Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Effect of coagulation on microfibers in laundry wastewater

Researchers tested ferric chloride and polyaluminium chloride (PACl) as coagulants for removing synthetic microfibers from laundry wastewater, finding that surfactants in detergent reduced removal efficiency from up to 96% to 0-37%. Adding PACl restored removal to above 90%, with optimal PACl concentrations dependent on detergent concentration, suggesting coagulant addition is critical for effective microfiber removal from laundry effluent.

2022 Environmental Research 50 citations
Article Tier 2

Optimizing Laundry Wastewater Treatment: A Hybrid Approach Using Poly-Aluminum Chloride Coagulation and Activated Carbon Adsorption

Researchers investigated a hybrid treatment system combining poly-aluminum chloride (PAC) coagulation and activated carbon adsorption to remove Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and phosphate from laundry wastewater. The study optimized PAC dosage (10% and 15%) and stirring time (0-45 minutes), demonstrating that the integrated approach significantly improves removal efficiency compared to single-treatment methods.

2025 International Journal of Marine Engineering Innovation and Research
Article Tier 2

Treatment of laundry wastewater using extracellular polymeric substances (EPS)

Researchers developed an eco-friendly treatment for commercial laundry wastewater using bacterial extracellular polymeric substances as a bio-flocculant, achieving up to 98% turbidity removal and 88% chemical oxygen demand reduction when combined with alum, offering a greener alternative to conventional chemical treatment.

2023 ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS RESEARCH 5 citations
Article Tier 2

The influence of coagulation process conditions on theefficiency of microplastic removal in water treatment

Researchers investigated how coagulation process conditions — including coagulant type, pH, and microsand addition — affect the removal of polyethylene, PVC, and textile microfibers from river water, municipal wastewater, laundry effluent, and synthetic matrices. Ferric chloride and polyaluminum chloride both achieved substantial removal, with performance varying significantly by water matrix and microplastic type.

2025 National Repository of Dissertations in Serbia
Article Tier 2

Electrocoagulation/Electroflotation Process for Removal of Organics and Microplastics in Laundry Wastewater

Researchers optimised an electrocoagulation/electroflotation process for treating laundry wastewater using response surface methodology, testing different electrode combinations, pH levels, current strengths, and treatment times. Using Fe-Al electrodes at pH 9 with 2.16 A for 60 minutes, they achieved 91%, 94%, 98%, and 100% removal of COD, surfactant, microplastics, and colour respectively, at an operating cost of $1.32 per cubic metre.

2020 CLEAN - Soil Air Water 81 citations
Article Tier 2

Identification, removal of microplastics and surfactants from laundry wastewater using electrocoagulation method

Laundry wastewater from a 2 kg synthetic fabric load released up to 114,300 microfibers per wash, and an electrocoagulation treatment removed roughly 98% of those fibers along with surfactants and organic load in about 25 minutes at a cost of US$0.53 per cubic meter. The results highlight both how significant laundry is as a microplastic source and that electrocoagulation is a cost-effective option for treating it before wastewater reaches natural waterways.

2023 Water Emerging Contaminants & Nanoplastics 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Electrocoagulation Applied for Removal of Microplastic Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) with Aluminium-Aluminium (Al-Al) Electrode in Wastewater

Researchers tested electrocoagulation using aluminum electrodes to remove polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) microplastics—the plastic film used in laundry pods—from wastewater, finding that surfactant additives influenced removal efficiency. Since PVA dissolves in water and is a growing source of microplastic contamination in domestic wastewater, effective removal methods are needed before it enters waterways.

2026 Indonesian Journal of Chemistry
Article Tier 2

Removal of Microplastics from Laundry Wastewater Using Coagulation and Membrane Combination: A Laboratory-Scale Study

Researchers characterized microplastics in raw domestic laundry wastewater (9,000–11,000 particles/L, dominated by polyester fibers) and tested whether combining coagulation with ultrafiltration membrane filtration improved MP removal. The combined process significantly enhanced removal compared to coagulation alone, highlighting laundry wastewater as a major MP source amenable to treatment at scale.

2025 Membranes 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of Microplastics from Wastewater Treatment Plants by Coagulation

Researchers tested coagulation-based methods for removing microplastics from wastewater using polyaluminum chloride and polyferric sulfate, with and without polyacrylamide additives. The best results came from combining polyaluminum chloride with cationic polyacrylamide, which achieved 87.5% removal of polystyrene microplastics. The study suggests that cationic polyacrylamide works especially well because of electrostatic interactions with negatively charged microplastic particles.

