Papers

Mitigating microplastic pollution: A critical review on the effects, remediation, and utilization strategies of microplastics

This review summarizes how microplastics smaller than 150 micrometers can be easily consumed by living organisms and cause a range of toxic effects including acute, chronic, cancer-related, developmental, and genetic damage. It calls for sustainable approaches to reduce, reuse, and recycle plastic waste, and explores ways to convert plastic trash into valuable products.

Microplastics in the environment: A critical overview on its fate, toxicity, implications, management, and bioremediation strategies

This review provides a broad overview of microplastic pollution, covering how these particles enter freshwater systems, accumulate in organisms, and carry toxic chemicals through the food chain. With approximately 360 million tons of plastic produced globally each year and only 7% recycled, microplastics have become a pervasive threat to water quality and, by extension, human health.

Microplastic characteristics, transport, risks, and remediation in groundwater: a review

A comprehensive review of KCC-1 fibrous silica for water treatment

Researchers reviewed how KCC-1, a type of fibrous silica sphere with a uniquely high surface area and porous structure, can be used to remove heavy metals and toxic dyes from contaminated water. Its versatile chemistry and ease of modification make it a promising sustainable adsorbent for addressing global freshwater scarcity.

Plastic debris in bird nests: sources, ecological impacts, and bioindicator potential for monitoring microplastic pollution

This review examines how birds increasingly use plastic debris as nesting material, and the ecological consequences of this behavior. Researchers found that the most common plastics in nests are polypropylene and polyethylene, which fragment into smaller pieces over time, exposing birds to entanglement, ingestion, and toxic chemical additives. The study suggests that birds can serve as useful bioindicators for monitoring the extent of microplastic pollution in their surrounding environments.

Global Occurrence and Environmental Fate of Microplastics in Stormwater Runoff: Unlock the In-depth Knowledge on Nature-Based Removal Strategies

Microplastics and pharmaceuticals from water and wastewater: Occurrence, impacts, and membrane bioreactor-based removal

Plastic Pollution in South and Southeast Asia: Challenges and Sustainable Solutions

This review examines the sources, pathways, and consequences of plastic pollution across South and Southeast Asia, covering soil, water, and air contamination. The study highlights that low-income countries in these regions face an unprecedented increase in both macro-plastic litter and micro- and nanoplastic pollution, and discusses sustainable solutions for addressing this growing environmental and public health challenge.

Microplastic and microcystin in tropical drinking water reservoir: pollution characteristics and human health risk assessment

Researchers surveyed microplastic and cyanobacterial toxin levels in a tropical drinking water reservoir in Vietnam over a one-year period. They found microplastics at all sampling sites, predominantly polypropylene and polyethylene fibers, with high polymer hazard scores despite low overall pollution levels. The co-occurrence of microplastics and microcystin toxins across the reservoir highlights the need for research on how these contaminants interact in freshwater drinking water sources.

Emerging challenges of microplastic impacts to ecological health and climate change

This review examines how microplastics contribute not only to environmental pollution but also to climate change by altering microbial processes, disrupting biogeochemical cycles, and promoting greenhouse gas release. Researchers found that microplastics affect carbon cycling, phytoplankton photosynthesis, and atmospheric processes in ways that may exacerbate global warming. The study highlights significant knowledge gaps in understanding the mechanisms linking microplastic pollution to greenhouse gas emissions.

The Content of Heavy Metals in Cigarettes and the Impact of Their Leachates on the Aquatic Ecosystem

Researchers analyzed heavy metal content in cigarettes and their leachates, finding that discarded cigarette butts release significant concentrations of metals including cadmium, lead, and chromium into aquatic ecosystems, posing hazards to water quality and living organisms.

Global challenges in microplastics: From fundamental understanding to advanced degradations toward sustainable strategies

This review examined global challenges in microplastic research — from environmental entry pathways and fate to human health impacts — and discussed potential degradation strategies, concluding that a combination of photocatalysis, biodegradation, and policy measures will be needed for sustainable management.

