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Permeable pavement systems for microplastic mitigation: Critical insights on transport, retention, detection and removal efficiency
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This review of 28 studies finds that special "permeable pavements" — designed to let rainwater soak through instead of running off streets into rivers — can trap 89-99% of tiny plastic particles (microplastics) in the short term, which matters because these particles wash off roads and eventually make their way into waterways, soil, and potentially our food and water supply. However, scientists still don't know if these pavements keep working well over years of use, or whether the trapped plastic particles could eventually break free again, so more long-term testing is needed before we can call this a lasting solution.
Microplastics (MPs) in urban stormwater are emerging contaminants of increasing concern due to their persistence, mobility, and potential impacts on ecosystems and human health. Permeable pavement systems (PPS) have gained attention as stormwater control measures capable of intercepting MPs; however, their long-term performance and associated uncertainties remain poorly understood. This paper synthesises current evidence on MP transport, retention, detection, and removal in PPS based on twenty-eight peer-reviewed studies published between 2000 and May 2026. The evidence indicates a rapidly emerging field, with most studies published during the past six years and annual output peaking in 2025. Reported short-term MP retention efficiencies range from 89% to 99.6% under controlled and field conditions. However, meaningful comparison among studies is constrained by substantial variation in pavement configurations, hydraulic loading, MP characteristics, and analytical methodology. Retention occurs predominantly within surfaces, joints, bedding, and geotextile layers, whereas fragment-shaped MPs (<100 µm) are most frequently detected in effluent. Emerging design innovations, including drinking water treatment sludge, cured carbon fibres, recycled e-polycarbonate aggregates, and tyre- or plastic-derived materials, show potential for enhancing retention and hydraulic or mechanical performance. Nevertheless, their long-term durability, remobilisation potential, secondary MP generation, and life-cycle implications remain largely unresolved. Overall, current evidence provides stronger support for short-term MP interception than sustained environmental risk reduction. Future research should prioritise harmonised monitoring and analytical protocols, long-term field validation, improved detection of tyre wear particles, mass-balance assessment, and evaluation of MP remobilisation under realistic hydraulic, climatic, and maintenance conditions to strengthen confidence in PPS as sustainable stormwater treatment technologies.
More Papers Like This
Removal and fate of microplastics in permeable pavements: An experimental layer-by-layer analysis
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Researchers tested permeable pavements as a way to capture microplastics from urban stormwater runoff and found they retained 89% to over 99% of microplastic particles. The microplastics accumulated mainly on the pavement surface and in geotextile filter layers, preventing them from reaching natural waterways. This type of sustainable urban drainage could be an effective tool for reducing the amount of microplastics that wash off roads and into the water sources people depend on.
Interception of urban surface source waste plastics by typical permeable paving materials
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When it rains, plastic litter on city streets often washes into rivers and oceans, where it breaks down into microplastics that can end up in our water and food. This study found that special "permeable" pavement materials, designed to let rainwater soak through instead of running off, can trap over 90% of that plastic debris right at the surface, as long as streets get cleaned regularly. Using these materials in city planning could be a simple but powerful way to cut off plastic pollution before it ever reaches our waterways.
Permeable pavement blocks as a sustainable solution for managing microplastic pollution in urban stormwater
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Researchers tested whether permeable pavement, the kind of pavement that lets water drain through it, can filter out microplastics from urban stormwater runoff. They found it can trap microplastic particles effectively, suggesting permeable pavement could be a practical tool for reducing the amount of microplastics that wash into rivers and oceans from city streets.
Permeable pavements: A possible sink for tyre wear particles and other microplastics?
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Researchers sampled approximately 100 kg of particulate material from seven roads and parking lots to analyze microplastic content including tire wear particles. The study found that tire wear constituted the dominant fraction of microplastics at 0.09% of dry mass, with polypropylene as the most common non-tire plastic type, and that permeable pavements may act as sinks trapping these particles before they reach waterways.
Permeable Asphalt Pavements (PAP): Benefits, Clogging Factors and Methods for Evaluation and Maintenance—A Review
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This review examines permeable asphalt pavements as a stormwater management solution that allows water to infiltrate rather than run off urban surfaces. Researchers found that while these pavements effectively filter pollutants including microplastics from stormwater, their performance degrades over time due to sediment clogging. The study evaluates methods for assessing and maintaining pavement permeability to sustain their environmental benefits.
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