The potential issue: Obstacle of coagulation process in removing frozen-aged microplastics

He, Yujiao, Li, Xiang, Wang, Xinyu, Huang, Lupeng, Zhang, Yuyang, Zhang, Yanting, Chen, Jiangli and Zhang, Jing 2026. The potential issue: Obstacle of coagulation process in removing frozen-aged microplastics. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering 14 , 120888. 10.1016/j.jece.2025.120888

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Abstract

The processes of natural water body freezing can significantly affect the physicochemical properties of microplastics, potentially impacting the interception efficiency of water treatment facilities. This may lead to the release of post-freeze microplastics into the environment, increasing the risk of human exposure and associated health effects. Consequently, this represents an important topic worthy of further investigation. In this study, the changes in physicochemical properties of five types of microplastics (MPs)- PET, PE, PS, PP, and PVC- that had been frozen in natural river water for 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 months were compared. Then, the conventional coagulant polyaluminum chloride was selected for coagulation experiment to explore the treatment effect of water plant process on frozen aging microplastics, and to explored the specific mechanisms involved. The experimental results indicated that as the duration of freezing time increased, the coagulation removal rate correspondingly decreased. The addition of the coagulant aid sodium alginate improved the coagulation effect to a certain extent. The widespread presence of freezing processes significantly affects the physical and chemical properties of microplastics, thereby increasing the possibility of microplastics entering human society. This study provides a potential theoretical explanation and basis for the effect of freezing process on the exposure properties of microplastics.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Engineering
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	2213-3437
Date of Acceptance:	23 December 2025
Last Modified:	07 Jan 2026 16:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/183699

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