Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Fenugreek and Okra Polymers as Treatment Agents for the Removal of Microplastics from Water Sources

Researchers tested plant-derived polysaccharides from fenugreek and okra as natural flocculants for removing microplastics from water samples collected from surface, ocean, and groundwater sources. The study found that a 1:1 combination of fenugreek and okra polymers at 1 g/L concentration was effective at capturing microplastics, offering a biodegradable and non-toxic alternative to conventional synthetic flocculants used in water treatment.

2025 ACS Omega 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Contamination of Water: Effects of Novel Bio-Composites Comprising of Okra and Aloe Vera.

Researchers tested plant-based flocculants made from okra and aloe vera as natural alternatives to chemical treatments for removing microplastics from water, finding that okra-based compounds were highly effective at clumping and removing plastic particles without producing toxic byproducts, pointing toward a safer and biodegradable water treatment option.

2023
Systematic Review Tier 1

Natural-based coagulants/flocculants for microplastics and nanoplastics removal via coagulation–flocculation: a systematic review

This systematic review evaluates how natural plant-based materials can be used to remove microplastics and nanoplastics from water through coagulation and flocculation processes. The findings show that these sustainable, nature-derived alternatives can effectively capture plastic particles during water treatment, offering a greener approach to reducing microplastic contamination in our drinking water.

2026 International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology
Article Tier 2

Microplastic removal from wastewater through biopolymer and nanocellulose-based green technologies

Biopolymer-based coagulation and flocculation agents were shown to effectively remove microplastics from wastewater, offering a more sustainable alternative to synthetic chemical flocculants. The approach supports eco-friendly microplastic treatment that avoids adding further chemical pollutants to effluents.

2025 RSC Sustainability 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic removal using Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) seed from aqueous solutions

Researchers explored using okra seeds as a natural material to remove microplastics from water. They found that okra seed powder effectively removed polyethylene and PVC microplastics through a combination of electrostatic attraction and other surface interactions. The study presents an affordable, plant-based approach that could help address microplastic contamination in drinking water supplies.

2024 Applied Water Science 9 citations
Review Tier 2

Microplastic Removal in Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) by Natural Coagulation: A Literature Review

This review examines how natural coagulants, substances derived from plants and other natural sources, can be used to remove microplastics during wastewater treatment. Natural coagulants are safer and cheaper than chemical alternatives, and show promise for capturing microplastic particles. Since wastewater treatment plants are a major source of microplastics entering waterways, better removal methods could reduce the amount of plastic pollution reaching the environment and eventually human food and water supplies.

2023 Toxics 45 citations
Article Tier 2

Bio-Based Polymeric Flocculants and Adsorbents for Wastewater Treatment

This review explores how materials derived from natural biological sources, such as plant-based polymers, can be used as flocculants and adsorbents to remove contaminants from wastewater. Researchers found that these bio-based materials offer advantages including biodegradability, low cost, and effectiveness in trapping pollutants through both clumping and surface binding mechanisms. The study suggests that bio-based polymeric materials are a promising sustainable alternative to synthetic chemicals currently used in water treatment.

2023 Sustainability 60 citations
Article Tier 2

Sustainable coagulative removal of microplastic from aquatic systems: recent progress and outlook

This review examines how natural coagulants from plants, animals, and microbes can be used to remove microplastics from water as a greener alternative to conventional chemical treatments. These bio-based coagulants, especially when combined with nanotechnology, show promising removal rates while avoiding the toxic residues left by traditional chemical approaches.

2025 RSC Advances 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Efficacy of Protein Extracts of Moringa oleifera and Benincasa hispida Seeds for the Treatment of Microplastics

Researchers tested protein extracts from Moringa oleifera and Benincasa hispida seeds as natural coagulants for removing microplastics from water. Moringa extracts achieved 94% removal efficiency at a dosage of 30 mL/L, while Benincasa hispida reached 88% removal at 40 mL/L under neutral pH conditions. The study suggests these plant-based coagulants could serve as effective, sustainable, and affordable alternatives to synthetic chemicals for microplastic treatment in water systems.

2025 Asian Journal of Chemistry 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of Pristine and UV-Weathered Microplastics from Water: Moringa oleifera Seed Protein as a Natural Coagulant

Researchers tested a natural plant-based coagulant from Moringa oleifera seeds for removing microplastics from water, comparing it to conventional chemical treatments. The natural coagulant effectively removed both fresh and UV-weathered polyethylene microplastics, performing comparably to synthetic alternatives. This approach offers a more eco-friendly and less toxic option for cleaning microplastics from water systems.

2024 Environmental Engineering Science 6 citations
Article Tier 2

A critical review of microplastics and nanoplastics in wastewater: Insights into adsorbent-based remediation strategies

This review analyzes research on removing microplastics and nanoplastics from water using materials that absorb the particles, finding that adsorption is the most widely studied removal method. Carbon-based and metal-based materials currently dominate the research, but plant-based (biopolymer) adsorbents are gaining attention because they are biodegradable and non-toxic. Better removal technologies are critical because conventional water treatment often fails to capture the smallest plastic particles that pose the greatest risk to human health.

2025 Environmental Pollution 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Tailored cellulose-based flocculants for microplastics removal: Mechanistic insights, pH influence, and efficiency optimization

Researchers developed plant-derived (cellulose-based) flocculants that clump microplastics together so they can be more easily removed from water, finding that a low concentration of 0.001 g/mL was optimal and that both electrical charge and water-repelling interactions drive the process depending on the type of plastic.

