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Microplastics in Water Environments: Sources, Transport and Degradation
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Microplastics in Water Environments: Sources, Transport and Degradation

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Quality and Contamination".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 January 2026) | Viewed by 10671

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Sabina Ziembowicz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Architecture, Rzeszów University of Technology, AVE Powstańców Warszawy 6, 35-959 Rzeszów, Poland
Interests: chromatography; mass spectrometry; extraction; chemical analysis; environmental analytical chemistry; water and wastewater treatment
Dr. Małgorzata Kida

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Architecture, Rzeszów University of Technology, AVE Powstańców Warszawy 6, 35-959 Rzeszów, Poland
Interests: environmental protection; micropollutants；microplastics; aquatic ecosystems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Microplastics are ubiquitous in the global environment. As a typical emerging pollutant, its potential health hazards have been widely concerning. Microplastics exist widely in the environment because of their small size and recalcitrance, which has caused various ecological problems. Plastics are subjected to abiotic and biotic degradation processes involving chemical, physical, and biological reactions in the environment, which result in the formation of secondary MP. Additionally, the migration of contained ingredients and auxiliary substances into the environment poses a significant threat to fauna and flora. These substances, which serve functions including as stabilizers, antioxidants, plasticizers, flame retardants, colorants, and corrosion inhibitors, have been identified as toxic or disruptive of the hormonal functions of organisms. To better understand the complexities of MP pollution, we need to understand its distribution, as well as its transport pathways and fate in the environment. Understanding these concepts is crucial in developing management strategies and policies to remediate and reduce MP pollution.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Sabina Ziembowicz
Dr. Małgorzata Kida
Guest Editors

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • microplastics pollution in water environments
  • point and nonpoint sources of microplastics
  • environmental distribution, fate, and transport of microplastics
  • definition of microplastics and international regulations
  • health effects of microplastic exposures
  • transformation of microplastics in the aquatic environment
  • abiotic and biotic aging of microplastics
  • methods for the analysis of microplastics in the water environment
  • technologies for removal of microplastics
  • scientific perspective on microplastics in nature and society

