Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

From plastic use in the construction and built environment to state-of-the-art circular economy solutions to combat microplastic pollution

Researchers reviewed how plastics used throughout the construction industry — in paints, pipes, insulation, flooring, and adhesives — degrade over time and release microplastics into the environment, with building paints alone contributing up to 863,000 tonnes per year in the EU. Despite construction accounting for nearly a quarter of plastic use in Europe, less than 0.6% of microplastic research focuses on this sector, leaving a major pollution source largely unexamined.

2025 Environmental Sciences Europe 1 citations
Article Tier 2

“Microplastics and Polymers in Construction Materials: Sources, Fate, and Structural/Environmental Impacts”

This review synthesizes evidence that construction practices generate microplastic particles from polymer additives and recycled plastics during manufacturing, placement, and demolition, presents a sampling framework for detecting construction-derived microplastics, and compares identification methods for characterizing these particles.

2025 International Journal of Research and Innovation in Applied Science
Article Tier 2

A Comprehensive Review of Plastic Recycling in the Construction Industry: Challenges and Opportunities in the U.S.

Despite its title referencing plastic recycling in the construction industry, this paper reviews the barriers and opportunities for incorporating recycled plastics into building materials in the United States — not microplastic pollution itself. It examines economic, technical, and regulatory challenges for construction-sector plastic recycling and is only indirectly relevant to microplastics through the lens of reducing plastic waste at source.

2025 CIB Conferences 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Circular economy model for reuse of plastic in eco-efficient production of building materials

This study explored using plastic waste in the production of construction blocks and bricks as part of a circular economy approach, reducing the amount of plastic that enters the environment as microplastics. The construction sector offers a significant opportunity to valorize plastic waste as a durable material rather than allowing it to degrade in landfills.

2023 Journal of business and entrepreneurial studie 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in construction and built environment

Researchers review how the widespread use of plastics in construction — in paints, cement, textiles, and road materials — releases microplastics into the environment through wear and weathering, with entry points into the human body through air, water, and skin contact. The authors propose solutions including high-strength concrete formulations and biodegradable alternatives to reduce microplastic release from buildings and infrastructure.

2023 Developments in the Built Environment 82 citations
Review Tier 2

Review of sustainable temporary housing and reuse strategy for post-disaster architectures: current trends and strategic gaps

This review analyzes current trends in sustainable temporary housing designed for disaster recovery, focusing on reuse strategies that minimize waste and environmental impact. While not directly about microplastics, the study addresses the broader challenge of reducing construction waste and plastic materials that contribute to environmental pollution. The authors identify gaps in current research and highlight the need for designs that balance emergency housing needs with long-term ecological sustainability.

2025 Journal of Engineering and Applied Science 8 citations
Article Tier 2

An Analysis of the State-of-the-art in Plastic Scrap Recycling Strategies for Construction Components

This review examines strategies for recycling plastic waste in construction applications, covering methods to convert plastic scraps into building components and discussing barriers including contamination, mixed polymer streams, and regulatory restrictions on plastic use in structural applications.

2025
Systematic Review Tier 1

Marine Plastic Waste in Construction: A Systematic Review of Applications in the Built Environment

This systematic review evaluates how recycled marine plastic waste can be used in construction materials like concrete, asphalt, bricks, and insulation. Reusing ocean plastics in buildings could help reduce the amount of plastic pollution in the environment. While performance varies, this approach offers a promising way to address marine plastic waste while creating useful building materials.

2025 Polymers 4 citations
Article Tier 2

An Examination of Microplastics: Environmental Impact, Sustainability, and Recyclability Innovation

This paper examined the environmental impact of microplastics, sustainability implications of current plastic use, and recycling options to address the plastic pollution crisis. It called for a transition toward circular economy approaches that reduce primary plastic production and increase recycled content.

2024 Journal of Student Research
Article Tier 2

The rate of use of the Circular Economy in individual sectors

Not relevant to microplastics — this paper reviews the adoption of circular economy principles across industrial sectors within the European Union policy framework, without specific focus on plastic pollution.

2023 Acta Montanistica Slovaca 8 citations
Review Tier 2

Recycling and Reusing Strategies to Prevent Microplastic Generation: a Review

This review examines recycling and reusing strategies for plastic materials as a means of preventing microplastic generation, grounding the analysis in circular economy principles emphasizing resource efficiency through repair, reuse, and recycling. The authors evaluate current methodologies and propose strategies to reduce plastic waste degradation into microplastics, linking waste management practices to pollution prevention outcomes.

