Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Removal of microplastics via drinking water treatment: Current knowledge and future directions

This review examines what is currently known about microplastics in drinking water systems and how well existing water treatment processes remove them. Researchers found that while conventional treatment steps like coagulation and filtration do reduce microplastic levels, significant amounts can still persist through to tap water. The study calls for more research into optimizing treatment processes and developing monitoring strategies specifically targeting microplastic contamination in drinking water.

2020 Chemosphere 386 citations
Article Tier 2

Fate of microplastics in the drinking water production

Researchers tracked the fate of microplastics through drinking water treatment processes, finding that conventional treatment steps like coagulation, sedimentation, and filtration removed the majority of microplastics but did not eliminate them entirely.

2022 Water Research 157 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in drinking water treatment – Current knowledge and research needs

This review examines the current state of knowledge about microplastics in drinking water treatment, including how treatment plants remove these particles. Researchers found that conventional treatment processes like coagulation and filtration can remove a significant portion of microplastics, but some particles still pass through to finished water. The study identifies key research gaps around the effectiveness of different treatment technologies and the health implications of residual microplastics.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 421 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Drinking Water: A Review of Sources, Removal, Detection, Occurrence, and Potential Risks

This review examines how microplastics enter drinking water supply systems, evaluates methods for their detection and removal, and summarizes what is known about their occurrence in treated water. Researchers found that while conventional water treatment removes a significant portion of microplastics, no current method eliminates them completely. The study highlights the need for improved monitoring standards and further research into the long-term health effects of ingesting microplastics through drinking water.

2025 Toxics 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence, Fate, and Treatment of Micro/Nano Plastics in Drinking Water Sources

This review examines the occurrence, fate, and treatment of micro- and nanoplastics in drinking water sources, covering how these particles enter water supplies and what treatment technologies exist to remove them. The authors note significant gaps in both detection methods and removal efficiency.

2024 Water and waste water management
Article Tier 2

Occurrence of microplastics in raw and treated drinking water

Researchers analyzed raw and treated water from three water treatment plants and found microplastics in all samples, though treatment reduced particle counts by roughly 70 to 80 percent. The vast majority of detected particles were smaller than 10 micrometers, a size range often missed by other studies. The findings highlight that while water treatment removes most microplastics, very small particles can still pass through conventional filtration systems.

2018 The Science of The Total Environment 1073 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Drinking Water:Current Knowledge, Quality Assuranceand Future Directions

This review synthesizes current knowledge on microplastics in drinking water, covering their occurrence in source waters, behavior during treatment processes, and potential health implications. Researchers found that while drinking water treatment plants remove a portion of microplastics, standardized quality assurance methods are still lacking. The study calls for improved monitoring protocols and treatment technologies to better address microplastic contamination in tap water.

2024 Polish Journal of Environmental Studies 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in wastewater treatment systems and receiving waters

This review covers how microplastics move through wastewater treatment plants and end up in receiving water bodies, noting that conventional treatment removes most but not all microplastics. The residual microplastics discharged into rivers and oceans represent a major ongoing input into aquatic ecosystems.

2019 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Nano/microplastics in water and wastewater treatment processes – Origin, impact and potential solutions

This review examined the origin, fate, and impacts of nano- and microplastics in water and wastewater treatment processes, finding that small particle sizes and diverse polymer compositions make complete removal challenging across conventional and advanced treatment stages. The authors identify detection limitations and process instability as key barriers to effective water treatment for nanoplastics.

2019 Water Research 624 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic removal across ten drinking water treatment facilities and distribution systems

Researchers characterized microplastic removal across ten drinking water treatment facilities and found that conventional municipal treatment achieved greater than 97.5% removal, primarily through granular media filtration or ultrafiltration. Untreated source waters contained between approximately 1,200 and 7,200 microplastic particles per liter, with polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyamide being the most common types. The findings provide valuable data on microplastic exposure through drinking water and the effectiveness of existing treatment processes.

2025 npj Clean Water 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Advancements and Regulatory Situation in Microplastics Removal from Wastewater and Drinking Water: A Comprehensive Review

This review examines current methods for detecting and removing microplastics from wastewater and drinking water treatment plants. Researchers found that while existing treatment processes remove many microplastics, some particles still pass through to discharge into natural water bodies. The study also provides an overview of regulations and policies in the United States addressing microplastic contamination in water systems.

2024 Microplastics 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Identification and Quantification of Microplastics in Potable Water and Their Sources within Water Treatment Works in England and Wales

Researchers tested eight water treatment works in England and Wales and found that conventional treatment processes removed 99.99% of microplastics, reducing raw water concentrations of about 5 particles per liter to near-zero in drinking water. Polyethylene, PET, and polypropylene were the most common polymers found in the raw water supply.

