{"title":"Microplastic Removal Efficiency of Four Wastewater Treatment Processes in Kunming: Mechanisms and Optimal Process Selection.","authors":"Zhineng Xiao, Yuan Feng, Hui Qian, Shiyu Li, Hailong Yu","doi":"10.1007/s00267-025-02280-5","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>With the mass production and use of plastic products, Microplastic (MP) pollution is worsening due to widespread plastic use. Urban wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) fail to fully remove MPs, making their effluents a key source of aquatic MP pollution. This study compared MP removal efficiencies across four Kunming WWTPs using different processes (AAO-V, BIOCOS-D, AAO-MBR, AAO-D filters) to identify optimal treatments for future plants. Removal efficiencies ranked: AAO-MBR (99.9%) > BIOCOS-D (96.1%) > AAO-D (92.1%) > AAO-V (88.6%). AAO-MBR showed the highest efficiency, with biofilm filtration and adsorption as the main removal mechanisms. Future WWTP design should prioritize high MP removal efficiency alongside nitrogen and phosphorus removal, with AAO-MBR recommended as the optimal process. The removal rate of MPs should be properly considered along with those of nitrogen and phosphorus when developing future wastewater plants, and processes with high MP removal rates should be selected when possible.</p>","PeriodicalId":543,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Environmental Management","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-025-02280-5","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
With the mass production and use of plastic products, Microplastic (MP) pollution is worsening due to widespread plastic use. Urban wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) fail to fully remove MPs, making their effluents a key source of aquatic MP pollution. This study compared MP removal efficiencies across four Kunming WWTPs using different processes (AAO-V, BIOCOS-D, AAO-MBR, AAO-D filters) to identify optimal treatments for future plants. Removal efficiencies ranked: AAO-MBR (99.9%) > BIOCOS-D (96.1%) > AAO-D (92.1%) > AAO-V (88.6%). AAO-MBR showed the highest efficiency, with biofilm filtration and adsorption as the main removal mechanisms. Future WWTP design should prioritize high MP removal efficiency alongside nitrogen and phosphorus removal, with AAO-MBR recommended as the optimal process. The removal rate of MPs should be properly considered along with those of nitrogen and phosphorus when developing future wastewater plants, and processes with high MP removal rates should be selected when possible.
期刊介绍：
Environmental Management offers research and opinions on use and conservation of natural resources, protection of habitats and control of hazards, spanning the field of environmental management without regard to traditional disciplinary boundaries. The journal aims to improve communication, making ideas and results from any field available to practitioners from other backgrounds. Contributions are drawn from biology, botany, chemistry, climatology, ecology, ecological economics, environmental engineering, fisheries, environmental law, forest sciences, geosciences, information science, public affairs, public health, toxicology, zoology and more.
As the principal user of nature, humanity is responsible for ensuring that its environmental impacts are benign rather than catastrophic. Environmental Management presents the work of academic researchers and professionals outside universities, including those in business, government, research establishments, and public interest groups, presenting a wide spectrum of viewpoints and approaches.
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