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The behavior of microplastic particles (MPPs) is explored in a lab-scale direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) system used to produce drinking water from seawater, while also analyzing the impact of their presence on the process performance. Commercial MPPs (LDPE, PET and uPVC) were first studied by temperature stress (TS) tests (using amber bottles) to mimic the exposure to the high temperatures commonly used in DCMD (ca. 80 °C), which led to uPVC being selected to be tested under different loads and aging degrees in the DCMD system. By analyzing uPVC MPPs samples before and after the TS and DCMD experiments by ATR-FTIR, UV–Visible spectroscopy and SEM, it was concluded that minor aging is expected to occur. High loads (>0.1 g L−1) of uPVC MPPs decreased the DCMD performance in terms of permeate flux (from 32.8 ± 0.3 with filtered seawater to 28.7 ± 0.3 kg m−2 h−1 with a load of 0.2 g L−1), although no signs of inferior treated water quality were found based on the conductivity and salinity results. The removal of MPPs (size > 1.2 μm) in DCMD applications with seawater was analyzed by μRaman, with all the results suggesting very high removal efficiencies (≥99 %). [Display omitted] • Pioneer study of microplastics behavior and removal in membrane distillation • μRaman hints DCMD high removal efficiency (≥ 99 %) of microplastics from seawater • Microplastics loads >0.1 g L−1 can lead to a decrease in the DCMD performance • Low aging of uPVC during an 8 h desalination process in a DCMD lab-scale system • uPVC developed a pink coloration during temperature stress batch experiments [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A DPSIR analysis is presented on the topic of microplastics pollution. • EU regulatory and policy instruments concerning microplastics are identified. • Current and developing upstream and downstream responses are reviewed. This review organizes key information about microplastic pollution through a DPSIR (driving forces, pressures, states, impacts and responses) analysis, namely the current knowledge on the sources of microplastics in the environment, the abundance, mobility and fate of microplastics distributed across the different environmental compartments, as well as their socio-economic and environmental impacts. The available or developing upstream and downstream responses to the microplastic pollution are also reviewed as part of the DPSIR analysis. These include the regulatory and policy instruments, environmental education campaigns, product design, the development of biodegradable plastics, environmental cleanups, waste management, drinking water and wastewater treatment plants, and other treatment technologies and processes. Whenever possible, the current trends and discerning gaps in the research conducted so far by the scientific community are identified, giving some clues to what is going to be the future research on this topic and into new lines of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]