Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

The utilization of exopolysaccharide (EPS) from microalgae Chlorella vulgaris in microplastic removal

Researchers investigated whether exopolysaccharide (EPS) produced by Chlorella vulgaris microalgae can facilitate the removal of polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastics from aquatic systems, while also examining microplastic effects on algal growth. The study demonstrates that EPS functions as a bioflocculant capable of binding microplastics, with implications for biologically-based water treatment.

2024 IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Utilizing Chlorella vulgaris algae as an eco-friendly coagulant for efficient removal of polyethylene microplastics from aquatic environments

Researchers tested the green algae Chlorella vulgaris as an eco-friendly coagulant for removing polyethylene microplastics from water. Using optimized experimental conditions, they achieved a removal rate of nearly 99% under the best parameters. The study suggests that algae-based coagulation offers a cost-effective and sustainable alternative to chemical methods for cleaning microplastic-contaminated water.

2023 Heliyon 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics removal from water body by extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) extracted from microalge through surfactants pre-treatment

Researchers explored using extracellular polymeric substances extracted from microalgae — combined with surfactant pretreatment — to remove microplastics from water. The biological approach showed promise as a low-cost and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional filtration methods.

2023 SPIRE - Sciences Po Institutional REpository
Article Tier 2

Microplastic removal in aquatic systems using extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) of microalgae

Researchers tested whether extracellular polymeric substances produced by microalgae could remove microplastics from water. Among four microalgae strains tested under stress conditions, Spirulina produced the most polymeric substances and formed the largest aggregates with microplastic particles. The study suggests that microalgae-based bioremediation could offer a sustainable, low-cost approach to reducing microplastic contamination in water sources.

2025 Sustainable Environment 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Effective removal of microplastics by filamentous algae and its magnetic biochar: Performance and mechanism

Researchers found that filamentous algae and a magnetic biochar made from the algae can effectively remove microplastics from water, with the biochar absorbing over 215 milligrams of microplastics per gram. The algae naturally trap microplastics through entanglement and adhesion, while the magnetic biochar can be easily recovered from water using magnets. This dual approach could help address both algae bloom problems and microplastic contamination in urban water systems.

2024 Chemosphere 43 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhanced removal of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics through polyaluminum chloride coagulation with three typical coagulant aids

Researchers tested three coagulant aids — polyacrylamide (PAM), sodium alginate, and activated silicic acid — combined with polyaluminum chloride to remove PET microplastics from drinking water, finding that PAM at high dosage achieved up to 91.45% removal efficiency.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 153 citations
Article Tier 2

A critical review on remediation of microplastics using microalgae from aqueous system

This review explores using microalgae -- tiny photosynthetic organisms -- as a natural way to remove microplastics from water. Microalgae can capture and clump microplastic particles together, making them easier to filter out. Since microplastics in water systems are a growing concern for human health through drinking water and seafood, biological removal methods like this could offer a more sustainable cleanup approach.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 61 citations
Article Tier 2

Bio‐Mediated Flocculation of Freshwater Microplastics: Effects of Microalgae With Exopolymer Attachments

Three freshwater microalgae species with varying levels of transparent exopolymer particle (TEP) production were incubated with microplastics to study bio-mediated flocculation. TEP production significantly increased the flocculation rate of microplastics, with higher TEP levels correlating with faster aggregation and sedimentation.

2025 Water Resources Research 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Porphyridium sp. Microalgae as a source of polysaccharides

Not relevant to microplastics — this study compares three Porphyridium microalgae strains for their ability to produce exopolysaccharides under different nutrient and light conditions, relevant to industrial biopolymer production.

2024 Journal of Applied Biology & Biotechnology 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Interplay of plastic pollution with algae and plants: hidden danger or a blessing?

Researchers tested the ability of three microalgae species to remove microplastics from water through bioadhesion, finding that all three species could adsorb particles onto their surfaces. Removal efficiency depended on particle size, surface charge, and algae cell morphology.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 65 citations
Article Tier 2

Utilization of chitosan as a natural coagulant for polyethylene microplastic removal

Scientists tested chitosan, a natural material derived from shellfish, as an eco-friendly way to remove polyethylene microplastics from water. Under the best conditions (pH 6.0 with 100 mg/L of chitosan), the treatment removed 81.5% of microplastics, offering a promising and environmentally safe approach to cleaning microplastic-contaminated water.