2026 Sustainability
Article Tier 2

Coagulation of Wastewater Containing Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Microplastics by Using Ferric Chloride, Aluminum Sulfate and Aluminum Chlorohydrate: A Comparative Study

Researchers compared ferric chloride, aluminum sulfate, and aluminum chlorohydrate coagulants for removing PET microplastics from plastic recycling facility wastewater, finding that aluminum sulfate at pH 6 achieved the highest removal rate of 90% for predominantly fragment-shaped MPs in the 251-500 micrometers size range.

2024 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS
Article Tier 2

Electro-coagulation technique using iron [Fe] and aluminium [Al] for microplastics removal from fashion industry wastewater, Thailand

Laboratory tests showed that electrocoagulation — running electrical current through iron and aluminum electrodes — can remove microplastics from textile industry wastewater in Thailand with high efficiency. Because conventional wastewater treatment plants were not designed to capture particles as small as microplastics, electrochemical methods like this represent a promising upgrade to reduce the millions of microplastic particles released daily from textile factories.

2024 Economics and Environment 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Advanced Treatment of Laundry Wastewater by Electro-Hybrid Ozonation–Coagulation Process: Surfactant and Microplastic Removal and Mechanism

Researchers found that an electro-hybrid ozonation-coagulation process achieved over 90% removal of both surfactants and microplastics from laundry wastewater under optimized conditions, with hydroxyl radical generation identified as the key mechanism driving contaminant breakdown.

2022 Water 37 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of microplastics from secondary wastewater treatment plant effluent by coagulation/flocculation with iron, aluminum and polyamine-based chemicals

Researchers tested iron, aluminum, and polyamine-based coagulants for removing small microplastics (<10 µm) from secondary wastewater treatment plant effluent, finding that coagulation-flocculation can remove a substantial fraction but that efficiency varies by chemical and particle size.

2020 Water Research 340 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of Microfiber from Laundry Wastewater Using the Electrocoagulation Method

Researchers investigated microfiber release from laundry wastewater and found a reference load of 2.5 L of synthetic textiles released approximately 92,700-114,300 synthetic microfibers. Electrocoagulation treatment at neutral pH, 25-minute operating time, and 300 A/m² current density achieved 97.9% microfiber removal efficiency at a treatment cost of US$0.53/m³.

2025 Lex localis - Journal of Local Self-Government
Article Tier 2

Investigating the Potential of Coagulants to Improve Microplastics Removal in Wastewater and Tap Water

Researchers found that adding coagulants (FeCl3 or Al2(SO4)3) to wastewater and tap water improved microplastic removal, with aluminum sulfate achieving 43% and 62% removal efficiencies respectively, though the high concentrations required suggest that combining coagulants with organic polyelectrolytes could improve practicality.

2025 Microplastics
Article Tier 2

Development and Efficiency Evaluation of Microplastic Removal Filter for Laundry Machines

Researchers developed a four-stage filter for laundry machines designed to capture microplastics released during washing. Over 50 tests, the filter achieved an average microplastic removal rate of 98.5%, along with 92% removal of chemical oxygen demand. The most common microplastics in laundry wastewater were polyethylene (57%), followed by PET and nylon, highlighting both the scale of laundry-related microplastic pollution and the effectiveness of filtration solutions.

2025 Water 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Efficiency of Coagulation/Flocculation for the Removal of Complex Mixture of Textile Fibers from Water

Researchers tested coagulation and flocculation for removing a mixture of synthetic and natural textile fibers from water, finding that the presence of natural fibers significantly affected removal efficiency compared to single-fiber studies, which has practical implications for wastewater treatment.

2023 Processes 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of Efficiently Removing Secondary Effluent Organic Matters (EfOM) by Al-Based Coagulant for Wastewater Recycling: A Case Study with an Industrial-Scale Food-Processing Wastewater Treatment Plant

Not relevant to microplastics — this study evaluates aluminium-based coagulants for removing organic matter from food-processing wastewater to enable safe water reuse.

2023 Membranes 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Performance Evaluation of Hybrid and Conventional Coagulants for the Removal of Sunset Yellow and Methylene Violet Dyes from Wastewater

This study evaluated hybrid coagulants combining chitosan and polysilicate acid with aluminum salts for removing Sunset Yellow and Methylene Violet dyes from textile wastewater, finding that hybrid formulations achieved higher removal efficiency than conventional aluminum coagulants alone.

2025 Processes
Article Tier 2

Removal of microfiber and surfactants from household laundry washing effluents by powdered activated carbon: kinetics and isotherm studies

Researchers tested powdered activated carbon as a way to remove microfibers and surfactants from household laundry wastewater. They found that activated carbon effectively adsorbed both contaminants, with the process following predictable chemical patterns. The study suggests that activated carbon filtration could be a practical solution for reducing the microfiber and chemical pollution that laundry discharge contributes to waterways.

2023 Water Science & Technology 16 citations