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Nature-based Solutions to Wastewater Treatment of Microplastics: Technologies, Challenges, and Prospects
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This review examined nature-based solutions (NbS) for microplastic removal from wastewater, including constructed wetlands, algal bioreactors, and mangrove systems. NbS approaches show promise as cost-effective, ecologically integrated complements to conventional treatment, though removal efficiencies vary widely and long-term fate of trapped microplastics remains understudied.
Microplastic pollution has emerged as a serious societal concern, posing risks to the environment, human health, and economies. Conventional wastewater treatment processes remove microplastics at various levels from physical removal (primary), biological degradation (secondary), and contaminant-specific removal (tertiary treatment). Nature-based solutions (NbS) offer an ecologically friendly alternative that utilizes nature to wastewater treatment. This study provides an overview of the sources and impacts of microplastic pollution, NbS technologies for microplastic removal, challenges and prospects in utilizing NbS, and the knowledge gaps. Primary sources of microplastics are intentionally produced at microscopic sizes, while secondary sources originate from the disintegration of larger plastic debris. Among the NbS technologies are constructed wetlands (horizontal subsurface flow, vertical flow, surface flow, microbial fuel cells, multistage) with up to 100% efficiency; green infrastructures (bioretention systems, green walls, permeable pavements, retention ponds) with up to 99% efficiency; macrophytes and microphytes with up to 94% microplastic removal rate. Despite the ecosystem services provided by NbS, they are challenged by the decrease in efficiency in removing other contaminants, detection and evaluation of NbS performance, and non-technical factors (operations and maintenance, public acceptance, climate risks, financing). The findings present insights on further research and implications for the successful adoption of NbS to wastewater treatment.
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Nature-Based Solutions for Removal of Microplastics from Wastewater: Technologies, Challenges, and Prospects
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This review evaluates nature-based solutions for removing microplastics from wastewater, including constructed wetlands, green infrastructure, and aquatic plants. The study found that these approaches can achieve removal efficiencies up to 99-100%, offering ecologically friendly alternatives to conventional treatment methods, though challenges remain with long-term efficiency and removal of other contaminants.
Optimization of microplastic removal based on the complementarity of constructed wetland and microalgal-based system
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This review examines how constructed wetlands and microalgal-based systems can each remove microplastics from wastewater, along with the limitations of using either approach alone. Researchers found that microplastic accumulation can block wetland substrates and inhibit nitrogen removal, while microalgae face separation challenges in effluent. The study proposes combining both biotechnologies to expand the size range of microplastics removed and improve long-term wastewater treatment sustainability.
Fate and removal of microplastics in unplanted lab-scale vertical flow constructed wetlands
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Laboratory-scale unplanted vertical flow constructed wetlands were shown to remove microplastics from wastewater, with removal efficiency influenced by particle size, shape, and flow rate, highlighting constructed wetlands as a nature-based option for microplastic mitigation.
Microplastic retention by integrated constructed wetlands
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Researchers monitored microplastic retention efficiency at two integrated constructed wetlands in England over 12 months, finding that these nature-based water treatment systems could capture a significant fraction of microplastics from wastewater treatment plant effluent. Constructed wetlands offer a low-cost, ecologically beneficial approach to further reducing microplastic loads before treated water enters rivers.
Micro- and nanoplastics removal mechanisms in wastewater treatment plants: A review
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This review examines how conventional wastewater treatment plants remove micro- and nanoplastics, and evaluates advanced technologies like membrane filtration and electrocoagulation that could improve removal rates. While existing treatment plants can capture most microplastics, they still release significant quantities into waterways through their enormous discharge volumes. The study highlights that biological treatment steps may also transform microplastics in potentially harmful ways that need further investigation.
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