2025 Sustainable Chemistry for the Environment 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Eradicating microplastics in wastewater: microalgae as a sustainable strategy

This review examines the use of microalgae as a sustainable strategy for removing microplastics from wastewater, discussing biosorption mechanisms, removal efficiencies, and the limitations of conventional treatment plants that typically achieve only up to 90% MP removal.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment
Article Tier 2

Marine vs freshwater microalgae exopolymers as biosolutions to microplastics pollution

Marine and freshwater microalgae were found to produce exopolymer substances that form hetero-aggregates with microplastic particles, suggesting these biological secretions could promote microplastic sedimentation and reduce surface-water concentrations.

2019 Environmental Pollution 215 citations
Article Tier 2

Interaction between polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastic and microalgae (Scenedesmus spp.): Effect on the growth, chlorophyll content, and hetero-aggregation

Researchers exposed two types of freshwater microalgae to PET microplastics at various concentrations, finding that higher levels significantly stunted growth, reduced chlorophyll, and caused the algae to cluster around the plastic particles. This "hetero-aggregation" behavior suggests microplastics can physically trap microalgae, potentially disrupting aquatic food webs that depend on algae as a foundation.

2023 Environmental Advances 27 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

Enhanced removal of polyethylene microplastics from water through polymeric ferric sulfate with laminarin

Researchers developed an enhanced coagulation technique using polymeric ferric sulfate combined with laminarin, a seaweed-derived compound, to remove polyethylene microplastics from water. The combined approach achieved a 93.8% removal rate compared to only 48.5% with the coagulant alone, by significantly boosting charge neutralization and adsorption bridging mechanisms. The study demonstrates that natural coagulant aids can substantially improve the effectiveness of microplastic removal during water treatment.

2024 Process Safety and Environmental Protection 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Are native microalgae consortia able to remove microplastics from wastewater effluents?

Researchers investigated whether native microalgae communities found in wastewater could effectively remove microplastics from treatment plant effluent. The study monitored microplastic occurrence across two different types of wastewater treatment plants over one year, characterizing particles by shape, size, and polymer type. Evidence indicates that wastewater-native microalgae consortia show potential as a dual-purpose solution for both microplastic mitigation and biomass production.

2024 Environmental Pollution 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring the potential of microalgae in removal of microplastics from the environment and scope of this entity as feedstock for biofuel production

This review explores the potential of microalgae to capture and remove microplastics from aquatic environments, examining the mechanisms by which algal cells adsorb or aggregate plastic particles and discussing the feasibility of algae-based remediation at scale.

2025
Article Tier 2

Heterogeneous aggregation between microplastics and microalgae: May provide new insights for microplastics removal

Researchers investigated heterogeneous aggregation between microplastics and various microalgal species, elucidating the formation process and influencing factors, which may provide new insights for developing microplastic removal strategies from aquatic environments.

2023 Aquatic Toxicology 42 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhancing microplastic removal from natural water using coagulant aids

Researchers tested different chemical treatments for removing microplastic beads from natural water and found that polyaluminium chloride combined with polyacrylamide achieved over 95% removal across six common plastic types. The treatment worked on particles ranging from 10 to 1,000 micrometers, and natural organic matter in the water actually improved performance. The findings suggest that optimizing standard water treatment processes could be a practical way to reduce microplastic contamination in drinking water sources.

2024 Chemosphere 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Functional groups in microalgal extracellular polymeric substances: A promising biopolymer for microplastic mitigation in marine ecosystems

Researchers characterized the sticky, sugar-like substances (extracellular polymeric substances, or EPS) produced by three types of microalgae and found these natural biopolymers could potentially bind and aggregate microplastics in marine environments, pointing toward a nature-based approach to reducing ocean plastic pollution.

2025 Ecological Engineering & Environmental Technology 3 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

Are algae a promising ecofriendly approach to micro/nanoplastic remediation?

This review examines the potential of algae as an eco-friendly approach to removing micro- and nanoplastics from wastewater treatment plant effluents, covering mechanisms including interception, entanglement, and heteroaggregation. Algae also offer the added benefit of nutrient recovery from wastewater and can be further processed into biochar or biofertilizer.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of microplastics by algal biomass from aqueous solutions: performance, optimization, and modeling

Researchers found that algae (Chlorella vulgaris) can remove up to 73% of polystyrene microplastics from water under optimized conditions. Using algae as a natural, eco-friendly alternative to chemical treatments offers a sustainable approach to cleaning up microplastic pollution in water systems without introducing additional harmful substances.

2025 Scientific Reports 33 citations