Papers

20 results
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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

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
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
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

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

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

[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

Small-Size Microplastics in Urban Stormwater Runoff are Efficiently Trapped in a Bioretention Cell

Researchers conducted a two-year field study showing that bioretention cells, a type of green stormwater infrastructure, effectively captured microplastics as small as 25 micrometers from urban runoff. The system retained over 80 percent of small microplastics, with fibers and fragments being the most commonly trapped types. The findings suggest that existing urban green infrastructure can serve double duty as a practical tool for reducing microplastic pollution in waterways.

2024 ACS ES&T Water 9 citations
Article Tier 2

The interaction of microplastic and heavy metal in bioretention cell: Contributions of water-soil-plant system

Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics interact with heavy metals in bioretention cells designed to treat stormwater runoff. They found that microplastics bind to heavy metals and influence their movement through the water-soil-plant system, affecting overall pollutant removal efficiency. The study provides important insights into how the co-presence of microplastics and metals in urban runoff complicates green infrastructure performance.

2024 Environmental Pollution 12 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

Bioretention cells remove microplastics from urban stormwater

A 2-year field study characterized microplastics in urban stormwater runoff and measured how effectively a bioretention cell (a low-impact development infrastructure) removed them. The bioretention cell significantly reduced microplastic concentrations in stormwater, demonstrating its potential as a mitigation strategy for urban runoff-driven microplastic pollution.

2020 Water Research 199 citations
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

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 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
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastics and nanoplastics in stormwater management engineered porous media systems: a systematic review of their sources, transport, retention, and removal characteristics

This systematic review summarizes how engineered stormwater systems like rain gardens and biofilters capture and retain microplastics and nanoplastics. The findings show these systems can effectively reduce plastic particles in stormwater runoff, which matters because untreated stormwater is a major pathway for microplastics to enter the rivers and lakes that supply our drinking water.

2025 Environmental Science Advances
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

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 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

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

Nitrogen removal performance of bioretention cells under polyethylene (PE) microplastic stress

Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics affect the nitrogen removal performance of bioretention cells used to filter stormwater runoff. The study found that microplastic accumulation reduced overall nitrogen removal efficiency by up to 28% while altering the microbial community structure responsible for denitrification.

2023 Environmental Pollution 13 citations