Removing microplastics from aquatic environments: A critical review.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Water Treatment Technologies
• Ecotoxicology

Background:

• Microplastics are persistent emerging contaminants causing ecological issues in aquatic systems.
• Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are crucial for preventing microplastic release into natural waters.
• Existing removal technologies face challenges due to microplastic size and dispersibility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review current microplastic adsorption, removal, and degradation technologies in various aquatic environments.
• To assess the efficiency of microplastic removal in drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) and WWTPs.
• To provide insights into microplastic recovery methods and future research needs.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of adsorption technologies.
• Analysis of abiotic and biotic degradation methods (including photocatalysis and microbial biodegradation).
• Examination of microplastic enrichment and recovery techniques.

Main Results:

• Enrichment technologies are effective for microplastic removal in freshwater, DWTPs, and WWTPs.
• Photocatalytic pre-treatment combined with microbial biodegradation shows significant degradation potential (up to 50%).
• Microplastic recovery remains challenging due to their small size and dispersibility.

Conclusions:

• Efficient microplastic removal in WWTPs is vital for environmental protection.
• Combining physical, chemical, and biological methods offers promising degradation strategies.
• Further development of microplastic recovery technologies is essential for comprehensive management.