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Understanding microplastic pollution: Tracing the footprints and eco-friendly solutions
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This review covers the sources, health impacts, detection methods, and biological removal strategies for microplastic pollution. Biological approaches using algae, bacteria, and fungi show promise for breaking down microplastics in wastewater treatment plants, which could help reduce the amount of these particles that ultimately reach humans through contaminated water and food.
Microplastics (MPs) pollution has emerged as a critical environmental issue with far-reaching consequences for ecosystems and human health. These are plastic particles measuring <5 mm and are categorized as primary and secondary based on their origin. Primary MPs are used in various products like cosmetics, scrubs, body wash, and toothpaste, while secondary MPs are generated through the degradation of plastic products. These have been detected in seas, rivers, snow, indoor air, and seafood, posing potential risks to human health through the food chain. Detecting and quantifying MPs are essential to understand their distribution and abundance in the environment. Various microscopic (fluorescence microscopy, scanning electron microscopy) and spectroscopy techniques (FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) have been reported to analyse MPs. Despite the challenges in scalable removal methods, biological systems have emerged as promising options for eco-friendly MPs remediation. Algae, bacteria, and fungi have shown the potential to adsorb and degrade MPs in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) offering hope for mitigating this global crisis. This review examines the sources, impacts, detection, and biological removal of MPs, highlighting future directions in this crucial field of environmental conservation. By fostering global collaboration and innovative research a path towards a cleaner and healthier planet for future generations can be promised.
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Detection and removal of microplastics in wastewater: evolution and impact
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This review covers methods for detecting and removing microplastics from wastewater, which is a major pathway for microplastics to enter the environment. Microplastics in water can carry heavy metals, disease-causing organisms, and chemical additives, and are eventually consumed by aquatic life that enters the human food chain. The authors emphasize that better wastewater treatment technology is needed to reduce human exposure to microplastics through water and seafood.
A critical review of microplastics in aquatic ecosystems: Degradation mechanisms and removing strategies
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This review summarizes methods for removing microplastics from water, including physical filtering, chemical treatments, and biological breakdown by bacteria, fungi, and enzymes. Effective removal of microplastics from water is important for human health because these tiny particles are eaten by fish and other seafood, eventually entering the human food chain.
Microplastics in Ecosystems: From Current Trends to Bio-Based Removal Strategies
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This review examines current trends in microplastic contamination across ecosystems and evaluates bio-based removal strategies as alternatives to conventional wastewater treatment, which fails to fully capture small microplastic particles. The authors assess the potential of biological approaches including biofilms, fungi, and microorganisms to degrade or capture microplastics as part of integrated pollution management.
Eco‐Friendly Solutions to Emerging Contaminants: Unveiling the Potential of Bioremediation in Tackling Microplastic Pollution in Water
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This review examines bioremediation -- using microorganisms to break down microplastics in water -- as a greener alternative to costly physical and chemical removal methods. While certain bacteria and fungi show real promise in degrading plastics like polyethylene and polystyrene, challenges remain in scaling these approaches. Reducing microplastics in water is important because contaminated water is one of the main ways these particles reach humans.
Challenges and Sustainable Solutions for the Detection and Bioremediation of Microplastic Pollution
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This review surveyed the latest challenges in detecting microplastics in complex environmental matrices and assessed biological remediation strategies including bacteria, fungi, and algae capable of degrading common plastic polymers. It highlighted gaps between laboratory degradation rates and real-world effectiveness.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.