(2022) Science of the Total Environment_Removal of nanoplastics in water treatment processes: A review

Keerthana Devi M., Karmegam N., Manikandan S., Subbaiya R., Song H., Kwon E.E., Sarkar B., Bolan N., Kim W., Rinklebe J., Govarthanan M.

(Elsevier B.V.) Science of the Total Environment ISSN: 489697 Vol.845 Issue. Article No.157168 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157168

Nanoplastics are drawing a significant attention as a result of their propensity to spread across the environment and pose a threat to all organisms. The presence of nanoplastics in water is given attention nowadays as the transit of nanoplastics occurs through the aquatic ecosphere besides terrestrial mobility. The principal removal procedures for macro-and micro-plastic particles are effective, but nanoparticles escape from the treatment, increasing in the water and significantly influencing the society. This critical review is aimed to bestow the removal technologies of nanoplastics from aquatic ecosystems, with a focus on the treatment of freshwater, drinking water, and wastewater, as well as the importance of transit and its impact on health concerns. Still, there exists a gap in providing a collective knowledge on the methods available for nanoplastics removal. Hence, this review offered various nanoplastic removal technologies (microorganism-based degradation, membrane separation with a reactor, and photocatalysis) that could be the practical/effective measures along with the traditional procedures (filtration, coagulation, centrifugation, flocculation, and gravity settling). From the analyses of different treatment systems, the effectiveness of nanoplastics removal depends on various factors, source, size, and type of nanoplastics apart from the treatment method adopted. Combined removal methods, filtration with coagulation offer great scope for the removal of nanoplastics from drinking water with >99 % efficiency. The collected data could serve as base-line information for future research and development in water nanoplastics cleanup. © 2022 Elsevier B.V.

The authors are thankful to The Management of Saveetha School of Engineering, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Saveetha Nagar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India for their constant support to complete the review article.