Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Magnetic labelling and extraction of micrometer-sized microplastics from sandy soil

Researchers developed a magnetic labelling technique for extracting micrometer-sized microplastics (4 µm) from sandy soil by exploiting the glass transition of polystyrene to embed iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles on MP surfaces, enabling efficient separation using a magnetic field.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

A novel method for magnetic labelling and extraction of small-sized microplastics (4 μm) from soil

Researchers developed a novel magnetic labelling method to improve extraction efficiency of small microplastics (4 µm polystyrene spheres) from soil by heating particles with Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles to embed nanoparticles in the microplastic surface, enabling magnetic separation. Optimizing the incubation at 90°C for 2.5 hours achieved a recovery rate of 91.67% from water matrices, demonstrating potential for extracting sub-10 µm particles that conventional density separation methods miss.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

A novel method for magnetic labelling and extraction of small-sized microplastics (4 μm) from soil

Researchers developed a magnetic labelling approach to extract small microplastics (4 µm) from soil by binding Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles to the microplastic surface through controlled heating, then using magnetic separation to isolate particles. The method achieved a recovery rate of approximately 92% under optimized conditions, offering a practical solution for quantifying sub-10 µm microplastics from complex soil matrices.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Adsorptive removal of micron-sized polystyrene particles using magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles

Researchers demonstrated that magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles can effectively adsorb and remove micron-sized polystyrene microplastics from water, offering a magnetically recoverable approach to microplastic remediation.

2022 Chemosphere 86 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics removal from aqueous solutions by magnetic iron nanoparticles

Researchers tested magnetic iron oxide (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles for removing polystyrene microplastics from water, systematically optimizing concentration, dosage, contact time, and pH, and found effective microplastic removal through adsorption interactions that could be leveraged for environmental remediation.

2025
Article Tier 2

Remediation strategies for micro/nanoplastic pollution using magnetic nanomaterials

This review surveys recent developments in using magnetic nanomaterials, such as iron oxide nanoparticles and magnetic composites, to remove micro- and nanoplastics from water and soil. These materials can capture plastic particles through adsorption, help clump them together for removal, or even break them down, and they can be magnetically recovered for reuse. The study highlights that magnetic nanomaterials offer a promising approach for cleaning up plastic pollution, though challenges remain in scaling up for real-world use.

2025 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Magnetic Extraction of Microplastics from Environmental Samples

A magnetic extraction method was developed using hydrophobic iron nanoparticles that bind to plastic surfaces, achieving 92% recovery of 10–20 μm polyethylene and polystyrene beads and 84–93% recovery of six polymer types from seawater and sediment. The method offers a practical, adaptable approach to extracting microplastics from complex environmental matrices without the limitations of density-based separation.

2019 Environmental Science & Technology Letters 451 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhanced removal of aged and differently functionalized polystyrene nanoplastics using ball-milled magnetic pinewood biochars

Researchers developed magnetic biochars from pinewood using ball-milling with iron oxide nanoparticles, achieving highly effective removal of various functionalized and aged polystyrene nanoplastics from water with easy magnetic separation and reusability.

2022 Environmental Pollution 91 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of particle size and oxide phase on microplastic transport through iron oxide-coated sand

Researchers studied how different types of iron oxide coatings on sand affect the movement of polystyrene microplastics through soil. They found that magnetite-coated sand retained the most microplastics, while goethite-coated sand retained the least, with results matching theoretical predictions. The findings suggest that naturally iron-rich soils could serve as effective barriers to prevent microplastic transport through groundwater systems.

2024 Water Research 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Magnetic separation and degradation approaches for effective microplastic removal from aquatic and terrestrial environments

This review covers methods for removing microplastics from water and soil environments using magnetic separation and degradation technologies. Researchers describe how microplastics can be captured using magnetic particles and then broken down through biodegradation, advanced oxidation, or electrochemical processes. The study highlights these combined approaches as promising strategies for addressing microplastic pollution across both aquatic and land-based ecosystems.

2025 Materials Advances 10 citations
Article Tier 2

An effective method for the rapid detection of microplastics in soil

A rapid and practical method was developed for detecting and identifying microplastics in soil, addressing the need for faster alternatives to existing time-consuming techniques. The method uses a combination of sieving and staining approaches to accelerate microplastic extraction and identification from soil samples.

2020 Chemosphere 53 citations
Article Tier 2

Rapid extraction of high- and low-density microplastics from soil using high-gradient magnetic separation

High-gradient magnetic separation was developed as a method to extract both high- and low-density microplastics from soil, overcoming the limitation of conventional density-based separation that often misses heavier plastic types. The approach improved overall microplastic recovery and offers a more complete picture of soil contamination.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Extraction and Identification of a Wide Range of Microplastic Polymers in Soil and Compost

Researchers compared and optimized two microplastic extraction methods for soil and compost, finding that density separation combined with chemical digestion was effective across a wide range of polymer types, providing a more reliable protocol for terrestrial microplastic analysis.

