Microplastics in Drinking Water and Freshwater

Microplastics, known as plastic fragments of size less than 5 mm, are found to be troubling contaminants in the water bodies and pose pollution risks and threats to the environment and human health. This review evaluates and discusses the distribution, typical sources, identification, and remediation of microplastics in the drinking water and fresh grounds waters. Microplastic contamination on the water is usually associated with urban runoff or stormwater, waste water, plastic recycling or breakdown of large plastic parts. The benefits of using some of the techniques including spectroscopy and microscopy in detecting microplastics are outlined while some of the shortcomings of these methods are highlighted too. Different techniques for removing microplastic contamination, including cooperative and filter membrane methods, and advanced oxidation methods, are reviewed. Among these, coagulation and filtration are the most common due to their low cost and ease of use. The amount of microplastics found in the environment particularly the breakdown of the microplastics remains the first challenge despite several advanced detection and treatment technologies. This review called for the need to design and adopt standardized systems for addressing microplastic pollution and microplastic removal from waters due to its implications on health and water.