Papers

20 results
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Review Tier 2

Removal of microplastics in unit processes used in water and wastewater treatment: a review

This review evaluates various water and wastewater treatment technologies for their ability to remove microplastics, including filtration, coagulation, and advanced oxidation methods. The authors found that while conventional treatment plants can remove a large percentage of microplastics, significant quantities still pass through into treated water. The study calls for combining multiple treatment steps and developing new technologies specifically designed to capture micro- and nanoplastic particles.

2023 Archives of Environmental Protection 24 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

Investigation of microplastics removal methods from aquatic environments

This review summarizes current methods for removing microplastics from water environments, including filtration, coagulation, biological degradation, and advanced oxidation. No single technique is fully effective, and the authors note that combining methods and improving wastewater treatment infrastructure is essential.

2021 Heritage and Sustainable Development ISSN 2712-0554 3 citations
Review Tier 2

Removal of microplastics and nanoplastics in water treatment processes: A systematic literature review

Researchers systematically reviewed 103 studies across 26 water treatment plants in 12 countries to assess how well various technologies remove microplastics and nanoplastics from drinking water, finding that while coagulation, filtration, and advanced treatments help, significant gaps remain. The review identifies that no single process achieves complete removal, leaving microplastics as a persistent contaminant in treated water supplies.

2024 Journal of Water Process Engineering 34 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

Catalytic approaches for the removal of microplastics from water: Recent advances and future opportunities

Researchers reviewed catalytic methods — including biological processes, advanced oxidation, and hydrolysis — for breaking down or removing microplastics from water, highlighting promising progress while noting that no single approach yet works efficiently at the scale needed for real-world water treatment.

2023 Chemical Engineering Journal Advances 59 citations
Article Tier 2

Advances in chemical removal and degradation technologies for microplastics in the aquatic environment: A review

This review summarizes recent advances in chemical methods for breaking down microplastics in water, comparing the effectiveness of various techniques including advanced oxidation processes. Developing better ways to destroy microplastics in water is important for public health because current wastewater treatment plants cannot fully remove these persistent particles before water reaches consumers.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 45 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent approaches and advanced wastewater treatment technologies for mitigating emerging microplastics contamination – A critical review

This review critically assessed advanced wastewater treatment technologies for removing microplastics, noting that conventional treatment plants act as both barriers and point sources for microplastic release into the environment. The study suggests that advanced treatment approaches such as membrane filtration and advanced oxidation processes show promise for improving microplastic removal efficiency from wastewater.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 243 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Toxicity and Water Treatment Methods

This review assesses the current state of microplastic contamination, examining pathways of environmental entry and interactions with living organisms, and analyzes existing water treatment methods -- including filtration, coagulation, and advanced oxidation -- considered most promising for partial or complete microplastic removal.

2022 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic remediation technologies in water and wastewater treatment processes: Current status and future perspectives

This review covers the main technologies for removing microplastics from water and wastewater, including membrane filtration, chemical coagulation, adsorption, biological methods, and advanced oxidation. Each method has trade-offs between effectiveness, cost, and environmental impact, and no single approach removes all microplastics completely. The review emphasizes the urgent need for better removal methods since microplastics have already been detected in human blood and infant feces.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 119 citations
Article Tier 2

Treatment technologies for the removal of micro plastics from aqueous medium

Researchers reviewed treatment technologies for removing microplastics from water, finding that while multiple methods including filtration, membrane processes, and coagulation show promise, their effectiveness depends on microplastic size, type, and concentration.

2022 AIP conference proceedings 4 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastic particles in the aquatic environment: A systematic review

Among treatment technologies for microplastic removal from water, membrane bioreactors achieved the highest efficiency (>99%), followed by activated sludge (~98%) and rapid sand filtration (~97%), while hybrid treatment approaches showed the best overall removal performance.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 238 citations
Article Tier 2

Elimination of micro and nanoplastics in wastewater: technological advances and future perspectives

This work reviews technological advances and future perspectives for the elimination of micro- and nanoplastics from wastewater, synthesizing current approaches and their effectiveness across different treatment stages. The review highlights ongoing challenges in capturing the smallest plastic particles and identifies promising directions for next-generation treatment systems.

2024 e_Buah
Article Tier 2

Current status of microplastics and nanoplastics removal methods: Summary, comparison and prospect

This review comprehensively summarized and compared current methods for removing micro- and nanoplastics from water, covering physical, chemical, and biological approaches while identifying key challenges and future directions for improving removal efficiency.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 86 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of microplastic and plasticizer from waterbodies; A review

Researchers reviewed a wide range of techniques for detecting and removing microplastics and chemical plasticizers (additives that make plastic flexible) from water, covering methods from microscopy to advanced oxidation and metal-organic frameworks. The review highlights that no single method works for all situations, and cost-effective, sustainable approaches tailored to specific pollutant types are still urgently needed.

2025 Cleaner Chemical Engineering 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and nanoplastics: Recent literature studies and patents on their removal from aqueous environment

This review surveyed recent research and 42 international patents on technologies for removing microplastics and nanoplastics from water, categorizing methods into filtration, capture-based, and degradation approaches. Removal efficiencies between 58% and 100% were reported across techniques including coagulation, membrane filtration, photocatalytic degradation, and microbial breakdown. The study highlights that while promising methods exist, each has limitations depending on factors like plastic type, water chemistry, and particle size.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 120 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
Article Tier 2

Strategies for the Remediation of Micro- and Nanoplastics from Contaminated Food and Water: Advancements and Challenges

This review summarizes existing research on methods for removing micro- and nanoplastics from contaminated food and water, including filtration, chemical treatment, and biological approaches using microorganisms. While several promising techniques exist, the complexity of real-world plastic pollution makes it difficult to scale these solutions, and more cross-disciplinary research is needed to protect food and water safety.

2025 Journal of Xenobiotics 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent advances on microplastics pollution and removal from wastewater systems: A critical review

This review summarizes the latest research on microplastic detection, occurrence, and removal in wastewater treatment plants. While treatment plants can remove 57-99% of microplastics depending on the stage, significant amounts still escape into the environment through treated water and sludge. The findings highlight the need for advanced treatment methods to prevent microplastics from reaching waterways and ultimately human water supplies.

2023 Journal of Environmental Management 81 citations