Upstream Microplastic Removal in Industrial Wastewater: A Pilot Study on Agglomeration-Fixation-Reaction Based Treatment for Water Reuse and Waste Recovery

Korzin, Anika; Sturm, Michael Toni; Myers, Erika; Schober, Dennis; Ronsse, Pieter; Schuhen, Katrin

doi:10.3390/cleantechnol7030067

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Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Upstream Microplastic Removal in Industrial Wastewater: A Pilot Study on Agglomeration-Fixation-Reaction Based Treatment for Water Reuse and Waste Recovery

by

Anika Korzin

,

Michael Toni Sturm

,

Erika Myers

,

Dennis Schober

,

Pieter Ronsse

and

Katrin Schuhen

^*

Wasser 3.0 gGmbH, Neufeldstr. 17a–19a, 76187 Karlsruhe, Germany

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Clean Technol. 2025, 7(3), 67; https://doi.org/10.3390/cleantechnol7030067

Submission received: 3 July 2025 / Revised: 29 July 2025 / Accepted: 1 August 2025 / Published: 6 August 2025

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Abstract

This pilot study investigated an automated pilot plant for removing microplastics (MPs) from industrial wastewater that are generated during packaging production. MP removal is based on organosilane-induced agglomeration-fixation (clump & skim technology) followed by separation. The wastewater had high MP loads (1725 ± 377 mg/L; 673 ± 183 million particles/L) and an average COD of 7570 ± 1339 mg/L. Over 25 continuous test runs, the system achieved consistent performance, removing an average of 97.4% of MPs by mass and 99.1% by particle count, while reducing the COD by 78.8%. Projected over a year, this equates to preventing 1.7 tons of MPs and 6 tons of COD from entering the sewage system. Turbidity and photometric TSS measurements proved useful for process control. The approach supports water reuse—with water savings up to 80%—and allows recovery of agglomerates for recycling and reuse. Targeting pollutant removal upstream at the source provides multiple financial and environmental benefits, including lower overall energy demands, higher removal efficiencies, and process water reuse. This provides financial and environmental incentives for industries to implement sustainable solutions for pollutants and microplastic removal.

Keywords: microplastics; microplastic removal; sol–gel process; wastewater treatment; chemical oxygen demand; recycling; circular economy

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MDPI and ACS Style

Korzin, A.; Sturm, M.T.; Myers, E.; Schober, D.; Ronsse, P.; Schuhen, K. Upstream Microplastic Removal in Industrial Wastewater: A Pilot Study on Agglomeration-Fixation-Reaction Based Treatment for Water Reuse and Waste Recovery. Clean Technol. 2025, 7, 67. https://doi.org/10.3390/cleantechnol7030067

AMA Style

Korzin A, Sturm MT, Myers E, Schober D, Ronsse P, Schuhen K. Upstream Microplastic Removal in Industrial Wastewater: A Pilot Study on Agglomeration-Fixation-Reaction Based Treatment for Water Reuse and Waste Recovery. Clean Technologies. 2025; 7(3):67. https://doi.org/10.3390/cleantechnol7030067

Chicago/Turabian Style

Korzin, Anika, Michael Toni Sturm, Erika Myers, Dennis Schober, Pieter Ronsse, and Katrin Schuhen. 2025. "Upstream Microplastic Removal in Industrial Wastewater: A Pilot Study on Agglomeration-Fixation-Reaction Based Treatment for Water Reuse and Waste Recovery" Clean Technologies 7, no. 3: 67. https://doi.org/10.3390/cleantechnol7030067

APA Style

Korzin, A., Sturm, M. T., Myers, E., Schober, D., Ronsse, P., & Schuhen, K. (2025). Upstream Microplastic Removal in Industrial Wastewater: A Pilot Study on Agglomeration-Fixation-Reaction Based Treatment for Water Reuse and Waste Recovery. Clean Technologies, 7(3), 67. https://doi.org/10.3390/cleantechnol7030067

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Upstream Microplastic Removal in Industrial Wastewater: A Pilot Study on Agglomeration-Fixation-Reaction Based Treatment for Water Reuse and Waste Recovery

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