Papers

61,005 results
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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

Aerated wetland for the treatment of combined sewer overflow: Long-term monitoring of Merone full-scale system

This two-year evaluation of a full-scale aerated constructed wetland treating combined sewer overflow in Italy showed strong removal of conventional pollutants and also captured over 95% of microplastics during storm events. The system was effective even under highly variable hydraulic loads typical of overflow events. The results demonstrate that nature-based water treatment infrastructure can double as a meaningful microplastic capture system, reducing the amount reaching rivers and coastal waters.

2026 Journal of Environmental Management
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 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

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

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

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

The fate of microplastics/nanoplastics (MPs/NPs) in constructed wetlands: Addressing methodological gaps and experimental challenges from lab-scale to full-scale

This review examines the effectiveness of constructed wetlands for removing micro- and nanoplastics from water, comparing laboratory and full-scale results. Researchers found that while constructed wetlands show promising removal capabilities, the unique physical and chemical properties of plastic particles mean that lab-scale efficiencies may differ significantly from real-world performance, highlighting the need for more field-scale studies.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Combined Sewer Overflows: An Experimental Study

Researchers investigated microplastic concentrations and characteristics in combined sewer overflow events through experimental study, finding that overflow discharges transport significant quantities of microplastic particles directly to surface waters, bypassing wastewater treatment and representing a major urban microplastic pathway.

2021 Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Are combined sewer overflows from wastewater treatment plants a critical source of microplastics discharge into water bodies?

Researchers investigated whether combined sewer overflows from wastewater treatment plants represent a critical point source of microplastic discharge into water bodies, examining overflow events and their contribution relative to the overall MP removal efficiencies of WWTPs.

2025 Nova Science Publishers (Nova Science Publishers, Inc.)
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

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

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

A review on the remediation of microplastics using constructed wetlands: Bibliometric, co-occurrence, current trends, and future directions

This review examined the use of constructed wetlands as a nature-based solution for removing microplastics from water, analyzing research trends and knowledge gaps through bibliometric analysis. Researchers found that constructed wetlands show promise for microplastic remediation, but significant barriers remain in understanding the removal mechanisms involved. The study identifies key research directions needed to optimize wetland design for effective microplastic pollution control.

2022 Chemosphere 76 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

Nature-Based Solutions for Removal of Microplastics from Wastewater: Technologies, Challenges, and Prospects

This review evaluates nature-based solutions for removing microplastics from wastewater, including constructed wetlands, green infrastructure, and aquatic plants. The study found that these approaches can achieve removal efficiencies up to 99-100%, offering ecologically friendly alternatives to conventional treatment methods, though challenges remain with long-term efficiency and removal of other contaminants.

2025 Microplastics 1 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

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

Sewage Derived Microplastic and Anthropogenic Fibre Retention by Integrated Constructed Wetlands

Researchers assessed microplastic and anthropogenic fibre retention efficiency of two integrated constructed wetlands in Norfolk, UK, collecting monthly water samples at inlets and outlets over 12 months to evaluate whether these low-cost treatment systems can effectively reduce MP loads discharged from small wastewater treatment plants.

2024
Article Tier 2

Transport and fate of microplastics in constructed wetlands: A microcosm study

This study tested microplastic removal in constructed wetlands using different particle shapes and sizes, finding 81.6% removal in surface flow systems and 100% removal in horizontal subsurface flow systems, with biofilm attachment and physical filtration as key retention mechanisms.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 144 citations
Article Tier 2

Optimization of microplastic removal based on the complementarity of constructed wetland and microalgal-based system

This review examines how constructed wetlands and microalgal-based systems can each remove microplastics from wastewater, along with the limitations of using either approach alone. Researchers found that microplastic accumulation can block wetland substrates and inhibit nitrogen removal, while microalgae face separation challenges in effluent. The study proposes combining both biotechnologies to expand the size range of microplastics removed and improve long-term wastewater treatment sustainability.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 13 citations
Article Tier 2

[Research Process on the Removal Characteristics and Ecological Response of Constructed Wetlands to Microplastics/Nanoplastics].

This Chinese-language review summarized how constructed wetlands remove microplastics and nanoplastics through plant-substrate-microorganism interactions, covering removal mechanisms, ecological effects, and treatment efficiency. The authors found wetlands to be a cost-effective ecological approach but noted significant knowledge gaps on long-term nanoplastic behavior.

2025 PubMed
Article Tier 2

Distribution and removal of microplastics in a horizontal sub-surface flow laboratory constructed wetland and their effects on the treatment efficiency

Researchers investigated microplastic retention in a laboratory-scale constructed wetland, finding that the wetland effectively captured microbeads and fibers while examining how accumulated microplastics affected the treatment efficiency for carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus removal.

2023 Chemical Engineering Journal 50 citations
Article Tier 2

An examination of Nature-Based Solutions’ ability to retain New and Emerging Pollutants – Preliminary results from a UK field test

Researchers conducted a UK field test of nature-based solutions to evaluate their ability to retain new and emerging pollutants, including microplastics, from stormwater in informal settlements lacking formal drainage infrastructure. Preliminary results indicate that constructed wetland-type systems can intercept a range of contaminants that persist through conventional treatment, though performance varied across pollutant classes.

2025 Figshare