What have we known so far about microplastics in drinking water treatment? A timely review

Highlights

• 23 available research articles on MPs in drinking water treatment are reviewed.

• The effects of treatment conditions and MP properties on MP removal are discussed.

• DWTPs with more steps generally are more effective in removing MPs.

• Smaller MPs (e.g.,<10 μm) are more challenging in drinking water treatment.

Abstract

Microplastics (MPs) have been widely detected in drinking water sources and tap water, raising the concern of the effectiveness of drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) in protecting the public from exposure to MPs through drinking water. We collected and analyzed the available research articles up to August 2021 on MPs in drinking water treatment (DWT), including laboratory- and full-scale studies. This article summarizes the major MP compositions (materials, sizes, shapes, and concentrations) in drinking water sources, and critically reviews the removal efficiency and impacts of MPs in various drinking water treatment processes. The discussed drinking water treatment processes include coagulation-flocculation (CF), membrane filtration, sand filtration, and granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration. Current DWT processes that are purposed for particle removal are generally effective in reducing MPs in water. Various influential factors to MP removal are discussed, such as coagulant type and dose, MP material, shape and size, and water quality. It is anticipated that better MP removal can be achieved by optimizing the treatment conditions. Moreover, the article framed the major challenges and future research directions on MPs and nanoplastics (NPs) in DWT.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Microplastics / Drinking water treatment / Coagulation / Flocculation / Membrane / Filtration

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) through the NSERC Discovery Grants Program and NSERC Discovery Launch Supplement Grant. In addition, we would thank the support by the University of Regina through the New Faculty Start-Up Fund.

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