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This study is focused on technology development for microplastic removal from wastewater using a sorption process, which would be suitable not only as a tertiary stage of purification in wastewater treatment plants but also for other waters, e.g., process water and surface water. Therefore, cheap natural materials such as zeolites and bentonites were tested as possible sorbents. This study aims not only at sorbent selection but also at their possible modification by a special water regime improving sorption efficiency and lifetime. Microplastic particles of the majority of common types of plastics were prepared by a newly developed abrasion technique from various plastic items used at home, thus microplastic particle sizes and shapes corresponded to the real microplastics found in waters. Based on results with high reproducibility, a novel method for microplastic characterization based on Raman spectroscopy in combination with SEM/EDX was developed. The removal of microplastics from waste water was tested not only at the laboratory scale but also in a developed semi-operational sorption unit at a real wastewater treatment plant throughout the year with the efficiency of over 90%.

Significant efforts have been committed to the research and development of many advanced oxidation processes, including photocatalytic oxidations with titanium dioxide or the hydrogen peroxide and ferrous/ferric ion (H 2 O 2 /Fe 2þ (Fe 3þ )/UV (photo-assisted Fenton) process. This study reports the development of a novel photochemical system for complex treatment of heavily contaminated wastewaters based on the use of UV-C light and H 2 O 2 . Special attention was focused on the technology employed, including the reactor design, process controls, and performance optimization. The effects of process parameters were studied using 4-chlorophenol (4CP) as model compound, and verification of this treatment technology was assessed using actual contaminated water. Among the most influential parameters were the 4CP concentration, reaction mixture volume, H 2 O 2 concentration, and irradiation intensity. In contrast, for H 2 O 2 dosing (proportional continuous or cumulative one-time), the flow rate did not significantly affect process efficacy. Water Environ. Res., 86, 2212 (2014).