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Summary
This review examines electrochemical strategies for both detecting and remediating microplastics, highlighting methods including electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, amperometry, and voltammetry that offer rapid response, portability, and on-site applicability without prior sample purification. The authors argue that despite the promise of electrochemical platforms, their application to microplastic detection remains underexplored relative to their demonstrated utility for other environmental contaminants.
Microplastics (MPs) are pervasive throughout the natural world and have become an integral part of our daily lives. Recognized relatively recently as an emerging pollutant, addressing their presence calls for dedicated efforts in reduction and monitoring. Traditional methods for cleanup and characterization have proven insufficient in addressing the persistent challenges posed by MPs. However, electrochemical strategies have shown immense promise in both sensing and remediating MPs, with only a limited number of reports in recent decades highlighting their effectiveness. This underscores the significant potential of electrochemical remediation platforms in the realm of sensor design and development, particularly in the context of MPs. Despite the widespread use of electrochemical sensors for detecting environmental contaminants, such as leachates from MPs, it is only in recent times that their applications in MPs detection have come to the forefront. The advantages of electrochemical devices, including rapid response times, ease of operation, portability, and cost-effectiveness, make the development of electrochemical sensors tailored for MPs detection of paramount significance. Electrochemical methods have also rapidly expanded to enable on-site testing of diverse sample types, eliminating the need for prior purification or separation of MPs. Notably, techniques like electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), amperometry, voltammetry, serial faradaic ion concentration polarization (fICP), chronoamperometry measurements, impedimetric, and amperometric sensors have been harnessed for monitoring and sensing MPs. The remediation process involves the generation of cations through anodic dissolution at a metal electrode within an electric field. These cations bind with MPs, causing them to aggregate into larger precipitates that can be easily removed through filtration methods. This comprehensive discussion encompasses the electrochemical monitoring and remediation of MPs, shedding light on their investigative perspectives, opportunities, and future challenges.