Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Fungal chitosan in focus: a comprehensive review on extraction methods and applications

Researchers reviewed fungal-derived chitosan as a biodegradable plastic alternative for food packaging, highlighting advantages over marine-sourced chitosan — including lower mineral content, year-round supply, and reduced microplastic contamination risk — alongside advances in extraction techniques such as deep eutectic solvents and enzymatic processing.

2025 Food Research International 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Optimisation of Chitosan as A Natural Flocculant for Microplastic Remediation

Laboratory tests found that chitosan — a natural, biodegradable material derived from shellfish — can remove 68.3% of microplastics from water using a coagulation-flocculation process, with an optimal concentration of 30 ppm. Higher chitosan doses increased organic matter in the water (COD and BOD), suggesting a trade-off between microplastic removal efficiency and water quality parameters. Chitosan offers a promising eco-friendly alternative to synthetic chemicals for treating microplastic-contaminated water.

2023 Journal of Emerging Science and Engineering 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Chitosan with Natural Additives as a Potential Food Packaging

Researchers reviewed the potential of chitosan, a natural polymer derived from chitin, as a sustainable alternative to conventional plastic food packaging. Chitosan-based materials combined with natural additives show promising antimicrobial and biocompatible properties while being biodegradable. The study suggests these materials could help reduce plastic packaging waste and the associated microplastic pollution from food industry sources.

2023 Materials 53 citations
Article Tier 2

Chitosan oligosaccharide-modified Pleurotus ostreatus mycelium for microplastic removal based on the green design concept

Researchers modified Pleurotus ostreatus mushroom mycelium with chitosan oligosaccharide and citric acid to create a green biosorbent for removing microplastics from water, finding the modified mycelium achieved high removal efficiency for polystyrene particles while remaining biodegradable and cost-effective.

2025 Industrial Crops and Products 3 citations
Article Tier 2

The use of chitosan for water purification from microplastics

Researchers investigated chitosan as a sorbent for removing microplastics from water, analyzing its physicochemical properties and proposing an optimized purification method based on chitosan's sorption characteristics.

2025 Open MIND
Article Tier 2

Sustainable biomaterials based on cellulose, chitin and chitosan composites - A review

Researchers reviewed advances in making sustainable composite materials from cellulose, chitin, and chitosan — abundant natural polymers found in plants and shellfish — as biodegradable alternatives to synthetic plastics that contribute to microplastic pollution. The review covers how these biopolymers can be dissolved and combined into fibers, films, and gels for a wide range of environmentally friendly applications.

2021 Carbohydrate Polymer Technologies and Applications 117 citations
Article Tier 2

A Chitosan Nanofiber Sponge for Oyster-Inspired Filtration of Microplastics

An ultralight chitosan nanofiber sponge was developed as a filtration material for removing microplastics from water, inspired by oyster filtration biology, and demonstrated high removal efficiency for polystyrene microplastics in lab tests while being biodegradable and made from renewable chitosan feedstock.

2021 ACS Applied Polymer Materials 66 citations
Article Tier 2

Utilization of chitosan as a natural coagulant for polyethylene microplastic removal

Scientists tested chitosan, a natural material derived from shellfish, as an eco-friendly way to remove polyethylene microplastics from water. Under the best conditions (pH 6.0 with 100 mg/L of chitosan), the treatment removed 81.5% of microplastics, offering a promising and environmentally safe approach to cleaning microplastic-contaminated water.

2025 Sustainable Chemistry for the Environment 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Chitosan as a sustainable alternative for fresh food packaging: Structural insights, modification strategies, and innovations for commercial viability

Researchers reviewed how chitosan — a natural biopolymer derived from crustacean shells — can serve as a biodegradable alternative to single-use plastic food packaging, detailing chemical modification strategies, nanocomposite reinforcement approaches, and recent advances in antimicrobial and antioxidant performance that improve its commercial viability.

2025 International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring the Role of Chitosan in Fabricating Biodegradable Films for Functional Food Packaging: A Review

This review examines the use of chitosan — a biopolymer derived from crustacean shells — in fabricating biodegradable food packaging films, evaluating its mechanical, antimicrobial, and barrier properties as a sustainable alternative to conventional plastics.