2021 Polymers 37 citations
Article Tier 2

Poor extraction efficiencies of polystyrene nano- and microplastics from biosolids and soil

Researchers tested the efficiency of flotation-based extraction methods for recovering polystyrene nano- and microplastics (0.05-100 µm) from biosolids and soil, finding poor extraction efficiencies that varied by particle size and sample matrix. The results highlight significant methodological challenges in quantifying nano- and microplastics in terrestrial matrices and the need for standardised extraction protocols.

2018 PLoS ONE 123 citations
Article Tier 2

The use of magnetically modified microplastics in environmental studies

This Slovenian study tested iron oxide-coated magnetic microplastics as research tools, finding they could be efficiently separated from water and sediment using magnets (over 90% recovery) but proved much harder to retrieve from soil (around 10% recovery). Toxicity tests confirmed the magnetic coating did not harm aquatic plants, and iron leaching into water was negligible. Magnetic microplastics offer a practical way to track and recover particles in laboratory experiments, helping researchers study microplastic behavior in sediments without permanently contaminating test systems.

2026 Repository of the University of Ljubljana (University of Ljubljana)
Article Tier 2

An efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly protocol for extracting microplastics from soil samples

Researchers developed an efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly protocol for extracting microplastics from soil samples, addressing the lack of standardized methods and evaluating extraction performance across different soil matrices.

2025 Omorika - Repository of the Faculty of Forestry, Belgrade
Article Tier 2

Removal and Degradation of Microplastics Using the Magnetic and Nanozyme Activities of Bare Iron Oxide Nanoaggregates

Researchers developed bare iron oxide nanoaggregates that both remove and catalytically degrade common microplastics with nearly 100% efficiency, achieving full extraction at just 1% of the microplastic mass through combined magnetic and nanozyme activities.

2022 Angewandte Chemie International Edition 134 citations
Article Tier 2

Robust polyaniline coating magnetic biochar nanoparticles for fast and wide pH and temperature range removal of nanoplastics and achieving label free detection

Researchers created polyaniline-coated magnetic biochar nanoparticles from agricultural waste and demonstrated they can remove polystyrene nanoplastics from water at 95–99% efficiency across a wide pH range (1–10) and temperature range, while also functioning as an electrochemical sensor for nanoplastic detection down to 1.26 μg/L.

2025 Water Research 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of microplastics from water by magnetic nano-Fe3O4

Researchers developed a method for removing microplastics from water using magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles that attach to plastic surfaces, allowing the particles to be pulled out with a magnet. The technique achieved removal rates above 80% for common microplastic types in environmental water samples including river water, sewage, and seawater, suggesting a practical approach for water treatment.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 276 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in complex soil matrix: Recovery, identification and removal using micro nano techniques

Researchers reviewed current methods for finding and removing microplastics from complex soil samples, noting that no single technique works well for all particle types, and proposed a step-by-step approach combining density separation, chemical purification, and photocatalytic degradation to better detect and eliminate soil microplastics.

2024 Micro and Nano Engineering 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Advances in the analysis of relevant microplastic types in agricultural soils

Researchers developed an optimized soil purification protocol for extracting and identifying microplastic particles from agricultural soils, systematically testing and combining multiple extraction and purification steps to improve the accuracy of polymer identification across different soil types.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Systematic development of extraction methods for quantitative microplastics analysis in soils using metal-doped plastics

Researchers developed and optimized systematic extraction methods for quantitative microplastic analysis in diverse soil types, using metal-doped PET microplastics as reference materials to validate extraction workflows and improve consistency across different soil matrices.

2022 Environmental Pollution 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Enrichment of Nanoplastics in Waters Using Magnetic Solid Phase Extraction With Magnetic Biochar Adsorbents and Their Determination by Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography‐Mass Spectrometry

Researchers developed a method combining magnetic biochar with pyrolysis gas chromatography to detect and measure nanoplastics in water at very low concentrations. The magnetic biochar efficiently captured polystyrene nanoplastics from both tap and river water, achieving detection limits below 1 microgram per liter. The approach offers a practical and sensitive tool for monitoring nanoplastic contamination in drinking water sources.

2024 Journal of Separation Science 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Effective removal of Micro- and nanoplastics from water using Iron oxide nanoparticles: Mechanisms and optimization

Researchers developed a magnetic separation method using iron oxide nanoparticles to remove micro- and nanoplastics from water, achieving up to 95% removal efficiency within just 20 minutes. The technique works through hydrophobic interactions between the iron oxide particles and plastic surfaces, and was particularly effective for smaller nanoplastics. The method offers a relatively simple, rapid, and cost-effective approach to filtering plastic particles from contaminated water.

2025 Chemical Engineering Journal 6 citations