology for removing microplastics from drinking water and wastewater treatment plants, analyzing the mechanisms, influencing factors, and effectiveness of different coagulants for microplastic removal.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 151 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic removal by coagulation: a review of optimizing the reaction conditions and mechanisms

This review examines recent advances in using coagulation to remove microplastics from water and wastewater, analyzing how factors like coagulant type, dosage, pH, and particle shape affect removal efficiency. Researchers found that optimizing these reaction conditions is critical for maximizing microplastic removal while reducing energy costs. The study highlights significant knowledge gaps in understanding the mechanisms behind coagulation-based microplastic removal and calls for more extensive research.

2023 Water Emerging Contaminants & Nanoplastics 47 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

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

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

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

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

Coagulation–Sedimentation in Water and Wastewater Treatment: Removal of Pesticides, Pharmaceuticals, PFAS, Microplastics, and Natural Organic Matter

This review evaluated how coagulation-sedimentation processes in water and wastewater treatment perform against emerging contaminants including microplastics, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and PFAS. Researchers found that conventional coagulants can remove up to 95% of micro- and nanoplastics but are less effective for pharmaceuticals and PFAS, and that novel coagulant systems and hybrid approaches show promise for improving removal across contaminant types.

2025 Water 5 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Recent advances in microplastic removal from drinking water by coagulation: Removal mechanisms and influencing factors

A meta-analysis and random forest model found that coagulation can effectively remove microplastics from drinking water, with particle shape being the most important factor affecting removal efficiency, followed by coagulant type and dosage. Charge neutralization is the dominant mechanism for small microplastics, while adsorption bridging and sweeping work better for larger particles.

2024 Environmental Pollution 44 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

Impact of coagulation characteristics on the aggregation of microplastics in upper-ocean turbulence

This study investigated how coagulation conditions affect microplastic aggregation in water treatment, finding that coagulant type and dose significantly influence floc formation with plastic particles and ultimately removal efficiency.

2024 Advances in Water Resources 4 citations
Review Tier 2

Microplastic removal by coagulation/flocculation: A review and bibliometric analysis

This review of existing research found that a common water treatment method called coagulation (where chemicals help clump particles together so they can be removed) works well at filtering out microplastics from drinking water and wastewater. The treatment is especially good at removing larger microplastic pieces, but struggles with the tiniest ones under 10 micrometers. This matters because microplastics are showing up everywhere in our water supply, and this research suggests we already have proven technology that could help reduce our exposure to these plastic particles.

2026 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances
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
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastics removal from aquatic environment by coagulation: Selecting the best coagulant based on variables determined from a systematic review

This systematic review and experimental study identifies the most effective methods for removing microplastics from water using coagulation, a common water treatment technique. Researchers tested different coagulants on three types of microplastics and found that aluminum-based coagulants were most effective. These findings could help water treatment plants better remove microplastics from the water supply before it reaches our taps.

2023 Heliyon 40 citations
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
Review Tier 2

Microplastic Removal in Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) by Natural Coagulation: A Literature Review

This review examines how natural coagulants, substances derived from plants and other natural sources, can be used to remove microplastics during wastewater treatment. Natural coagulants are safer and cheaper than chemical alternatives, and show promise for capturing microplastic particles. Since wastewater treatment plants are a major source of microplastics entering waterways, better removal methods could reduce the amount of plastic pollution reaching the environment and eventually human food and water supplies.

2023 Toxics 45 citations
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
Article Tier 2

Treatment processes for microplastics and nanoplastics in waters: State-of-the-art review

This review summarized established and emerging treatment processes for removing microplastics and nanoplastics from drinking water and wastewater, evaluating coagulation, membrane filtration, advanced oxidation, and biological treatment in terms of removal efficiency and operational feasibility.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 102 citations
Article Tier 2

Coagulative removal of microplastics from aqueous matrices: Recent progresses and future perspectives

This review examines how coagulation, a common water treatment technique, can be used to remove microplastics from water. Researchers compared the effectiveness of different coagulants, finding that natural options like chitosan and protein-based coagulants achieved removal rates above 90 percent. The study highlights the promise of natural coagulants as a more sustainable approach to tackling microplastic contamination in water treatment systems.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 71 citations
Article Tier 2

Water Treatment Coagulation: Dares and Trends

This review examines coagulation as a foundational water treatment technique, covering colloid stability, coagulation mechanisms, coagulant types, and electrocoagulation, while discussing health hazards from coagulant chemicals and emerging innovations in the field.

2020 OALib 21 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

A comprehensive review of microplastics in wastewater treatment plants

This review surveys microplastic removal technologies used in wastewater treatment plants, comparing membrane bioreactors, electrocoagulation, coagulation-sedimentation, and biodegradation approaches. Understanding removal efficiency at treatment plants is critical because they are a primary pathway by which microplastics — and the toxic chemicals they carry — reach rivers, coastal waters, and ultimately drinking water supplies.

2024 BIO Web of Conferences 2 citations
Review Tier 2

Electrocoagulation in Wastewater Treatment: A Comprehensive Review of Heavy Metal and Pollutant Removal

This comprehensive review evaluates electrocoagulation as a wastewater treatment method for removing heavy metals and other pollutants, including microplastics. Researchers found that electrocoagulation is a versatile and effective technique compared to conventional methods like membrane filtration or chemical coagulation. The study highlights its advantages in terms of environmental compatibility and cost-effectiveness, while noting that optimization of operating parameters is still needed for different wastewater types.

2024 Asian Journal of Chemical Sciences 2 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