Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Optimization of a method used for extracting microplastics from an organic matter-rich matrix and isolated particles assessment

Researchers optimized a method for extracting microplastics from sewage sludge — a challenging organic-rich matrix — by combining density separation and chemical digestion steps, improving recovery rates and enabling more accurate characterization of sludge-associated microplastics.

2025 Chemosphere 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Optimised reduction of total solids and organic matter of sewage sludge matrix for an improved extraction of microplastics

Researchers optimized chemical digestion protocols for extracting microplastics from sewage sludge, finding that maximizing reduction of total solids and organic carbon content significantly improved the reliability and efficiency of subsequent density-based microplastic separation.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics extraction from wastewater treatment plants: Two-step digestion pre-treatment and application

Researchers developed an optimized two-step digestion method for extracting microplastics from wastewater treatment plant samples, achieving high recovery rates especially in organic-rich matrices like sludge, and applied it across multiple treatment stages.

2023 Water Research 30 citations
Article Tier 2

A novel method for organic matter removal from samples containing microplastics

Researchers developed a novel organic matter removal method for wastewater treatment plant sludge samples containing microplastics, demonstrating that the approach is more time- and cost-effective than existing techniques while preserving microplastic integrity for accurate quantification and identification.

2021 Environmental Pollution 45 citations
Article Tier 2

Rapid and efficient removal of organic matter from sewage sludge for extraction of microplastics

Researchers tested hydrogen peroxide combined with enzymatic treatment as an efficient method for removing organic matter from sewage sludge before microplastic extraction, overcoming the limitations of acid digestion for organic-rich matrices. The optimized approach improved MP recovery and reduced interference during spectroscopic identification steps.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 63 citations
Article Tier 2

The extraction of microplastics from sediments: An overview of existing methods and the proposal of a new and green alternative

This review assessed existing methods for extracting microplastics from sediment samples — including density separation, chemical digestion, and filtration — and proposed a green alternative extraction protocol using only salt solutions and enzymatic digestion, reducing chemical waste while achieving comparable recovery rates.

2021 Chemosphere 112 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhancing Microplastics Recovery from Complex Sludge Samples Using COD-Guided Pretreatment

Researchers developed a reliable method to extract and count microplastic particles from sewage sludge — one of the most heavily contaminated and chemically complex waste products — by using chemical oxygen demand (COD) measurements to track when enough organic matter has been removed for accurate plastic analysis. The standardized protocol achieved over 80% recovery of microplastics and confirmed that urban wastewater treatment plants concentrate roughly 475 microplastic particles per gram of dried sludge.

2024 Water Air & Soil Pollution 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Enrichment of microplastics from drinking water treatment sludge

Researchers developed an enrichment protocol to concentrate and recover microplastics from drinking water treatment sludge, where up to 93% of influent microplastics are captured during treatment but where analysis of the resulting sludge has remained methodologically challenging. The study established extraction and detection procedures to quantify microplastics in this concentrated waste matrix, enabling better characterisation of the fate of removed particles.

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

Effects of chemical pretreatments on microplastic extraction in sewage sludge and their physicochemical characteristics

This study evaluated different chemical pretreatment methods for extracting microplastics from sewage sludge, finding that some treatments can alter the physical and chemical properties of plastic particles in ways that affect identification. Choosing the right extraction method is important for accurately characterizing microplastic contamination in biosolids.

2019 Water Research 166 citations
Article Tier 2

Efficient removal of microplastic particles from wastewater through formation of heteroagglomerates during the activated sludge process

Microplastic particles were efficiently removed from wastewater using a novel treatment process, demonstrating high removal rates across different plastic sizes and polymer types. The technology contributes to the toolkit for preventing microplastic discharge from wastewater treatment plants into receiving waters.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 1 citations
Article Tier 2

COD as a Dynamic Tool for Pretreatment of Sludge Samples in Microplastic Analysis

Researchers evaluated chemical oxygen demand (COD) treatment as a pretreatment step to improve microplastic extraction from sewage sludge samples. The approach effectively removed organic interference, making it easier to accurately count and identify plastic particles in a matrix that typically complicates analysis.

2023 Research Square (Research Square)
Article Tier 2

Combined application of analytical techniques for microplastic determination to achieve comprehensive results for sewage sludge samples

Researchers combined multiple analytical techniques for comprehensive microplastic determination in sewage sludge samples, addressing the challenge that more than 90% of microplastics entering wastewater treatment plants are retained in sludge and require robust multi-method characterization.

