New System Combining Removal and Photocatalytic Degradation of Micro and Nano Plastics in Water

Plastic pollution has become one of the most global graves environmental issues for their impact on the environment and on human health1. The significant and continuous increase of plastics waste necessitate effective strategy to implement the reduction/elimination of plastic pollutants in water bodies. Currently, wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are not fully effective in retaining microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs). To address this issue, we have developed a new system that combine the advantage of membrane filtration and photocatalytic processes to recover and degrade these types of water pollutants. Membrane processes demonstrated excellent performance in terms of rejection and cleaning efficiency with a low fouling index. Specifically, the use of a nanofiltration membrane resulted in complete rejection of microplastics. Preliminary photocatalytic tests on microplastics recovered by membrane process showed partial decomposition within 48 h, highlighting the potential of the photocatalytic process to degrade microplastics. This system can be applied to the separation and photocatalytic treatment of nanoplastics from polluted water, offering a comprehensive solution to mitigate plastic pollution in aquatic environments. The integration of membrane and photocatalytic processes provides a scalable and efficient method to enhance the overall effectiveness of wastewater treatment, contributing to the protection of water bodies from plastic pollutants.