Upstream Microplastic Removal in Industrial Wastewater: A Pilot Study on Agglomeration-Fixation-Reaction Based Treatment for Water Reuse and Waste Recovery

Anika Korzin, Michael Toni Sturm, Erika Myers, Dennis Schober, Pieter Ronsse and Katrin Schuhen ()
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Anika Korzin: Wasser 3.0 gGmbH, Neufeldstr. 17a–19a, 76187 Karlsruhe, Germany
Michael Toni Sturm: Wasser 3.0 gGmbH, Neufeldstr. 17a–19a, 76187 Karlsruhe, Germany
Erika Myers: Wasser 3.0 gGmbH, Neufeldstr. 17a–19a, 76187 Karlsruhe, Germany
Dennis Schober: Wasser 3.0 gGmbH, Neufeldstr. 17a–19a, 76187 Karlsruhe, Germany
Pieter Ronsse: Wasser 3.0 gGmbH, Neufeldstr. 17a–19a, 76187 Karlsruhe, Germany
Katrin Schuhen: Wasser 3.0 gGmbH, Neufeldstr. 17a–19a, 76187 Karlsruhe, Germany

Clean Technol., 2025, vol. 7, issue 3, 1-20

Abstract: This pilot study investigated an automated pilot plant for removing microplastics (MPs) from industrial wastewater that are generated during packaging production. MP removal is based on organosilane-induced agglomeration-fixation (clump & skim technology) followed by separation. The wastewater had high MP loads (1725 ± 377 mg/L; 673 ± 183 million particles/L) and an average COD of 7570 ± 1339 mg/L. Over 25 continuous test runs, the system achieved consistent performance, removing an average of 97.4% of MPs by mass and 99.1% by particle count, while reducing the COD by 78.8%. Projected over a year, this equates to preventing 1.7 tons of MPs and 6 tons of COD from entering the sewage system. Turbidity and photometric TSS measurements proved useful for process control. The approach supports water reuse—with water savings up to 80%—and allows recovery of agglomerates for recycling and reuse. Targeting pollutant removal upstream at the source provides multiple financial and environmental benefits, including lower overall energy demands, higher removal efficiencies, and process water reuse. This provides financial and environmental incentives for industries to implement sustainable solutions for pollutants and microplastic removal.

Keywords: microplastics; microplastic removal; sol–gel process; wastewater treatment; chemical oxygen demand; recycling; circular economy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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