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Advanced Water Treatment Technologies for Mitigating Marine Pollution in Coastal Ecosystems
Summary
This review of over 125 studies found that advanced water filtering methods, like reverse osmosis and specialized filters, can remove 85-99% of harmful pollutants from coastal waters, including heavy metals, microplastics, and pharmaceutical residues. This matters because these contaminants can build up in seafood and drinking water sources, potentially affecting human health over time, so having proven technologies to clean them up gives coastal communities real tools to protect both marine life and public health.
Coastal marine ecosystems are currently under increasing threat from industrial waste, agricultural runoff, urban wastewater, and emerging pollutants. In particular, heavy metals, microplastics, pharmaceutical residues, and mercury and polyfluoroalkyl compounds have long-term negative impacts on marine biodiversity, water quality, and public health. In this context, it is crucial to evaluate the effectiveness of advanced water purification technologies and determine their applicability in coastal environments. The objective of this study was to comprehensively analyze the efficiency, limitations, environmental sustainability, and future prospects of various advanced water purification technologies. To this end, more than 125 survey-based studies, research articles, and technical reports published from 2015 to 2025 have been reviewed. Comparative analysis shows that reverse osmosis and nanofiltration technologies have demonstrated approximately 95 to 99 percent efficiency in removing heavy metals and emerging pollutants, while ultrafiltration has achieved 85 to 95 percent efficiency in removing microplastics, and advanced oxidation processes and photocatalysis have achieved 85 to 98 percent efficiency in removing complex organic pollutants. In addition, hybrid water purification systems have demonstrated the highest performance in removing multiple contaminants simultaneously and have also increased the potential for water reuse and resource recovery. The results of this research provide an important scientific basis for coastal marine pollution control, sustainable water management, and the development of future advanced water purification technologies.