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Global distribution of microplastic contaminants in aquatic environments and their remediation strategies
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This review examines global microplastic distribution in freshwater and marine environments from 2017-2022, finding that tertiary water treatment approaches — including advanced filtration and chemical oxidation — can achieve remediation efficiencies above 95%, making them the most promising strategies for environmental cleanup.
This review describes the occurrence and distribution of microplastics in freshwater and marine environments in recent years (2017-2022). Use of microplastics often results in contamination of aquatic environments, threatens biodiversity, and creates the need for environmental remediation. Such remediation strategies can involve primary, secondary, and tertiary treatments. Tertiary treatment is a frequent research subject due to its high efficiency and the possibility for advancements and enhancements. This study discusses tertiary treatments with remediation efficiencies of 95% and greater and their advantages, disadvantages, and future perspectives. Biochar-mediated remediation of microplastics is an effective method that may be able to achieve efficiencies approaching 100%. The study concludes by exploring methods of removing microplastics, including constructed wetlands and biochar, which offer high efficiency. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Tertiary treatments are an effective microplastic remediation strategy applicable succeeding secondary or primary treatments or as an individual remediation strategy. Biochar is a highly efficient adsorbent for microplastic remediation from aquatic environment with eco-friendly aspect and reusability. Modifications in tertiary treatments and enhancement in remediation efficiency are still a subject of research for future studies.
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Micro- and nanoplastics removal from water and solid matrices: Technologies, challenges, and future perspectives
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Researchers reviewed a decade of research on micro- and nanoplastic removal technologies across water and solid matrices, finding that conventional water treatment achieves over 80% microplastic removal but transfers most particles to sludge rather than degrading them, while advanced oxidation processes show strong degradation potential under controlled but not yet real-world conditions.
Recent occurrence of microplastics in freshwater and efficiency of available treatment technologies
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Researchers reviewed six years of global data on microplastics in freshwater systems, finding them in rivers, lakes, and groundwater across five continents, with conventional water treatment removing 85–95% of larger particles but struggling with smaller fragments. The review also found that nanoplastics may be 10–100 times more common than microplastics yet remain nearly impossible to detect with current technology.
Sources and Impacts of Microplastics in Aquatic Environment and Remediation Strategies
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This review covers sources of microplastics in aquatic environments (degraded plastics, industrial processes, personal care products, textiles), their ecological and health impacts, and remediation strategies including filtration, bioremediation, and advanced oxidation processes.
Microplastic particles in the aquatic environment: A systematic review
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Among treatment technologies for microplastic removal from water, membrane bioreactors achieved the highest efficiency (>99%), followed by activated sludge (~98%) and rapid sand filtration (~97%), while hybrid treatment approaches showed the best overall removal performance.
Microplastics in aquatic environments: a review of recent advances
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This review synthesizes recent advances in understanding microplastic contamination in aquatic environments, covering sources, distribution, and physical, chemical, and biological removal methods, and highlighting that no standardized cost-effective removal solution currently exists. The review emphasizes that microplastics cycle through natural and engineered systems, requiring whole-system approaches to avoid unintended recontamination.
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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.