2025 Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental
Article Tier 2

A critical review of the current progress of plastic waste recycling technology in structural materials

Researchers reviewed technologies for recycling plastic waste into construction materials such as concrete and asphalt, finding this approach can meaningfully reduce the environmental burden of plastic pollution. Incorporating plastic waste into building materials offers a practical path toward both waste reduction and more sustainable construction.

2023 Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry 210 citations
Article Tier 2

Geração De Resíduos E Sua Aplicação Na Construção Civil

Not relevant to microplastics research; the title refers to a study on waste generation and its use in construction (in Portuguese), though the abstract has been incorrectly populated with a microplastics health review — this is a data error in the record.

2023 Amplla Editora eBooks
Article Tier 2

Microplastics exposure levels based on building composition and usage in built environmnet

This study assessed indoor microplastic exposure levels across different building types and usage patterns, finding that building composition materials and occupancy behavior significantly affect airborne MP concentrations and thus human inhalation exposure in built environments.

2025 Building Simulation Conference proceedings
Article Tier 2

Using Plastic Wastes in Construction: Opportunities and Challenges

This review examines the opportunities and challenges of incorporating plastic waste into construction materials, motivated by rapid urbanization and a pandemic-driven surge in plastic waste generation. The study evaluates technical performance, sustainability trade-offs, and regulatory considerations for using recycled plastics as building materials.

2022 EPiC series in built environment 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Review- Using Ground Bakelite as Alternative Solution for the Replacement of Fine Aggregate

This paper is not relevant to microplastics research — it evaluates ground Bakelite waste as a partial replacement for fine aggregate in concrete construction, focusing on materials engineering rather than plastic particle pollution in the environment.

2023 International Journal for Research in Applied Science and Engineering Technology
Article Tier 2

A Survey on Use of Non-Recyclable Waste in Construction

This survey reviews strategies for incorporating non-recyclable plastic waste into construction materials, documenting the environmental threat posed by plastic waste in marine ecosystems and its effects on wildlife and human health. The authors conclude that using plastic waste as a component in cementitious composites offers the most promising avenue for improving environmental sustainability while providing a practical construction material.

2022 International Journal for Research in Applied Science and Engineering Technology
Article Tier 2

Plastics in the Circular Economy

This book examines the role of plastics in the circular economy, reviewing how the current linear plastics economy generates environmental problems including microplastic pollution from fossil oil use and unmanaged plastic waste. The authors assess circular economy strategies including recycling, biodegradable alternatives, and design for disassembly as pathways to maintain the benefits of plastics while reducing their environmental footprint.

2024
Review Tier 2

A Decade Review of Research Trends Using Waste Materials in the Building and Construction Industry: A Pathway towards a Circular Economy

This decade-long review of construction industry research trends found growing adoption of waste materials including plastics, rubber, and industrial by-products as alternative construction materials, supporting a more circular production and consumption model.

2023 Waste 29 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Systematic Review of Plastic Waste as Eco-Friendly Aggregate for Sustainable Construction

This systematic review examines how recycled plastic waste can be used as a substitute for traditional aggregates in concrete and construction materials. Using plastic waste in construction could divert it from landfills and waterways where it breaks down into microplastics. The review evaluates the structural performance and environmental benefits of incorporating plastic into building materials.

2022 International Journal of Sustainable Construction Engineering Technology 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Circular economy and reduction of micro(nano)plastics contamination

This review argues that transitioning to a circular economy — through better design, recycling infrastructure, and reducing single-use plastics — offers one of the most viable systemic pathways to reducing micro- and nanoplastic contamination of the environment.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Developing a circular economy from plastic waste and identifying microplastics in domestic water supplies in Ho Chi Minh City and the Southeastern provinces

This study explored pathways for developing circular economy systems from plastic waste streams, including identification and quantification of microplastics at different stages of the waste cycle as a prerequisite for effective material recovery.

2024 IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science
Review Tier 2

A review on microplastics: sources, environmental fate, degradation pathways, and analytical identification methods.

This review paper summarizes existing research on tiny plastic particles called microplastics and how scientists detect them in the environment. Microplastics are a growing concern because they contaminate our air, water, and food, potentially affecting human health when we breathe or eat them. The researchers found that new, cheaper detection methods could help us better monitor these plastic particles and understand their impact on our health and environment.

2026 RSC advances
Article Tier 2

Microplastic: A particulate matter(PM) generated by deterioration of building materials

Researchers identified that deteriorating building materials — including paints, sealants, and coatings — generate microplastic particulate matter as fine indoor dust, with particle concentration and polymer composition varying by material type and degree of degradation.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 32 citations