Author Identifier
Mehdi Khiadani: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1703-9342
Muhammad Rizwan Azhar: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5938-282X
Masoumeh Zargar: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9811-6156
Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Title
Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering
Volume
13
Issue
3
Publisher
Elsevier
School
School of Engineering
Funders
Australian Research Council
Grant Number
ARC Number : DE220101043
Abstract
Microplastic (MP) pollution has emerged as a threat to drinking water quality, where fibres are the dominant type of MPs found in drinking/wastewater treatment plant influents. The potential of MP removal through conventional treatment has not been vastly studied. Accordingly, this study investigates the removal of MP fibres using two-hybrid methods: coagulation-flocculation followed by sedimentation (CFS); and coagulation-flocculation combined with flotation using microbubbles (CFm) in the presence of two different water matrices, deionised water (DI) containing surfactants and DI water in the presence of humic acid (HA). A typically used Aluminium-based coagulant (AlCl3.6H2O) and a green-based coagulant, Chitosan, were employed and their microfibre removal efficiencies were compared with the aid of turbidity measurements. The results in the HA-simulated water matrix, the CFS treatment with the AlCl3.6H2O coagulant achieved the highest MP removal rate of 88.46 %. In contrast, Chitosan was most effective during the CFm treatment in the same water matrix, with a removal rate of 78.30 % and a 5 mg/L coagulant concentration. These results demonstrate that Chitosan has the potential to achieve high MP fibre removal with less coagulant dosage in different water matrices.
DOI
10.1016/j.jece.2025.116780
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Comments
Thathsarani, N., Khiadani, M., Azhar, M. R., & Zargar, M. (2025). Enhanced removal of microplastic fibres using aluminium and chitosan-based coagulants assisted with microbubble technology. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 13(3), 116780. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2025.116780