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 3011 KB  
Article
Event-Based Variations in Microplastic Pollution in a Small Agricultural River During Rainfall
by Widyastuti Kusuma Wardhani, Kuriko Yokota, Teuku Mahlil, Nguyen Minh Ngoc and Takanobu Inoue
Water 2026, 18(5), 602; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18050602 - 2 Mar 2026
Viewed by 743
Abstract
Agricultural rivers are often silent receivers of microplastics (MPs) from diffuse, non-point sources; however, their pollution dynamics during rainfall events remain poorly understood. In this study, MP transport was investigated at three sampling points in an agricultural river catchment, where mulching films are [...] Read more.
Agricultural rivers are often silent receivers of microplastics (MPs) from diffuse, non-point sources; however, their pollution dynamics during rainfall events remain poorly understood. In this study, MP transport was investigated at three sampling points in an agricultural river catchment, where mulching films are used, and sewage sludge is not applied. Sampling was conducted in the Umeda River and its tributaries during six sampling events. MP flux exhibited a strong positive correlation with river discharge (L–Q relationship; n = 1.49–1.61, R2 = 0.67–0.87). The L–Q model indicates that a tenfold increase in discharge results in approximately a 600-fold increase in MP flux and a 1000-fold increase in total suspended solid flux. MP abundance during rainfall was up to four times higher than that during baseflow, ranging from 73 ± 64 to 200 ± 111 particles/m3, while peak flux reached 6736 particles/s, with an MP mass of 811 mg/s. Regarding particle characteristics, rainfall enhanced the heterogeneity of MPs, although fragments and polyethylene/polypropylene polymers remained consistently dominant across all hydrological stages. First-flush behavior was observed at HU, with more than half of the total MP mass exported within the initial 50% of the event flow volume. These findings help to inform mitigation strategies that should prioritize a reduction in upstream plastic inputs in order to effectively manage MP transport in agricultural rivers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microplastics in Water Environments: Sources, Transport and Degradation)
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27 pages, 13329 KB  
Article
Distribution Characteristics and Adsorption Performance of Microplastics in Domestic Sewage: A Case Study of Guilin, China
by Meiyuan Lu, Huimei Shan, Hongbin Zhan, Yuxin Shi, Xujun Lan and Yunquan Liu
Water 2025, 17(6), 868; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17060868 - 18 Mar 2025
Viewed by 1283
Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) resulting from plastic fragmentation with a size less than 5 mm have become one of the main pollutants endangering the water environment. Therefore, it is necessary to know about the abundance and size distribution of MPs in sewage waters and their [...] Read more.
Microplastics (MPs) resulting from plastic fragmentation with a size less than 5 mm have become one of the main pollutants endangering the water environment. Therefore, it is necessary to know about the abundance and size distribution of MPs in sewage waters and their relationship with water quality. In this study, water samples are collected from 20 sewage outlets in Guilin, China to analyze the abundance and morphology of the MPs and their hydrochemical characteristics. Multivariate statistical analyses are conducted to identify the major factors related to the MP distribution in sewage water samples. Results showed that MPs in sewage water samples are mainly composed of fiber and film, and about 67.8% are sized <0.3 mm. The abundance is in the range of 6 (±1)–47 (±3) items/L. The correlation analysis presents that the abundance of MPs is weakly correlated with hydrochemical parameters and metal ions due to the complexity of the abundance data. The redundancy analysis indicates that the MP morphology distribution is significantly affected by NO3–N, Zn, Ca, and Cu contents, and the MP size distribution is mainly related to Zn, Ca, and Cu contents. Adsorption kinetics are analyzed using pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, and intraparticle diffusion models, revealing that the adsorption process is predominantly governed by chemisorption for smaller MPs (0.3–0.5 mm), while larger MPs (1.0–5.0 mm) are constrained by internal diffusion. Isothermal adsorption experiments are fitted using Langmuir and Freundlich models, indicating that the adsorption of nutrients (NH3–N, TN, TP) and metal ions (Ca, Mg, Cu, Pb, Zn) on MPs follows a monolayer adsorption mechanism, with smaller MPs showing higher adsorption capacities due to their larger specific surface areas. This study highlights the occurrence characteristics and environmental influencing factors of MPs in sewage water, which may be significant for future studies on the pollution control of MPs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microplastics in Water Environments: Sources, Transport and Degradation)
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16 pages, 7701 KB  
Article
Development and Efficiency Evaluation of Microplastic Removal Filter for Laundry Machines
by Beomseok Park, Hee-Jung Yoon and Hanbai Park
Water 2025, 17(3), 358; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17030358 - 27 Jan 2025
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 7991
Abstract
Microplastics contained in laundry wastewater are identified as the main cause of marine microplastics, accounting for approximately 35% of marine microplastics. In this study, a four-stage microplastic filter for laundry wastewater was developed and the removal rates of microplastics, COD, SS, and turbidity [...] Read more.
Microplastics contained in laundry wastewater are identified as the main cause of marine microplastics, accounting for approximately 35% of marine microplastics. In this study, a four-stage microplastic filter for laundry wastewater was developed and the removal rates of microplastics, COD, SS, and turbidity were checked through 50 tests to confirm the efficiency of the filter. The microplastic removal rate was confirmed using μFTIR with a high efficiency of 98.5% on average for 50 tests. The microplastics contained in laundry wastewater were identified as 57% PE, 9% PET, 9% PA, 8% PU, 8% PP, 6% PPMA, and 3% PAN. COD was measured using the COD manganese method, and the COD removal rate of the laundry wastewater filter was an average of 92% for 50 times. SS was verified by filtration using a vacuum pump and the average removal rate was 80% during 50 tests. Turbidity was confirmed with an average removal rate of 88% using a turbidity meter. As a result of the experiment, it was confirmed that when the developed filter was installed in laundry wastewater, not only microplastics but also various water pollutants were reduced. In addition, the water quality pollution index showing the highest correlation with microplastics in laundry wastewater was SS, and the p-value was confirmed to be 0.000. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microplastics in Water Environments: Sources, Transport and Degradation)
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