2025 Powder Technology 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Acrylamide Cross‐Linked Psyllium Polysaccharide with Improved Flocculation Performance for the Removal of Microplastics from Water

Researchers synthesized acrylamide cross-linked psyllium polysaccharide as a biodegradable flocculant and tested it for removing polystyrene, PET, and PVC microplastics from water. The material achieved effective flocculation of all three polymer types under optimized conditions, offering a sustainable alternative to synthetic polymer flocculants.

2024 ChemistrySelect 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Biopolymer-based flocculants: a review of recent technologies

Researchers reviewed recent advances in biopolymer-based flocculants — water treatment agents derived from chitosan, starch, cellulose, and lignin — summarizing modification strategies and flocculation mechanisms, and highlighting their potential as environmentally friendly replacements for synthetic polymer flocculants that contribute to microplastic pollution in treated water.

2021 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 140 citations
Article Tier 2

Application of New Polymer Flocculants in Industrial Wastewater Treatment

This review covers the use of polymer-based flocculants in industrial wastewater treatment, which help remove suspended particles and contaminants. Flocculants are relevant to microplastic removal because they can aggregate small plastic particles to make them easier to filter out of water.

2023 Rocznik Ochrona Środowiska 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhancing the remediation of polyamide microplastics: A comparative study of natural and synthetic coagulants

Researchers compared natural plant-based coagulants with the synthetic coagulant alum for removing polyamide microplastics from water. They found that alum was more effective overall, removing up to 94% of microplastics, while the natural coagulants achieved moderate removal rates and worked best with larger particles. The study suggests that coagulation-based water treatment can meaningfully reduce microplastic contamination, with natural alternatives offering a more sustainable option.

2025 Frontiers in Environmental Science 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Effective Removal of Microplastic Particles from Wastewater Using Hydrophobic Bio-Substrates

Researchers tested natural cattail plant fibers as a low-cost, biodegradable material for removing microplastics from wastewater. The hydrophobic fibers were effective at adsorbing microplastic particles, with removal efficiency influenced by water chemistry and contact time. The study suggests that plant-based bio-adsorbents could offer a sustainable and affordable alternative for filtering microplastics from water treatment systems.

2024 Pollutants 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Sustainable Removal of Microplastics and Natural Organic Matter from Water by Coagulation–Flocculation with Protein Amyloid Fibrils

Researchers developed a novel water treatment method using protein-based amyloid fibrils as a natural flocculant to remove microplastics and dissolved organic matter from water. The method achieved removal efficiencies above 97% for both microplastic particles and humic acid, outperforming conventional chemical flocculants at the same dosage. The approach offers a sustainable, biodegradable alternative to traditional water treatment chemicals for addressing microplastic contamination.

2021 Environmental Science & Technology 160 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Utilizing nature-based adsorbents for removal of microplastics and nanoplastics in controlled polluted aqueous systems: A systematic review of sources, properties, adsorption characteristics, and performance

This systematic review evaluates how natural materials like agricultural waste and plant-based substances can be used to filter microplastics and nanoplastics from water. The research shows that these nature-based solutions offer a sustainable and effective approach to reducing plastic particle contamination in drinking water and wastewater systems.

2025 Next Sustainability 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Natural coagulants (Moringa oleifera and Benincasa hispida) based removal of microplastics

Researchers tested two plant-based coagulants — from Moringa oleifera seeds and white gourd (Benincasa hispida) — for removing microplastics from water, finding they achieved roughly 84–87% removal rates comparable to the commonly used chemical coagulant alum. This is the first study showing that natural, plant-derived coagulants can serve as sustainable, non-toxic alternatives for filtering microplastics from water supplies.

2024 Cleaner Water 12 citations
Article Tier 2

The removal of microplastics from water by coagulation: A comprehensive review

This review comprehensively examined coagulation as a technology for removing microplastics from drinking water and wastewater treatment plants, analyzing the mechanisms, influencing factors, and effectiveness of different coagulants for microplastic removal.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 151 citations
Article Tier 2

Coagulative removal of microplastics from aqueous matrices: Recent progresses and future perspectives

This review examines how coagulation, a common water treatment technique, can be used to remove microplastics from water. Researchers compared the effectiveness of different coagulants, finding that natural options like chitosan and protein-based coagulants achieved removal rates above 90 percent. The study highlights the promise of natural coagulants as a more sustainable approach to tackling microplastic contamination in water treatment systems.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 71 citations
Article Tier 2

Polysaccharide nanocomposites in wastewater treatment: A review

This review covers how natural sugar-based polymers (polysaccharides) combined with nanoparticles can be used to clean contaminated water, removing pollutants including heavy metals, dyes, and pharmaceutical residues. While not focused on microplastics specifically, these eco-friendly materials could potentially be adapted to filter microplastics from water as well. The technology is relevant because it offers sustainable alternatives to conventional water treatment methods that struggle with emerging contaminants.

2023 Chemosphere 59 citations
Article Tier 2

Phytoremediation of Microplastics from Industrial Wastewater

This review examines phytoremediation as an emerging strategy for removing microplastics from industrial wastewater, highlighting the ubiquitous presence of microplastics due to their small size, low density, and high surface-area-to-volume ratio. The authors assess the potential of plant-based systems as a complement to conventional wastewater treatment plants that fail to fully remove microplastic pollution from textile, chemical, food, and other industrial effluents.

2025