Application of Hybrid Ceramic Membranes for Microplastic and Nanoplastic Separation and Improved Wastewater Treatment

Microplastics, pervasive environmental pollutants with significant health risks, present formidable challenges in wastewater treatment due to their persistence and resistance to conventional removal methods. This study investigates the efficacy of hybrid ceramic membrane filtration for the systematic removal of micro- and nanoplastics from wastewater, while evaluating the role of anaerobic digestion as a pretreatment to enhance membrane performance. This study systematically assesses the performance of the 1.4 μm pore-sized flat sheet ceramic membrane and the 1 kDa pore-sized tubular ceramic membrane, respectively, for microplastic and nanoplastic removal in wastewater. Also, the effect of anaerobic digestion was assessed in microplastic separation and quantification. Anaerobic digestion reduced suspended solids by 57–67%. The average microplastic concentration was ~1782 MP L−1. However, anaerobic digestion reduced the average concentration to ~913 MP L−1. The opposite trend was observed in nanoplastic concentrations, which were ~4268 and ~10,066 NP L−1, respectively, for the samples without and with anaerobic digestion. The ceramic membrane flux decreased from ~106.5 to ~25 L m−2 h−1 at a flow rate of 0.4 L min−1 during the collection of 2 L of filtrate. However, anaerobic digestion improved the flux approximately 3 times. The tubular ceramic membrane flux was ~6.1 L m−2 h−1 at a flow rate of 2.0 L min−1, which was reduced by 50% after the ceramic membrane treatment. By overcoming the limitations of conventional microplastic removal methods, such as the inefficiency of residual chemicals or byproducts, hybrid ceramic membrane filtration is a viable option for a scalable, efficient, and sustainable method in controlling microplastic and nanoplastic pollution.