Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

The Occurrence and Removal of Microplastics from Stormwater Using Green Infrastructure

This review examines microplastic occurrence in urban stormwater and the potential of green infrastructure — particularly bioretention systems and constructed wetlands — to capture and remove plastic particles before they reach surface water bodies.

2025 Water 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Analysis of Bioretention Capability in Removing Microplastic Particles from Stormwater

This study tested the ability of bioretention systems (vegetated stormwater gardens) to remove microplastic particles from stormwater, finding effective removal across multiple particle sizes and types. Bioretention infrastructure shows promise as a practical tool for preventing microplastics from stormwater runoff from reaching rivers and coastal waters.

2023 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Field-Installed Bioretention Systems: Vertical Distribution and Retention from Stormwater

Scientists tested rain gardens (special planted areas that filter stormwater runoff) to see if they can trap tiny plastic particles that wash off city streets and parking lots. They found these systems do catch microplastics before they reach rivers and drinking water sources, with most plastic pieces getting trapped deep in the soil layers. This research suggests that installing more rain gardens in cities could help reduce the amount of microplastics that end up in our water supply.

2026 Preprints.org
Article Tier 2

Microplastics: The Occurrence in Stormwater Runoff and the Effectiveness of Bioretention Systems for Removal

Researchers measured microplastic concentrations in stormwater runoff and tested the removal efficiency of bioretention systems including green roofs, bioswales, and bioretention cells, finding that these green infrastructure systems can significantly reduce microplastic loads before they reach surface waters. The study provides baseline data on stormwater as a microplastic transport pathway and evaluates a nature-based treatment solution.

2023 Journal of Environmental Engineering 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Abundance, distribution, and composition of microplastics in the filter media of nine aged stormwater bioretention systems

Researchers analyzed microplastic abundance and distribution in the filter media of nine aged stormwater bioretention systems, finding that these green infrastructure installations accumulate significant microplastic loads, with particles distributed throughout the filter depth rather than concentrating at the surface.

2023 Chemosphere 32 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

A Review on the Application of Granular Filter Media and the Utilization of Agro-industrial Wastes for Stormwater Quality Improvement

This systematic review found that granular filter media including sand, biochar, and agro-industrial waste materials effectively remove heavy metals, nutrients, and suspended solids from stormwater runoff. Agricultural waste materials like coconut coir and rice husk showed promising performance as low-cost filter alternatives. These filtration approaches are relevant to microplastic pollution because stormwater is a major transport pathway for microplastics from urban surfaces to waterways, and granular filters can potentially capture microplastic particles.

2021 Jurnal Teknologi 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Urban stormwater microplastics – Characteristics and removal using a developed filtration system

This Finnish study tested a concrete filtration system with sand and biochar media to remove microplastics from urban stormwater runoff. Both media showed effective removal, with results suggesting that on-site stormwater filtration could be a practical strategy for reducing microplastic inputs to receiving water bodies.

2020 Aaltodoc (Aalto University) 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and Pathways of Microplastics in Bioretention Filters

Researchers found eleven microplastic polymer types in bioretention filter soil and stormwater samples in an urban setting, characterizing the occurrence and pathways of microplastics entering these green infrastructure systems from contaminated impervious surface runoff.

2025 Environmental Management
Review Tier 2

Modelling microplastics in bioretention systems: A review

This review examines existing mathematical models for describing microplastic transport, removal, and fragmentation within bioretention systems used for urban stormwater management. The authors identify gaps in mechanistic understanding of how microplastics move through engineered porous media and how they affect the hydrology and performance of these low-impact development systems.

2024 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Improving stormwater quality for microplastic (25 – 106 µm) using a bioretention cell

This study evaluated how a bioretention cell (a vegetated stormwater filter system) removes small microplastic particles from stormwater runoff. Bioretention systems show promise as low-cost, nature-based approaches to capturing microplastics before they enter streams and drinking water supplies.

2023 HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe)
Article Tier 2

The role of different sustainable urban drainage systems in removing microplastics from urban runoff: A review

Researchers reviewed how nature-based drainage systems like wetlands, bioretention gardens, and permeable pavements can filter microplastics from urban stormwater runoff. These systems capture a significant portion of plastic particles, though smaller fibers remain the hardest to remove, and standardizing detection methods is still needed to compare results globally.

2023 Journal of Cleaner Production 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics retained in stormwater control measures: Where do they come from and where do they go?

Stormwater control measures were found to retain and accumulate microplastics from both episodic stormwater loading and continuous atmospheric deposition, raising concern that they may serve as long-term microplastic sources to groundwater through downward particle migration.

