The Potential Role of Membrane Technology in the Removal of Microplastics from Wastewater

Abstract

The presence of microplastics in water is a serious environmental problem. Although several approaches have been employed to tackle the problem, the use of membrane technology in addressing this problem remains encouraging but with limitation such as fouling and chemical instability which can be circumvented. This review identifies the presence of microplastics in water and the role of membrane technology in tackling the removal of microplastics in water. The study revealed the presence of microplastics in different water sources as well as the negative impact of microplastics on aquatic animals. Unfortunately, lack of proper management of plastic wastes has led to an increase in the presence of microplastics in the environment. Despite the profound performance by membrane technology towards the removal of microplastics in water, there is need to further improve on the limitations exhibited by this technology. However, there is no doubt that membrane technology remains an outstanding technology for the removal microplastics in water.

Recent Advances in Microplastics Removal from Water with Special Attention Given to Photocatalytic Degradation: Review of Scientific Research

“…Moreover, the fertilizer-driven forward osmosis (FDFO) process, implemented through a membrane system, proved highly successful in completely removing both MPs and nanoplastics (NPs) from wastewater, resulting in the production of high-quality irrigation water [32]. Additionally, the FDFO process effectively mitigated membrane fouling attributed to extracellular substances [33].…”

Kinetic and mechanistic analysis of membrane fouling in microplastics removal from water by dead-end microfiltration

“…Among the main engineered technologies explored for MPs removal [28][29][30][31][32][33], such as electrocoagulation [34], magnetic extraction [35,36], electrostatic separation [37], biological digestion and degradation [38,39], UV irradiation [40,41], ozonation [42][43][44], and Fenton-like reactions [28,45] (summarised in Appendix A of the Supplementary Information), membranes captured significant attention combined or not with coagulation/flocculation processes [46,47] or agglomeration reactions induced by sol-gel (alkoxy-silyl) [48]. Membrane technology can play a fundamental role in tackling the problem of MPs [49]. It has already been extensively used for advanced drinking water treatments, and, depending on the membrane pore size and the material, it can be specific to intercept different pollutants.…”