Landfill leachates as a significant source for emerging pollutants of phthalic acid esters: Identification, occurrence, characteristics, fate, and transport

This review examines landfill leachates as a major source of phthalic acid esters, which are chemical additives released from microplastics, cosmetics, and other consumer products. Researchers found that these compounds are widespread in landfill leachates across different countries and can contaminate surrounding water and soil. The study suggests that phthalic acid esters in leachates represent a significant but often overlooked pathway for environmental pollution.

Microplastic pollution in Vietnam's estuarine, coastal and riverine environments: Research advances and future prospects

Sources, health risks, environmental implications, and management strategies of microplastics with a focus on landfill leachate

This review examines microplastics in landfill leachate as a significant but underappreciated source of environmental contamination, covering detection methods, particle characteristics (type, size, color, shape), and the health and environmental risks of landfill leachate that enters groundwater and surface water.

TiO2/g-C3N4 Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalyst for Methylene Blue Decomposition

Researchers synthesized TiO2/graphitic carbon nitride nanocomposites and demonstrated efficient visible-light photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye, with the heterojunction structure extending light absorption into the visible spectrum and improving charge separation compared to TiO2 alone.

Functionalization of polymers and nanomaterials for water treatment, food packaging, textile and biomedical applications: a review

This review covers surface functionalization strategies for polymers and nanomaterials to improve adhesion, wettability, biocompatibility, and performance in water treatment, food packaging, and biomedical applications. Functionalization is highlighted as an approach to expand the utility of inert conventional polymers and nanomaterials without the environmental drawbacks of additive-laden plastic products.

Occurrence of microplastics in bivalves from the northern coast of Viet Nam

Microplastics in wastewater and the role of local wastewater treatment stations in controlling microplastic pollution: a case study from Vietnam

A study in Vietnam measured microplastic concentrations across industrial, domestic, and medical wastewater, finding that industrial wastewater carried the highest loads — nearly double that of domestic sources. Local wastewater treatment stations removed a significant portion of microplastics but still discharged substantial numbers into receiving waterways. The research highlights that local-scale treatment infrastructure plays a meaningful but incomplete role in controlling microplastic pollution from diverse wastewater sources.

An Innovative Metaheuristic Strategy for Solar Energy Management through a Neural Networks Framework

Researchers developed an electromagnetic field optimization-based neural network to predict solar irradiance from environmental conditions, demonstrating improved accuracy over standard neural network approaches for solar energy management applications.

Suggesting a Stochastic Fractal Search Paradigm in Combination with Artificial Neural Network for Early Prediction of Cooling Load in Residential Buildings

Researchers developed a hybrid model combining artificial neural networks with a stochastic fractal search algorithm (SFS-ANN) for early prediction of building cooling loads, finding it outperformed benchmark optimization algorithms and offering a practical tool for energy-efficient residential building design.

Biochar-Based Phosphorus Recovery from Different Waste Streams: Sources, Mechanisms, and Performance

This paper is not relevant to microplastics research — it reviews biochar-based methods for recovering phosphorus from wastewater and waste streams, focusing on nutrient cycling and eutrophication prevention rather than microplastic contamination.

A Review on Cassava Residues as Adsorbents for Removal of Organic and Inorganic Contaminants in Water and Wastewater

This paper is not relevant to microplastics research — it reviews cassava agricultural residues as adsorbents for removing heavy metals and organic pollutants from water, covering adsorption kinetics and thermodynamics.

Recent advances and challenges in advanced oxidation processes for degradation of nano- and microplastics in water: a critical review

This critical review evaluates four main advanced oxidation processes — ozonation, photocatalysis, Fenton reactions, and electrochemical oxidation — for breaking down nano- and microplastics in water, summarizing what has been achieved and where major technical gaps remain. Developing effective degradation technologies is urgently needed because conventional water treatment systems do not reliably remove small plastic particles.