Bandgap engineered carboxymethylated lignin cuprous oxide nanocomposites for enhanced visible light photocatalytic degradation of microplastics

Advanced photocatalytic materials for micro/nanoplastic degradation: A comprehensive review

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Tiny plastic particles called micro- and nanoplastics are turning up everywhere, in our oceans, soil, and likely our bodies, raising concerns about long-term health effects. This review rounds up the latest science on using light-activated materials (photocatalysts) to break down these plastic particles, including newer "green" methods made from plants, algae, and bacteria that could make cleanup cheaper and more eco-friendly. While these technologies are still being developed rather than ready for widespread use, they represent a promising direction for tackling plastic pollution at its source.

Application of nanocomposites based on TiO2 and clay minerals for the photocatalytic degradation of low-density polyethylene microplastics

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Researchers tested TiO2-clay mineral nanocomposites as photocatalysts for degrading low-density polyethylene microplastics under UV-A light, achieving up to 31% mass loss with TiO2-kaolinite under acidic conditions, outperforming bare TiO2 due to an improved optical band gap and enhanced photocatalytic activity.

Nanotechnology-Enhanced Photocatalysis for Microplastic Degradation: A Sustainable Approach

Research progress on photocatalytic degradation of microplastics by graphitic carbon nitride

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This review systematically examined graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) as a photocatalytic tool for degrading microplastics, identifying hydroxyl radicals, holes, and superoxide radicals as the key reactive species and showing that pH, light intensity, and MP morphology significantly affect degradation efficiency. While still at laboratory scale, photocatalytic degradation offers a chemical pathway to break down persistent microplastics in water—an important complement to physical filtration approaches.

Photocatalytic degradation of polyethylene terephthalate nano and microplastics over ilmenite-graphene oxide nanohybrid

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Researchers combined natural ilmenite mineral with graphene oxide to create a photocatalyst that degraded 100% of PET plastic particles in water under UV light, outperforming previous methods. This eco-friendly approach offers a promising tool for removing nanoplastics and microplastics from drinking water without generating harmful byproducts.