Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36987112›Full record

ArticlePolymers2023

Microplastic Removal from Drinking Water Using Point-of-Use Devices.

Ashlyn G Cherian, Zeyuan Liu, Michael J McKie, Husein Almuhtaram, Robert C Andrews

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Polymers, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed
2.7field-weighted citation impact, top 9% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 37 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Ashlyn G CherianDepartment of Civil and Mineral Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A4, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-3589-5612
Zeyuan LiuDepartment of Civil and Mineral Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A4, Canada.
Michael J McKieDepartment of Civil and Mineral Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A4, Canada.
Husein AlmuhtaramDepartment of Civil and Mineral Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A4, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-2315-9543
Robert C AndrewsDepartment of Civil and Mineral Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A4, Canada.
University of Toronto · CA

Funding

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Industrial Research Chair in Drinking Water Treatment
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The occurrence of microplastics in drinking water has drawn increasing attention due to their ubiquity and unresolved implications regarding human health. Despite achieving high reduction efficiencies (70 to >90%) at conventional drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs), microplastics remain. Since human consumption represents a small portion of typical household water use, point-of-use (POU) water treatment devices may provide the additional removal of microplastics (MPs) prior to consumption. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of commonly used pour-through POU devices, including those that utilize combinations of granular activated carbon (GAC), ion exchange (IX), and microfiltration (MF), with respect to MP removal. Treated drinking water was spiked with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) fragments, along with nylon fibers representing a range of particle sizes (30-1000 µm) at concentrations of 36-64 particles/L. Samples were collected from each POU device following 25, 50, 75, 100 and 125% increases in the manufacturer's rated treatment capacity, and subsequently analyzed via microscopy to determine their removal efficiency. Two POU devices that incorporate MF technologies exhibited 78-86% and 94-100% removal values for PVC and PET fragments, respectively, whereas one device that only incorporates GAC and IX resulted in a greater number of particles in its effluent when compared to the influent. When comparing the two devices that incorporate membranes, the device with the smaller nominal pore size (0.2 µm vs. ≥1 µm) exhibited the best performance. These findings suggest that POU devices that incorporate physical treatment barriers, including membrane filtration, may be optimal for MP removal (if desired) from drinking water.

Indexed as

granular activated carbonion exchangemembranesmicrofiltrationnylonpolyethylene terephthalatepolyvinyl chloride

Identifiers

PMID36987112
PMCPMC10054062
OpenAlexW4323362489

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.