Abstract

Micro and Nano Plastics (MNPs) are pollutants of increasing concern that are found in water samples such as marine environment and freshwater. Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) have been identified as one of the main dominant sources of Microplastics (MPs) in freshwater. Primary and secondary wastewater treatments remove the majority of MPs, achieving removal efficiencies of 98-99%. However, these studies have mainly monitored relatively big size MPs leaving the small size MNPs aside. Consequently, the release of MNPs from WWTP to the aquatic environment might be much more problematic than known to this day. The implementation of advanced treatment processes such as membrane technology can contribute to overcoming these limitations, by implementing them not only as a tertiary treatment, but also as a sampling method. This minireview shows the latest works related to the separation and removal efficiency of MNPs using pressure driven microfiltration and ultrafiltration membranes. In addition, membrane fouling mechanism by MNPs is explained showing that the hydrophobic interaction and the relation between particle size and membrane pore size have the main influence on it.

Keywords: Polymeric membranes; Micronanoplastics; Wastewater treatment; Fouling

Abbreviations:MNPs: Micro-Nano Plastics; WWTPs: Wastewater Treatment Plants; FTIR: Fourier Transform Infrared; MF: Microfiltration; UF: Ultrafiltration