2021 Water Research 65 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics removal from stormwater runoff by bioretention cells: A review

This review examines the potential of bioretention cells, a type of green infrastructure, to remove microplastics from stormwater runoff. Researchers analyzed how these systems filter microplastics through soil media and vegetation and identified the key design parameters that affect removal efficiency. The study suggests that bioretention cells offer a promising nature-based solution for reducing microplastic loads entering waterways from urban areas.

2024 Journal of Environmental Sciences 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Field assessment of engineered bioretention as microplastics sink through site characterization and hydrologic modeling

A field study of bioretention cells — garden-like stormwater filters used in green infrastructure — found that their soils contained 7 to 10 times more microplastics than background soils, with polypropylene and polyethylene dominating. This confirms that bioretention systems are effective at capturing microplastics from urban runoff, but it also raises questions about what happens to the accumulated plastic over time and whether it eventually leaches back into groundwater.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics retained in rain gardens within different functional areas of Nanjing, eastern China

Researchers investigated microplastic retention in rain gardens across different functional areas of Nanjing, China, quantifying MP characteristics in these low-impact development stormwater management systems and evaluating their sources, finding that rain gardens can serve as significant sinks for urban microplastic pollution.

2025 Environmental Engineering Research
Article Tier 2

Plastic pollution risks in bioretention systems: a case study

Researchers investigated plastic pollution in urban stormwater bioretention systems and found these green infrastructure features both accumulate microplastics from road runoff and risk leaching plastic particles into groundwater, raising concerns about their role as pollution pathways.

2022 Environmental Technology 20 citations
Article Tier 2

[Removal Mechanism of Microplastics in Bioretention Systems and the Influence of Their Enrichment on the Treatment of Pollutants in the System].

Researchers reviewed how bioretention systems, a low-impact stormwater management strategy, can remove microplastics from urban runoff through adsorption, filtration, and biodegradation. However, because microplastics resist degradation and have large surface areas, they tend to accumulate in these systems over time, forming composite pollution with other contaminants. The study found that microplastic accumulation altered soil properties, impeded plant growth, and reduced the system's ability to remove nutrients, particularly dissolved nitrogen.

2026 PubMed
Article Tier 2

Innovative bioretention filters effectively remove microplastics from polluted stormwater

Researchers constructed a pilot rain garden facility with 13 bioretention filters incorporating innovative sorbent materials — waste-to-energy bottom ash, biochar, and Sphagnum peat — mixed with sandy loam and planted with salt-tolerant vegetation, then irrigated with stormwater from a highway over 48 months to evaluate microplastic removal efficiency by pyrolysis-GC/MS. They found the bioretention filters effectively removed diverse microplastic polymers from urban stormwater, with all 13 target polymers detected in inflow and variable removal efficiencies across sorbent treatments.

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

Microplastics Characterization in Stormwater: Pavement Source Evaluation and Treatment Efficiency of a Bioretention Cell

Researchers characterised microplastics in stormwater from pavement sources and evaluated the treatment efficiency of a bioretention cell, finding that pavement surfaces contribute substantially to microplastic loading and that bioretention can reduce particle concentrations.

2024 TSpace
Article Tier 2

Innovative bioretention filters effectively remove microplastics from polluted stormwater

Researchers evaluated a pilot rain garden facility with 13 bioretention filters incorporating sorbent materials including waste-to-energy bottom ash, biochar, and Sphagnum peat mixed with sandy loam, testing their ability to remove microplastics from highway stormwater over 48 months using pyrolysis-GC/MS analysis. They found that the innovative filters effectively reduced microplastic concentrations across all 13 target polymers, with polyisoprene and styrene-butadiene rubber among the highest-concentration contaminants in the stormwater inflow.

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

Occurrence and concentration of 20–100 μm sized microplastic in highway runoff and its removal in a gross pollutant trap – Bioretention and sand filter stormwater treatment train

A stormwater gross pollutant trap followed by bioretention and sand filter treatment was found to remove 20 to 100 micrometer microplastics from highway runoff in addition to larger particles, with removal efficiency dependent on particle size and treatment train configuration.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 82 citations
Article Tier 2

Bark and biochar in horizontal flow filters effectively remove microplastics from stormwater

Researchers tested horizontal flow filters made with bark and biochar for their ability to remove microplastics from stormwater, achieving effective retention of multiple plastic types including polyamide, polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene. The organic filter materials trapped the majority of particles, with performance varying by plastic type and filter composition. The study demonstrates that affordable, nature-based filter systems can be a practical solution for reducing microplastic pollution in urban stormwater runoff.

2024 Environmental Pollution 12 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

Micro- and nanoplastic pollution in urban influenced aquatic environments: Sources, pathways, and remediation strategies

This review examines the sources, transport pathways, and environmental fate of microplastics and nanoplastics in urban aquatic environments, finding that wastewater treatment plants remove only 40–95% of microplastics with much lower efficiency for nanoplastics, making them a persistent source of aquatic contamination.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin 4 citations