Papers

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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

Abundance and removal characteristics of microplastics at a wastewater treatment plant in Zhengzhou

Researchers investigated microplastic abundance and removal efficiency across treatment stages at a wastewater treatment plant in Zhengzhou, China, sampling sewage at each processing section to track migration and fate of microplastics. The study characterized removal rates and identified which treatment stages were most effective at capturing microplastic contaminants.

2020 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 77 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

The Pollution Characteristics and Fate of Microplastics in Typical Wastewater Treatment Systems in Northern China

Researchers analyzed microplastic contamination at two wastewater treatment plants in Zhengzhou, China, finding overall removal efficiencies of about 93 and 96 percent respectively. Fibers and fragments were the most common microplastic shapes detected, with much of the removed material ending up concentrated in sewage sludge. The study raises concerns that while treatment processes are effective at reducing waterborne microplastics, the contaminated sludge may redistribute the pollution when applied to agricultural land.

2024 Separations 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of different treatment processes in four municipal wastewater treatment plants on the transport and fate of microplastics

Researchers investigated microplastic transport and fate across four municipal wastewater treatment plants in southeastern China, finding that different treatment processes varied in their microplastic removal efficiency, with fibers and fragments as the dominant types.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 86 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

Occurrence Characterization and Contamination Risk Evaluation of Microplastics in Hefei’s Urban Wastewater Treatment Plant

Researchers characterized microplastic contamination at various stages of a wastewater treatment plant in Hefei, China, under both dry and rainy weather conditions. They found that while the treatment process removed a significant portion of microplastics, notable amounts still passed into the effluent, with rain increasing contamination levels. The study provides a detailed assessment of how effectively current wastewater treatment technology handles microplastic pollution.

2023 Water 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Abundance, Characteristics, and Removal of Microplastics in Wastewater Treatment Plant located in Southwest China

Researchers investigated microplastic abundance, characteristics, and removal efficiency at a wastewater treatment plant in Leshan, Southwest China, finding influent concentrations of 267.74 particles/L reduced to 68.34 particles/L in effluent, achieving a 74.48% total removal rate, with smaller particles (0.05-0.3 mm) being the most prevalent and hardest to remove.

2025 E3S Web of Conferences
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

Abundance, morphology, and removal efficiency of microplastics in two wastewater treatment plants in Nanjing, China

Researchers investigated microplastic abundance, morphology, and removal efficiency at two wastewater treatment plants in Nanjing, China, finding four microplastic shapes including fragments, granules, films, and fibres across varying sizes and proportions. The study examined how treatment technology, operational parameters, and sewage source characteristics influenced microplastic removal rates.

2020 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 65 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution characteristics of microplastics in wastewater treatment plants in mega cities–the case study of Chengdu City

Researchers studied microplastic distribution and removal across wastewater treatment plant processes in China, finding that WWTPs intercept large quantities of MPs before discharge but that residual concentrations in effluent still represent a significant pathway for environmental MP release.

2025 Scientific Reports 4 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

Seasonal Variations in Microplastic Abundance and Removal Efficiency in Wastewater Treatment Plants in Bangkok, Thailand

A study of Bangkok wastewater treatment plants found microplastic removal efficiency ranged from 16–85% depending on season, with higher microplastic abundance during the wet season and PET, PE, and PP fibers as the dominant polymer types in both influent and effluent.

2025 Nature Environment and Pollution Technology 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic distributions in a domestic wastewater treatment plant: Removal efficiency, seasonal variation and influence of sampling technique

A year-long study of a municipal wastewater treatment plant found 97% removal efficiency for microplastics overall, but fibers made up a larger proportion of remaining particles in treated water than in raw sewage, and winter samples had notably higher microplastic concentrations. The study highlights seasonal variation as an important factor in assessing wastewater microplastic loads.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 220 citations
Article Tier 2

[Whole Process Analysis and Fate Behavior of Microplastics in Urban Wastewater Treatment Plants, Including their Occurrence Forms, Components, and Removal Efficiency].

A full-process analysis at a wastewater treatment plant in Hohhot, China found that fibrous microplastics were most abundant, accounting for 61.8 percent of total particles, with particle size and abundance changing across treatment stages. The study maps how microplastics migrate and what fraction is removed by each treatment step.

2024 PubMed 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic abundance, characteristics, and removal in wastewater treatment plants in a coastal city of China

Researchers studied microplastic contamination across seven wastewater treatment plants in the coastal Chinese city of Xiamen and found that while treatment removed the vast majority of particles, the remaining microplastics still entered coastal waters in significant quantities due to high effluent volumes. Fibers and fragments were the most common microplastic types detected. The study underscores that wastewater treatment plants are both a barrier to and a source of marine microplastic pollution.

2019 Water Research 480 citations
Article Tier 2

Long-Term Occurrence and Fate of Microplastics in WWTPs: A Case Study in Southwest Europe

A long-term monitoring study of a wastewater treatment plant in southwest Europe tracked microplastic concentrations across all treatment stages over multiple sampling campaigns, finding consistent plastic removal in the range of 90% but with treated effluent and sludge still containing substantial amounts. The study demonstrates the value of repeated sampling for understanding seasonal and operational variability in microplastic fate at WWTPs.

2022 Applied Sciences 64 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in 48 wastewater treatment plants reveal regional differences in physical characteristics and shape-dependent removal in the transition zone between North and South China

Researchers analyzed microplastic physical characteristics and removal efficiency in influent and effluent from 48 wastewater treatment plants across three regions of Shaanxi Province, China with different climates and economic development levels. Removal efficiency correlated negatively with foam content and positively with fiber and film content, and particles between 0.5 and 1.0 mm were removed most efficiently.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Characteristics and removal efficiency of microplastics in sewage treatment plant of Xi'an City, northwest China

Researchers systematically tracked microplastic transport, characteristics, and removal through both the sewage and sludge treatment streams of a Chinese wastewater treatment plant. The study found that while most microplastics were removed from effluent, substantial quantities accumulated in sludge.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 91 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

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

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

Identification and Analysis of Plastic Microparticles in the Inlet and Outlet of the Wastewater Treatment Plant and Investigation of the Relationship between Different Seasons of the Year with the Amount of Production and Emission of Particles

Researchers identified and characterized microplastics at the inlet and outlet of a wastewater treatment plant across different seasons, finding that conventional treatment fails to fully remove microplastics and that particle concentrations and types varied with seasonal changes.

2022 Advances in Materials Science and Engineering 6 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