2023 Journal of Young Pharmacists 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of the Antimicrobial Activity of Chitosan Nanoparticles against Listeria monocytogenes

Not relevant to microplastics — this is a microbiology study testing the antimicrobial effectiveness of chitosan nanoparticles from different sources against the foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes, finding that nanoparticle size — not just molecular weight or deacetylation degree — drives efficacy.

2023 Polymers 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent Research Trends in Mushroom Mycelium-based Materials

This review summarizes recent research on mushroom mycelium as a sustainable industrial material, covering applications in leather substitutes, construction, electronics, packaging, and insulation. Mycelium-based materials can utilize agricultural and forestry by-products and offer a renewable alternative to conventional plastics.

2023 KSBB Journal 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Harnessing the power of amphoterically modified Chitosan coagulants for enhanced Polyester microplastic fibre removal from water

Amphoterically modified chitosan was used as a coagulant aid to capture microplastics from water, leveraging the biopolymer's charge-switching ability to bind particles across a range of pH conditions. Chitosan-based capture materials are attractive because chitosan is biodegradable and derived from renewable sources.

2025 Journal of Environmental Management 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Improving the Physical and Mechanical Properties of Mycelium-Based Green Composites Using Paper Waste

Researchers explored using paper waste to improve mycelium-based composites, which are sustainable materials grown from mushroom fibers. The study found that adding paper waste enhanced the physical and mechanical properties of these biodegradable materials, suggesting they could serve as greener alternatives to traditional plastics and packaging.

2024 Polymers 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Preparation of fungal biocomposite for environment friendly packaging of plant saplings

Researchers grew Pleurotus ostreatus and Ganoderma lucidum fungi on agricultural waste substrates to produce mycelium biocomposites for biodegradable plant sapling packaging, finding that Ganoderma lucidum composites showed superior thermal stability and mechanical strength as a sustainable alternative to plastic packaging.

2025 World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
Article Tier 2

The Environmental and Economic Viability of Chitosan Production in Guayas-Ecuador: A Robust Investment and Life Cycle Analysis

Ecuadorian researchers analyzed the environmental and economic feasibility of producing chitosan—a biodegradable biopolymer—from shrimp shell waste. Chitosan has potential applications as a natural plastic alternative and as a flocculant for removing microplastics from water.

2021 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Synergistic removal of microplastic fibres using hybrid pre-treatment: evaluation of Chitosan as a green coagulant

Researchers evaluated the capacity of existing water treatment pre-treatment methods to remove microplastic fibers and investigated chitosan — a low-molecular-weight, 75-85% deacetylated green coagulant — as an alternative to conventional chemical coagulants. The study assessed a hybrid pre-treatment approach, finding synergistic microplastic fiber removal efficiency when chitosan was combined with existing processes.

2024 Water e-Journal
Article Tier 2

Ingesting chitosan can promote excretion of microplastics

Researchers found that feeding rats chitosan (a natural fiber derived from shellfish shells) along with microplastics significantly sped up the excretion of the plastic particles from their bodies. The chitosan appeared to bind to the microplastics in the gut and help move them out more quickly through the digestive system. This is a promising finding because it suggests that a readily available dietary supplement could help reduce the amount of microplastics that accumulate in the body.

2025 Scientific Reports 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microcrystalline cellulose on some performance properties of chitosan aerogels

Researchers developed bio-based aerogels from chitosan reinforced with microcrystalline cellulose, testing their physical and mechanical properties. This work explores sustainable, biodegradable materials that could reduce reliance on conventional petroleum-based plastics.

2021 Maderas Ciencia y tecnología 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodegradable chito-beads replacing non-biodegradable microplastics for cosmetics

Biodegradable microbeads were prepared by reacetylation of chitosan as a direct substitute for synthetic polymer microbeads in cosmetic exfoliators. The chitosan-based beads demonstrated suitable mechanical properties and high cleansing efficiency, offering a viable biodegradable alternative to conventional microplastic microbeads.

2021 Green Chemistry 76 citations