2020 Environmental Science & Technology 180 citations
Article Tier 2

Differences in the occurrence of microplastic at two technically diverse drinking water treatment plants within the same river catchment

Researchers compared microplastic occurrence in drinking water produced by two treatment plants using different technologies, finding that treatment design significantly affected which and how many microplastics remained in finished water. The results highlight the importance of treatment technology in determining consumer exposure to microplastics in tap water.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and removal of microplastics by advanced and conventional drinking water treatment facilities

Researchers evaluated the performance of both advanced and conventional drinking water treatment processes for removing microplastics, finding that advanced methods such as ultrafiltration substantially outperform standard coagulation and filtration. Most conventional treatment plants leave a meaningful fraction of microplastics in finished drinking water.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and Source of Microplastics Contamination in Drinking Water and Performance of Water Treatment Plants in Removing Microplastics

This review summarizes evidence that microplastics are present in both tap water and bottled water worldwide, with bottled water frequently contaminated by particles shed from the plastic packaging itself. Conventional water treatment plants remove between 40% and 93% of microplastics but cannot eliminate them entirely, meaning treated drinking water still carries measurable plastic loads. The chapter highlights the irony that plastic packaging intended to deliver clean water is itself a major source of microplastic contamination.

2023
Article Tier 2

Fate and occurrence of microplastics in wastewater treatment plants

This review summarizes recent research on the abundance and removal of microplastics in wastewater treatment plants, examining how different treatment stages capture or release microplastic particles and assessing the overall efficiency of current infrastructure.

2023 Environmental Science Advances 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Mass Concentration and Removal Characteristics of Microplastics and Nanoplastics in a Drinking Water Treatment Plant

Researchers measured both microplastics and nanoplastics by mass throughout an entire drinking water treatment plant, finding that raw water contained about 9.6 micrograms per liter of plastic polymers. Treatment reduced this by roughly 92%, but nanoplastics and very small microplastics were harder to remove than larger particles. The study highlights the importance of measuring plastic contamination by mass, not just by particle count, for a more accurate picture of exposure through drinking water.

2024 ACS ES&T Water 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Drinking Water

This review examines published evidence on microplastic presence in tap water, bottled water, and drinking water treatment plants, summarizing known pathways by which microplastics enter drinking water supplies and discussing potential human health impacts and future research priorities.

2025
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Water: Occurrence, Human Health Impact and Methods of Analysis

This review covers the occurrence of microplastics in water sources globally, summarizing human health impacts from ingestion and inhalation, and evaluating available treatment technologies for removing microplastics from drinking water. The authors conclude that conventional water treatment is insufficient for complete microplastic removal.

2024 Oriental Journal Of Chemistry 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Problems, Challenges, and Removing Methods of Micro Plastics from Water

This review examines the presence of microplastics in drinking water — both tap and bottled — and the technologies available to remove them. Microplastics have been detected in drinking water worldwide, and while conventional treatment removes some particles, smaller nanoplastics largely pass through. The authors assess filtration, coagulation, and advanced treatment options for improving microplastic removal in drinking water systems.

2021 International Journal for Research in Applied Science and Engineering Technology
Article Tier 2

Advances in analysis of microplastics in drinking water treatment plants. Fluorescence techniques using iDye Pink

Microplastics between 0.1 and 5 mm were detected at multiple stages of three drinking water treatment plants, with Nile Red fluorescence staining and spectroscopic techniques showing that while treatment reduces MP loads, particles persist into final treated water.

2023 Environmental Technology & Innovation 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Conventional and biological treatment for the removal of microplastics from drinking water

Researchers examined microplastic removal by a full-scale drinking water treatment plant, finding that conventional coagulation-flocculation-filtration processes and biological filters with granular activated carbon effectively reduced microplastic concentrations in treated water.

2021 Chemosphere 101 citations
Article Tier 2

Contamination and Removal Efficiency of Microplastics and Synthetic Fibres in a Conventional Drinking Water Treatment Plant

Researchers found that a conventional drinking water treatment plant in Geneva removed the majority of microplastics from raw water, with coagulation and sand filtration contributing most to removal, though some particles persisted through to finished drinking water.

2022 Frontiers in Water 33 citations
Article Tier 2

A critical review on recent research progress on microplastic pollutants in drinking water

This critical review synthesizes research on microplastic contamination in drinking water sources and treatment systems. The study highlights that microplastics have been found in rivers, lakes, and treatment facilities worldwide, and that bioaccumulation of these persistent particles through drinking water represents a potential concern that requires further investigation into health effects and improved removal technologies.

2023 Environmental Research 70 citations