Treatment processes for microplastics and nanoplastics in waters: State-of-the-art review

In this work, established treatment processes for microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) in water as well as developed analytical techniques for evaluation of the operation of these processes were reviewed. In this regard, the strengths and limitations of different qualitative and quantitative techniques for the analysis of MPs and NPs in water treatment processes were first discussed. Afterward, the MPs and NPs treatment processes were categorized into the separation and degradation processes and the challenges and opportunities in their performance were analyzed. The evaluation of these processes revealed that the MPs or NPs removal efficiency of the separation and degradation processes could reach up to 99% and 90%, respectively. It can be concluded from this work that the combination of separation and degradation processes could be a promising approach to mineralize MPs and NPs in water with high efficiency. • Analysis techniques of MPs and NPs in water treatment processes were discussed. • Different processes are studied for the removal of MPs and NPs from waters. • The removal processes are classified into separation and degradation processes. • Up to 99% and 90% removal could be obtained by separation and degradation processes. • Hybrid separation and degradation process could be a promising alternative.