New Developments in the Removal of Microplastics and Nanoplastics from Wastewater

Dear Colleagues,

The pollution caused by micro- and nanoplastics in water and wastewater is of growing environmental concern due to their slow degradability, the biological ingestion of these plastics by aquatic living organisms, and the plastics’ carrier function of concentrating and transporting synthetic and persistent organic pollutants. As well as micro- and nanoplastics, chemical additives added to plastics during manufacture, which may leach out upon ingestion, will enter food chains and, potentially, could cause humans serious health problems. These wastes normally pass through wastewater treatment plants, and the extent of their removal is critical to setup a first barrier to prevent their inputs into rivers and marine environments. The development of efficient and affordable wastewater treatment technologies and understanding the working mechanisms to remove micro- and nanoplastics are, thus, important steps to protect our water resources, ecosystems and, ultimately, our health.

This Special Issue calls for research articles and review papers on the development of knowledge of the management and the removal of micro- and nanoplastics in wastewater and all relevant research in the area. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Distribution of micro- and nanoplastics in domestic sewage;
• Development of biodegradation processes to treat micro- and nanoplastics;
• Ways to prevent micro- and nanoplastics in sewage sludge from leaking into the environment;
• Development of more accurate monitoring and analysing techniques and methods;
• Advances in the regulations set up to manage the potential pollution caused by the micro- and nanoplastics;
• Reduce, reuse and recycle plastics.

Prof. Dr. Jia-Qian Jiang
Prof. Dr. Mehrab Mehrvar
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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