Work

Effects of polystyrene microplastics on the breakthrough behavior of dissolved organic matter in carbon filtration column

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The breakthrough of dissolved organic matter such as humic acid (HA) during water filtration processes is a critical factor contributing to the formation of disinfection by-products. The presence of emerging pollutants, such as microplastics, may influence this process. This study investigates the impact of polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) on the breakthrough of HA in granular activated carbon (GAC) columns. The presence of PS-MPs, along with their abundance and UV aging, significantly affects HA's breakthrough. Higher abundance of PS-MPs enhances HA's breakthrough by occupying adsorption sites on GAC, while UV-aged PS-MPs, due to increased hydrophilicity and surface roughness, reduces the promoting effect of PS-MPs on HA breakthrough. Orthogonal experiment revealed that flow rate, HA concentration, ionic strength, and abundance of PS-MPs influence HA's breakthrough, with flow rate being the most significant factor. Zeta potential and hydrodynamic diameter analyses showed that UV-aged PS-MPs, with more negative charges and smaller sizes, had a higher tendency to penetrate GAC, freeing up adsorption sites for HA. A backpropagation (BP) neural network model was trained to predict HA removal and optimization using a genetic algorithm (GA) further improved prediction accuracy. This study provides insights into PS-MPs & HA interactions and presents a reliable tool for predicting GAC filter performance in the presence of PS-MPs.

Source: Environmental Technology & Innovation

DOI: 10.1016/j.eti.2025.104380

Authors: Jingkun Xu, Haicheng Liu, Runxuan Li, Fei Jiang

Institution: Suzhou University of Science and Technology

Language: English

Topic: Microplastics and Plastic Pollution

Subfield: Pollution

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Clean water and sanitation

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,930