A review of microplastic removal from water and wastewater by membrane technologies

Abstract

Microplastics (MPs) cannot be completely removed from water/wastewater in conventional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs). According to the literature analysis, membrane technologies, one of the advanced treatment technologies, are the most effective and promising technologies for MP removal from water and wastewater. In this paper, firstly, the properties of MPs commonly present in WWTPs/DWTPs and the MP removal efficiency of WWTPs/DWTPs are briefly reviewed. In addition, research studies on MP removal from water/wastewater by microfiltration (MF), ultrafiltration (UF), nanofiltration (NF), reverse osmosis (RO), and membrane bioreactors (MBRs) are reviewed. In the next section, membrane filtration is compared with other methods used for MP removal from water/wastewater, and the advantages/disadvantages of the removal methods are discussed. Moreover, the problem of membrane fouling with MPs during filtration and the potential for MP release from polymeric membrane structure to water/wastewater are discussed. Finally, based on the studies in the literature, the current status and research deficiencies of MP removal by membrane technologies are identified, and recommendations are made for further studies.