Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastics profile in constructed wetlands: Distribution, retention and implications

This study assessed microplastic distribution, retention, and implications within constructed wetlands used for wastewater treatment, finding that wetlands trap substantial quantities of MPs but that retention efficiency varies by plant species and wetland design. The results suggest constructed wetlands both remove and potentially accumulate MPs as a secondary pollution source.

2022 Environmental Pollution 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Identification in Domestic Wastewater-Treating Constructed Wetlands and Its Potential Usage in a Circular Economy

Researchers identified and characterized microplastics in constructed wetlands used for treating domestic wastewater, finding MP accumulation in the substrate and plants and assessing how well these nature-based treatment systems retain plastic particles before effluent is discharged.

2025 Processes
Article Tier 2

Effects of macrophytes on micro – And nanoplastic retention and cycling in constructed wetlands

This study tested how the presence of aquatic plants (macrophytes) in constructed wetlands affects the capture and cycling of micro- and nanoplastics. Researchers found that planted wetlands were significantly better at intercepting nanoplastics and also improved nitrogen and phosphorus removal even when exposed to plastic particles. The findings suggest that including macrophytes in constructed wetland designs can enhance their ability to manage plastic pollution in water.

2023 Environmental Pollution 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Understanding microplastic retention in surface flow constructed wetlands: The impact of aquatic macrophytes

This study tested how well constructed wetlands with different aquatic plants retain three common types of microplastics: polyethylene beads, tire wear particles, and synthetic fibers. Plants with complex leaf structures trapped more microplastics than simpler plants or unvegetated areas. The findings suggest that planted wetlands could serve as a nature-based solution for filtering microplastics from water before they reach rivers and drinking water sources.

2025 Journal of environmental chemical engineering 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Retention of microplastics by interspersed lagoons in both natural and constructed wetlands

Researchers used laboratory wetland models to test how well constructed wetlands with interspersed lagoons and aquatic vegetation can capture microplastic particles from water. Combining vegetated patches with a lagoon achieved microplastic retention rates of up to 99%, suggesting that nature-based wetland designs could be an effective low-cost strategy for filtering microplastics out of wastewater and rivers before they reach the ocean.

2023 Journal of Water Process Engineering 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands as tertiary treatment: Can they be an efficient barrier for microplastics pollution?

Horizontal subsurface-flow constructed wetlands used as tertiary wastewater treatment removed 88% of microplastics from secondary effluent, contributing to an overall 98% reduction across the full treatment plant. Macroinvertebrates living in the wetland also ingested microplastics, suggesting biological uptake plays a role in plastic retention within the wetland ecosystem.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 155 citations
Article Tier 2

A low-impact nature-based solution for reducing aquatic microplastics from freshwater ecosystems

Researchers developed a nature-based solution using the submerged plant Myriophyllum aquaticum to capture and retain microplastics from freshwater ecosystems. Through optimization experiments, they achieved high retention efficiency with minimal environmental disruption. The study demonstrates that aquatic plants can serve as a low-impact, practical tool for reducing microplastic pollution in rivers and lakes.

2024 Water Research 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Plant Based Application for Microplastic Removal in Constructed Wetlands: A Mini Review

This mini-review examines how wetland plants in constructed wetlands capture and degrade microplastics through physical entrapment, root-zone interactions, and microbial activity, assessing operational factors that determine removal efficiency.

2025 NIPES Journal of Science and Technology Research
Article Tier 2

Microplastics occurrence and fate in full-scale treatment wetlands

Researchers assessed microplastic occurrence and fate across full-scale treatment wetlands, finding that constructed wetlands effectively remove a significant proportion of MPs from wastewater but that removal efficiency varies with wetland design and MP characteristics.

2023 Water Research 34 citations
Article Tier 2

The fate of microplastics from municipal wastewater in a surface flow treatment wetland

Researchers investigated microplastic retention in a full-scale surface flow treatment wetland receiving municipal wastewater, measuring microplastic concentrations in inflow, outflow, and atmospheric deposition, and finding significant retention within the wetland. Treatment wetlands represent a potential nature-based solution for reducing microplastic discharge to receiving water bodies.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Aquatic plants entrap different size of plastics in indoor flume experiments

Researchers found that aquatic plants effectively entrap plastics in riverine environments, with plant species and plastic particle size influencing retention rates, suggesting vegetation plays an important role in limiting downstream plastic transport.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Wastewater Treatment by Constructed Wetland Eco-Technology: Influence of Mineral and Plastic Materials as Filter Media and Tropical Ornamental Plants

Constructed wetlands using ornamental plants effectively removed chemical pollutants from wastewater, and the presence of plastic residues in the growing medium affected treatment performance. This finding is relevant to understanding how microplastics in constructed wetlands may interfere with natural water purification processes.