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

Changes in physicochemical and leachate characteristics of microplastics during hydrothermal treatment of sewage sludge

Researchers examined hydrothermal treatment of sewage sludge containing microplastics and found that while the process degraded polyethylene, polystyrene, and PET to varying degrees, it also generated potentially harmful leachates, highlighting trade-offs in this treatment approach.

2022 Water Research 86 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Removal from Municipal Wastewater Through Oxide-Biological Processes. Phase 1: Preliminary Fragmentation of Microplastics from Wastewater and Aerobic Pre-conditioning of Wastewater with Activated Sludge

Researchers tested a combined treatment approach for removing microplastics from municipal wastewater, involving mechanical fragmentation followed by biological treatment with activated sludge. The preliminary results suggest that oxidative pre-treatment can reduce microplastic particle size, potentially making them more amenable to biological breakdown in wastewater systems.

2023 E3S Web of Conferences 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparative evaluation of activated sludge and electrocoagulation for microplastics removal from sewage

Researchers compared conventional activated sludge treatment and electrocoagulation for microplastic removal from sewage in Egypt, finding that activated sludge achieved 83% removal while subsequent electrocoagulation treatment raised overall removal to over 91%, with polyethylene and polypropylene confirmed as the dominant polymer types in both influent and effluent.

2026 Scientific Reports
Article Tier 2

How to remove microplastics in wastewater? A cost-effectiveness analysis

A cost-effectiveness analysis of microplastic removal in wastewater treatment found that activated sludge, rapid sand filtering, and membrane bioreactor technologies differ substantially in removal efficiency and cost per unit removed, with membrane bioreactors achieving the highest removal but at prohibitive cost.

2021 Ecological Economics 72 citations
Article Tier 2

A method for the characterisation of microplastics in sludge

Researchers developed a method for detecting and characterizing microplastics in sewage sludge, which concentrates the majority of microplastics removed during wastewater treatment. This method is important because sludge is widely spread on agricultural land, making it a key pathway for microplastics entering soils.

2019 MethodsX 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Leaching behavior of microplastics during sludge mechanical dewatering and its effect on activated sludge

Researchers studied how mechanical dewatering of sewage sludge affects the microplastics embedded within it, including their physical changes and leaching behavior. They found that the dewatering process roughened microplastic surfaces, reduced particle sizes, and altered their chemical properties due to dewatering agents and mechanical forces. The study also showed that leachates from these processed microplastics could negatively affect activated sludge performance in treatment systems.

2024 Water Research 14 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

Effects of microplastics on the properties of different types of sewage sludge and strategies to overcome the inhibition: A review

This review examined how microplastics trapped in sewage sludge during wastewater treatment affect sludge properties, microbial communities, and treatment efficiency, while discussing strategies to overcome microplastic-induced inhibition of sludge processing.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of Microplastics from Wastewater by Methods of Electrocoagulation and Adsorption

This review examines electrocoagulation and adsorption methods for removing microplastics from wastewater, comparing them against conventional physical, chemical, and biological approaches in terms of removal efficiency, cost, and practical scalability.

2025 Journal of Water Chemistry and Technology 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Critical comparison of rapid methods for the extraction of microplastics from wastewater and investigation of a facile alternative

Researchers critically compared rapid extraction methods for microplastics from wastewater samples and investigated a facile alternative approach, evaluating how well established protocols perform on environmental samples relative to their original optimization conditions.

2025 Chemosphere
Article Tier 2

The Effects of Microplastics on Floc Formation, Nutrient Removal and Settleability in Wastewater Treatment

Researchers examined the interactions of microplastics with activated sludge in wastewater treatment plants, investigating effects on floc formation, nutrient removal efficiency, and settleability to understand how microplastic contamination may compromise treatment performance.

2024
Article Tier 2

A straightforward method for microplastic extraction from organic-rich freshwater samples

Researchers developed a streamlined method for extracting microplastics from organic-rich freshwater samples using centrifugation and enzymatic digestion. They found that the approach effectively concentrated microplastics while preserving their integrity and minimizing contamination, at lower cost than existing methods. The study offers a practical and accessible protocol for laboratories studying microplastic pollution in freshwater environments.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 62 citations