Faculty of Civil Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, 02600 Arau, Perlis, Malaysia.
Faculty of Civil Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, 02600 Arau, Perlis, Malaysia; Water Research and Environmental Sustainability Growth (WAREG), Universiti Malaysia Perlis, 02600 Arau, Perlis, Malaysia.
Sci Total Environ. 2022 Mar 1;810:152115. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152115. Epub 2021 Dec 8.
The presence of microplastics (MP) and nanoplastics (NP) in the environment poses significant hazards towards microorganisms, humans, animals and plants. This paper is focused on recent literature studies and patents discussing the removal process of these plastic pollutants. Microplastics and nanoplastics can be quantified by counting, weighing, absorbance and turbidity and can be further analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and Raman tweezers. Mitigation methods reported are categorized depending on the removal characteristics: (i) Filtration and separation method: Filtration and separation, electrospun nanofiber membrane, constructed wetlands; (ii) Capture and surface attachment method: coagulation, flocculation and sedimentation (CFS), electrocoagulation, adsorption, magnetization, micromachines, superhydrophobic materials and microorganism aggregation; and (iii) Degradation method: photocatalytic degradation, microorganism degradation and thermal degradation; where removal efficiency between 58 and 100% were reported. As these methods are significantly distinctive, the parameters which affect the MP/NP removal performance e.g., pH, type of plastics, presence of interfering chemicals or ions, surface charges etc. are also discussed. 42 granted international patents related to microplastics and nanoplastics removal are also reviewed where the majority of these patents are focused on separation or filtration devices. These devices are efficient for microplastics up to 20 μm but may be ineffective for nanoplastics or fibrous plastics. Several patents were found to focus on methods similar to literature studies e.g., magnetization, CFS, biofilm and microorganism aggregation; with the addition of another method: thermal degradation.
环境中存在的微塑料（MP）和纳米塑料（NP）对微生物、人类、动物和植物都构成了重大危害。本文重点关注了最近有关这些塑料污染物去除过程的文献研究和专利。可以通过计数、称重、吸光度和浊度来量化微塑料和纳米塑料，并进一步使用扫描电子显微镜（SEM）、动态光散射（DLS）、傅里叶变换红外光谱（FTIR）、拉曼光谱、表面增强拉曼光谱和拉曼镊子进行分析。报告的缓解方法根据去除特性进行分类：（i）过滤和分离方法：过滤和分离、静电纺纳米纤维膜、人工湿地；（ii）捕获和表面附着方法：混凝、絮凝和沉淀（CFS）、电化学凝聚、吸附、磁化、微机械、超疏水材料和微生物聚集；（iii）降解方法：光催化降解、微生物降解和热降解；其中报道的去除效率在 58%至 100%之间。由于这些方法具有显著的区别，还讨论了影响 MP/NP 去除性能的参数，例如 pH 值、塑料类型、存在干扰化学物质或离子、表面电荷等。还审查了 42 项与微塑料和纳米塑料去除相关的已授予的国际专利，其中大多数专利都集中在分离或过滤设备上。这些设备对 20 μm 以下的微塑料有效，但对纳米塑料或纤维状塑料可能无效。发现几项专利专注于类似于文献研究的方法，例如磁化、CFS、生物膜和微生物聚集；并增加了另一种方法：热降解。
