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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Extending traditional water supplies in inland communities with nontraditional solutions to water scarcity
ClearThe Importance of Nonconventional Water Resources under Water Scarcity
This review explores the importance of nonconventional water resources, such as treated wastewater, desalinated water, and harvested rainwater, in addressing growing global water scarcity. Researchers found that these alternative sources are becoming increasingly vital as climate change and population growth strain traditional supplies. The study highlights how expanding the use of nonconventional water can help build a more sustainable water future.
Management of Contaminated Drinking Water Source in Rural Communities
This review examines strategies for managing safe drinking water in rural communities facing pressures from population growth, pollution, and climate change. While not focused on microplastics specifically, rural water management challenges include microplastic contamination of groundwater and surface water sources.
Urban stormwater capture for water supply: look out for persistent, mobile and toxic substances
Urban stormwater harvested for water supply was found to contain persistent, mobile, and toxic substances, raising concerns about water quality risks from this increasingly used alternative water source. The study calls for better characterization of stormwater contaminant profiles before use.
From drainage to resource: a practice approach to reuse greywater for household irrigation purposes
This study reviewed practical approaches to reusing household greywater for irrigation purposes as a strategy for addressing freshwater scarcity. The research highlights that while treated greywater can reduce potable water consumption, concerns remain about contaminants including microplastics that may be present in greywater streams.
Managing Urban Water Resources: A Review of Challenges, Techniques, and Sustainability Strategies
Despite its title referencing urban water resource management, this paper is a broad review of water management challenges and tools — including hydrological modeling, remote sensing, and integrated governance strategies — rather than a study of microplastic pollution. It reviews planning frameworks and case studies related to water sustainability and does not examine microplastics or their health effects.
Insights into Global Water Reuse Opportunities
This review examines global opportunities and challenges for reusing treated wastewater, which is becoming increasingly important as water scarcity worsens worldwide. A key concern discussed is that recycled water may contain emerging contaminants including microplastics that current treatment methods do not fully remove. The findings highlight the need for advanced treatment technologies to ensure that water reuse does not become a pathway for microplastic exposure in communities.
Science and Technology for Water Purification: Achievements and Strategies
This review covers the latest science and technology for purifying water, addressing the global challenges of water scarcity and pollution. It discusses emerging contaminants including microplastics and the treatment methods needed to remove them. The findings are relevant to human health because current water treatment systems may not fully remove microplastics and other new pollutants from drinking water.
Fresh Water availability and It’s Global challenge
This review discusses the global challenge of freshwater scarcity, noting that less than 1% of Earth's water is accessible fresh water, and that climate change, urbanization, and pollution are making the situation worse. While broadly focused on water availability, the review is relevant because water contamination from industrial and agricultural pollutants, including microplastics, further reduces the supply of safe drinking water. Protecting freshwater resources from contamination is essential for public health worldwide.
Safe and sustainable water in cities
This perspective piece on urban water management notes that microplastics are among several emerging contaminants threatening city water supplies, alongside industrial chemicals and agricultural runoff. It reinforces that microplastics are now considered a mainstream water quality concern alongside traditional pollutants as cities plan for future water security.
Salinity-Induced Changes in Heavy Metal Behavior and Mobility in Semi-Arid Coastal Aquifers: A Comprehensive Review
This review examines how saltwater intrusion into coastal groundwater aquifers in dry climates affects the behavior and movement of heavy metals. While focused on heavy metals rather than microplastics directly, the findings are relevant because microplastics in these same aquifers can carry and release heavy metals as salinity changes, potentially contaminating drinking water sources for coastal communities.
Water Pollution: The Problems and Solutions
This review provides a broad overview of water pollution sources and solutions, covering industrial discharge, agricultural runoff, and urban wastewater as major contributors to water contamination. The article examines both traditional and innovative approaches to cleaning up polluted water, including emerging contaminants like microplastics. Understanding the full scope of water pollution is important because microplastics often interact with other pollutants, making their combined health effects potentially worse.