2019 Water 54 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in a Large Constructed Wetland: Retention, Transport, and Characteristics

This study examined microplastic dynamics in a large constructed wetland, finding that the wetland acts as a net sink for microplastics with retention varying by particle size and shape, and identifying flow velocity as a key driver of transport behavior.

2024 Environmental Engineering Science 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Transport dynamics of microplastics within aquatic vegetation featuring realistic plant morphology

Researchers investigated how aquatic vegetation with realistic plant structures affects the transport and trapping of microplastics in river environments. They found that floating plant canopies significantly altered water flow and increased microplastic retention, with smaller nanoscale particles being trapped more effectively than larger ones. The study suggests that aquatic vegetation may act as a natural filter, accumulating microplastics and potentially preventing their transport downstream to oceans.

2025 Water Research 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Abundance, characteristics, and removal of microplastics in the Cihu Lake-wetland microcosm system

This study evaluated how well a multi-stage constructed wetland system could remove microplastics from wastewater treatment plant effluent, finding a total removal rate of 94.7%. Horizontal subsurface flow wetlands were particularly effective, and physical filtration through the wetland substrate was identified as the dominant removal mechanism. The findings suggest that constructed wetlands are a promising nature-based solution for reducing microplastic discharge into aquatic environments.

2023 Water Science & Technology 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Fate and removal of microplastics in unplanted lab-scale vertical flow constructed wetlands

Laboratory-scale unplanted vertical flow constructed wetlands were shown to remove microplastics from wastewater, with removal efficiency influenced by particle size, shape, and flow rate, highlighting constructed wetlands as a nature-based option for microplastic mitigation.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 86 citations
Article Tier 2

The Barrier Role of Macrophytes in Pollution of Water Bodies with Micriplastics

Ukrainian researchers found that aquatic macrophytes (water plants) can act as physical barriers that trap microplastics and prevent their spread in water bodies. Wetland vegetation may offer a natural, low-cost way to reduce microplastic transport in rivers and lakes.

2021 Nauka Innovatsii Tekhnologii 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Abundance and characteristics of microplastics in the surface water and sediment of parks in Xi'an city, Northwest China

Researchers surveyed microplastic pollution in urban park water bodies and sediments across Xi'an city, finding concentrations of 2,900-6,970 items per cubic meter in surface water, with distribution patterns linked to surrounding urban land use functions.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 42 citations
Article Tier 2

Green barriers to plastic transport in rivers: an indoor study

Indoor flume experiments demonstrated that riparian vegetation and green infrastructure along riverbanks can trap floating and suspended plastic debris, suggesting that natural and planted green barriers could help reduce plastic transport to the ocean.

2024
Article Tier 2

Microplastics removal and characteristics of a typical multi-combination and multi-stage constructed wetlands wastewater treatment plant in Changsha, China

Researchers evaluated microplastic removal efficiency in a multi-stage constructed wetland wastewater treatment plant in China, finding that the combined treatment processes achieved significant microplastic reduction across successive stages, with constructed wetlands proving effective as a polishing step for microplastic removal.

2022 Chemosphere 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Riparian vegetation as a natural barrier: experimental analysis of plastic particle retention in a vegetated reach

Researchers ran laboratory experiments showing that riverside plants act as natural traps for microplastics, with heavier plastic particles (1.4 g/cm³) being retained at rates up to 93% while lighter, irregularly shaped pieces were captured at twice the rate of disk-shaped ones. Lower water turbulence improved trapping, suggesting that preserving riparian vegetation could help prevent microplastics from reaching the ocean.

2025 Environmental Advances
Article Tier 2

Leaf morphology affects microplastic entrapment efficiency in freshwater macrophytes

Researchers found that leaf morphology significantly affects the ability of freshwater macrophytes (aquatic plants) to trap microplastics, with leaf shape and surface texture influencing particle capture efficiency. The findings suggest that aquatic vegetation plays an underappreciated role in microplastic retention and transport in freshwater ecosystems.

2023 Marine and Freshwater Research 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Interventions of river network structures on urban aquatic microplastic footprint from a connectivity perspective

Researchers analyzed microplastic distribution across a Nanjing, China urban river network using multiple detection methods, finding ubiquitous and abundant microplastics with distinct hotspots and heterogeneous characteristics linked to how river infrastructure structures such as weirs and gates interrupt microplastic connectivity and flow.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
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