Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Potential for Using Algae to Reduce Microplastics in the Environment

This review described how algae can reduce microplastic pollution through two mechanisms: physical adsorption and entrapment of particles into aggregates that sink, and enzymatic degradation of polymers. Additionally, algae can serve as feedstocks for producing bioplastics, offering a dual role in both plastic remediation and sustainable material production.

2025 Springer Link (Chiba Institute of Technology)
Article Tier 2

Exploring the Potential of Algae in the Mitigation of Plastic Pollution in Aquatic Environments

This review examined how algae can help mitigate plastic pollution in aquatic environments, finding that certain algal species can adsorb, degrade, or entrap microplastics, suggesting potential bioremediation applications though large-scale effectiveness remains to be demonstrated.

2022 Practice, progress, and proficiency in sustainability 6 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

Algae for plastic biodegradation

This review examines how algae interact with microplastics in marine environments, both as organisms harmed by plastic pollution and as potential agents for plastic biodegradation. Microplastics reduce algal photosynthesis and growth, while algal extracellular polymeric substances can trap and sink microplastic particles. Algae-driven biodegradation represents a promising avenue for reducing the persistence of microplastic contamination in the ocean.

2023 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Present and Future Prospect of Algae: A Potential Candidate for Sustainable Pollution Mitigation

This review examines the potential of algae as a sustainable tool for pollution mitigation across multiple environmental matrices, including their role in reducing plastic and microplastic contamination.

2021 The Open Biotechnology Journal 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of microplastics with microalgae and biofuel production

This review examines the potential of microalgae to simultaneously remove microplastics from water while serving as a feedstock for biofuel production, evaluating both the biosorption mechanisms involved and the downstream feasibility of converting biomass to energy.

2025
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

Microalgae as a Source of Biopolymer - A Comprehensive Review

This review examines microalgae as a source of biopolymers for sustainable plastic alternatives, evaluating the potential of algae-derived materials to address the environmental and health harms caused by conventional plastic waste and microplastic pollution through biodegradable substitutes.

2022 Journal Of Biochemical Technology 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Nature’s fight against plastic pollution: Algae for plastic biodegradation and bioplastics production

This review explores two algae-based approaches to tackling plastic pollution: using algae to biodegrade existing plastic waste and using algae to produce biodegradable bioplastics. Researchers highlight promising early results showing certain algae species can break down conventional plastics, while algae-derived bioplastics offer a renewable and compostable alternative to petroleum-based materials.

2020 Environmental Science and Ecotechnology 436 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

Microalgae for Plastic Biodegradation and Bioplastics Production

This review examines how microalgae biodegrade plastics through enzyme and toxin production while also serving as feedstocks for bioplastic manufacture, exploring both the mechanisms of algal stress from microplastic exposure and the potential of algae-derived biodegradable polymers.

2024
Article Tier 2

The role of algae in regulating the fate of microplastics: A review for processes, mechanisms, and influencing factors

This review examines how algae influence the fate of microplastics in aquatic environments through processes including retention, flocculation, deposition, and biodegradation. Researchers found that algae can trap microplastics via adhesion and produce extracellular substances and enzymes that contribute to aggregate formation and partial breakdown of plastic particles, though these interactions are influenced by algal species, microplastic characteristics, and environmental conditions.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent Advances in Micro-/Nanoplastic (MNPs) Removal by Microalgae and Possible Integrated Routes of Energy Recovery

This review examined the interactions between micro- and nanoplastics and microalgae, covering how microalgae are affected by plastic particles and how they can in turn be used to remove plastics from aquatic environments. The authors identify microalgae-based systems as promising tools for combined plastic removal and biomass production.

2022 Microorganisms 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of Microplastics from Industrial Wastewater Using Microalgae

This review examines the use of microalgae as a sustainable biological approach for removing microplastics from wastewater, covering mechanisms of MP attachment to algal surfaces, factors affecting removal efficiency, and prospects for integrating algae cultivation with wastewater treatment.

2025
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

Algal Bioplastics: a Review

This review examines algae as a sustainable feedstock for bioplastic production, covering production methods and applications as an eco-friendly alternative to conventional petroleum-based plastics. Researchers highlight that algal bioplastics offer biodegradability and reduced carbon emissions, addressing the ecological harms caused by conventional plastic accumulation in marine and terrestrial environments.

2022 YMER Digital 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Microalgal-based industry vs. microplastic pollution: Current knowledge and future perspectives

This review examines how microplastic pollution in water affects the growth, biomass yield, and photosynthetic activity of microalgae cultivated for industrial purposes such as biofuel and food production. Evidence shows that microplastic contamination at elevated concentrations can reduce microalgal biomass yields, threatening the viability of these industries. The authors identify bio-based materials like bacterial cellulose as promising tools for removing microplastics from microalgae cultivation water, representing a potential solution that avoids introducing further synthetic chemicals.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 11 citations
Review Tier 2

Microplastics – An emerging contaminants for algae. Critical review and perspectives

This review examines how microplastics and nanoplastics affect algae, which are the foundation of aquatic food chains. Microplastics can reduce algae growth, disrupt photosynthesis, and cause oxidative stress, with smaller nanoplastics being more harmful. Since algae are at the base of the food web, damage to them can ripple through ecosystems and ultimately affect the seafood that humans consume.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 69 citations
Article Tier 2

Research advances on production and application of algal biochar in environmental remediation

This review examines how biochar made from algae can be used to clean up environmental pollution, including removing microplastics from water and improving contaminated soil. Algal biochar has shown promise for absorbing heavy metals, organic pollutants, and microplastics, and it can also improve soil health. While more large-scale and long-term studies are needed, algae-based biochar offers a potentially sustainable tool for reducing microplastic contamination in water and soil.

2024 Environmental Pollution 68 citations
Article Tier 2

Microalgae-based bioremediation of refractory pollutants: an approach towards environmental sustainability

This review examines how microalgae can be used to clean up hard-to-remove pollutants, including microplastics, from contaminated environments. The authors highlight that microalgae-based bioremediation is a sustainable, eco-friendly approach that could help address the growing problem of microplastic pollution in waterways.

2025 Microbial Cell Factories 50 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluating the impact of innovative algae- based membrane bioreactors against the emerging microplastic crisisin combating water pollution

This study evaluated algae-based membrane bioreactors for removing microplastics and other emerging contaminants from wastewater, finding that combining algal biomass with membrane filtration improved MP removal efficiency compared to conventional biological treatment alone.

2025
Article Tier 2

Role of microalgae as a sustainable alternative of biopolymers and its application in industries

Not a microplastics paper — this review examines the potential of algae-derived biopolymers (such as alginate, carrageenan, and polyhydroxyalkanoates) as biodegradable, eco-friendly replacements for petroleum-based plastics, highlighting their advantages but noting challenges for large-scale production.

2023 Plant Science Today 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Research advances on impacts micro/nanoplastics and their carried pollutants on algae in aquatic ecosystems: A review

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics harm algae, which are the foundation of aquatic food chains, by slowing growth, reducing photosynthesis, and damaging cells. The effects are worse when microplastics carry other pollutants on their surfaces, creating a combined toxic effect. Since algae support the entire aquatic food web, damage to these organisms can ripple upward through fish and shellfish to affect the safety of seafood consumed by humans.

2023 Aquatic Toxicology 39 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