Microplastics contamination in water supply system and treatment processes
This systematic review found that microplastics are frequently detected in drinking and bottled water despite current treatment technologies, and that no existing method can completely remove them. Integrating advanced treatment approaches with life-cycle assessment and machine learning is needed to address this pervasive contamination of water supply systems.
Next generation decentralized water systems: a water-energy-infrastructure-human nexus (WEIHN) approach
This review explores the need for sustainable decentralized water management systems that consider the interconnections between water, energy, infrastructure, and human behavior. Researchers highlight how emerging contaminants, including microplastics, challenge conventional centralized water treatment approaches. The study suggests that next-generation water systems must integrate infrastructure innovation with community engagement to address pollution and resource sustainability.
Beyond the ocean: contamination of freshwater ecosystems with (micro-)plastic particles
This review examined the available data on microplastic contamination in freshwater ecosystems — rivers, lakes, and urban water systems — and found it to be widespread globally, though often underreported compared to marine environments. The authors highlight the need for reliable concentration data and chemical characterization of freshwater plastics to properly assess ecological risk.
Annotated manuscript version
This review examines water security challenges for coastal communities at the land-sea interface, discussing how sea-level rise, ocean warming, and deoxygenation may exacerbate saltwater intrusion into freshwater supplies and disrupt the delicate balance between freshwater supply and demand in coastal settings.
Emerging and traditional contaminants in water resources: a review from the perspective of the American continent
This systematic review examines emerging contaminants in water resources across the Americas, including microplastics, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products. The findings show that current water treatment systems are often inadequate for removing these pollutants, meaning people may be exposed to microplastics and other harmful substances through their drinking water.
From Scarcity to Abundance: Nature-Based Strategies for Small Communities Experiencing Water Scarcity in West Texas/USA
Researchers compared two nature-based water treatment methods for small communities in semi-arid West Texas facing water scarcity. They evaluated a pond-and-wetland system and an alternative approach for treating wastewater and replenishing local water supplies. The study suggests that these natural treatment methods could provide affordable and sustainable solutions for communities struggling with declining aquifer levels.
A sustainable brine and salt management strategy: An enabler for climate resilient water supplies for our community
Researchers examined sustainable brine and salt management strategies in Australia to address growing competition for high-quality water supplies driven by population growth, reduced rainfall, and industrial demand, outlining approaches to manage saline waste streams from desalination and water treatment.
Microplastics in small semi-industrial desalination stations and bottled waters: Human exposure and emerging health concerns
Researchers analyzed microplastic contamination in bottled water and small semi-industrial desalination stations in a water-scarce region. The study found microplastics present in both water sources, with higher levels than expected in desalination station output, raising concerns about human exposure through drinking water and highlighting the need for improved filtration standards.
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.
One water – evolving roles of our precious resource and critical challenges
This article reviews evolving challenges in water resource management, including water quality threats from emerging contaminants, aging infrastructure, and climate change. Microplastics are among the contaminants of growing concern for drinking water quality worldwide.
An Overview of Wastewater Treatment and Reuse in The Gulf Cooperation Council Countries
This paper is not about microplastics — it reviews wastewater treatment technologies and reuse regulations across Gulf Cooperation Council countries, focusing on conventional and membrane treatment methods and the policy challenges of managing freshwater scarcity.
A Perspective on Green Solutions and Future Research Paths for Microplastic and Nanoplastic Contamination in Drinking Water
This review examines the presence of microplastics and nanoplastics in drinking water and evaluates current and emerging technologies for their detection and removal. The researchers highlight that conventional water treatment plants are not fully equipped to remove the smallest plastic particles, and that improved monitoring and green remediation technologies are needed. The study underscores the importance of developing better methods to protect drinking water supplies from plastic contamination.
A review of fundamentals, challenges, prospects, and emerging trends in hydrate-based desalination
This review covers hydrate-based desalination, a water purification technology that uses less energy than conventional methods. While the paper focuses on converting saltwater to freshwater, the technology is relevant to microplastic concerns because it could provide cleaner drinking water in regions where water sources are contaminated. The review examines the environmental and toxicity concerns of chemicals used in the process and compares its sustainability to other desalination approaches.