Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Removal and fate of microplastics in permeable pavements: An experimental layer-by-layer analysis

Researchers tested permeable pavements as a way to capture microplastics from urban stormwater runoff and found they retained 89% to over 99% of microplastic particles. The microplastics accumulated mainly on the pavement surface and in geotextile filter layers, preventing them from reaching natural waterways. This type of sustainable urban drainage could be an effective tool for reducing the amount of microplastics that wash off roads and into the water sources people depend on.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Stormwater runoff microplastics: Polymer types, particle size, and factors controlling loading rates

Researchers characterized microplastics in stormwater runoff samples collected at urban outfall locations. The study identified 17 different polymer types across various storm events, with concentrations around 0.99 particles per liter for the 500-1000 micrometer size range, and found that rainfall intensity and land use were key factors controlling microplastic loading rates.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Permeable pavement blocks as a sustainable solution for managing microplastic pollution in urban stormwater

Researchers tested whether permeable pavement, the kind of pavement that lets water drain through it, can filter out microplastics from urban stormwater runoff. They found it can trap microplastic particles effectively, suggesting permeable pavement could be a practical tool for reducing the amount of microplastics that wash into rivers and oceans from city streets.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment 12 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

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

Eficiencia de los pavimentos permeables para la retención de microplásticos de la escorrentía urbana

Researchers evaluated the effectiveness of permeable pavements as sustainable urban drainage systems for retaining microplastics from urban stormwater runoff, testing their performance under controlled laboratory conditions calibrated to average rainfall patterns in Valencia, Spain. Results showed a significant reduction in microplastic particle counts in water passing through the permeable pavement layers.

2024
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

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
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

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
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in sediments of urban rainwater drainage system

Researchers found microplastics in all sediment samples from a university campus rainwater drainage system, with abundances ranging from 80 to 2,610 particles/kg and the highest concentrations in student living areas, suggesting that land use patterns and management practices influence microplastic accumulation in urban stormwater infrastructure.

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

Microplastics and Tire Wear Particles in Urban Stormwater: Abundance, Characteristics, and Potential Mitigation Strategies

Researchers measured microplastic concentrations in urban stormwater and found levels ranging from about 4 to 59 particles per liter, with tire wear particles making up roughly 95% of all particles detected. Microlitter capture devices reduced microplastic loads by 35 to 88%, and constructed wetlands provided additional removal. The study suggests that targeted stormwater treatment infrastructure could meaningfully reduce the flow of microplastics into rivers and coastal waters.

2023 Environmental Science & Technology 72 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic emission characteristics of stormwater runoff in an urban area: Intra-event variability and influencing factors

Researchers found that stormwater runoff from both industrial and residential urban catchments contained substantial microplastics (54–639 particles per liter), with polypropylene and polyethylene dominating, and that microplastic concentrations peaked early in rain events following longer dry periods.

2023 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Horizontal transport of macro- and microplastics on soil surface by rainfall induced surface runoff as affected by vegetations

Researchers investigated how rainfall-induced surface runoff transports macro- and microplastics across soil surfaces, finding that vegetation cover significantly reduces plastic transport while plastic size, density, and rainfall intensity also influence horizontal movement.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 104 citations
Article Tier 2

Estimated discharge of microplastics via urban stormwater during individual rain events

Researchers collected stormwater samples from 15 locations during rain events to assess microplastic discharge through urban runoff. The study found highly variable microplastic concentrations influenced by catchment characteristics, and provided estimates of the quantity of microplastics released to receiving waters during rain events, highlighting urban stormwater as an important pathway for microplastic pollution.

2023 Frontiers in Environmental Science 62 citations
Article Tier 2

Análisis del comportamiento hidráulico y ambiental a largo plazo de pavimentos permeables y de su potencial para el control de microplásticos en la gestión avanzada de escorrentías urbanas

Researchers investigated the long-term hydraulic and environmental performance of permeable pavements for controlling microplastics in urban stormwater runoff, demonstrating their potential to prevent suspended solids and associated microplastic particles from reaching the environment.

2024
Article Tier 2

Pavement wear generates microplastics in stormwater runoff

Researchers conducted a two-year field study showing that pavement wear is a distinct and previously underappreciated source of microplastics in urban stormwater, separate from tire wear. They found that asphalt pavement was most susceptible to degradation in the field, while recycled rubber pavers released the most microplastics in lab testing. The study emphasizes the need to consider microplastic generation during pavement material selection and urban infrastructure planning.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 16 citations
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
Article Tier 2

Characterizing microplastics in urban runoff: A multi-land use assessment with a focus on 1–125 μm size particles

Researchers collected stormwater runoff from three different urban land use types and found microplastics present across all sites, with significant variation in polymer types depending on the area. By using multiple detection techniques, they were able to identify particles as small as 1 micrometer, revealing that the smallest size fractions dominated the total count. The study emphasizes that urban runoff is a major pathway for microplastic pollution reaching waterways.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic emission characteristics of stormwater runoff in an urban area: Intra-event variability and influencing factors

Researchers investigated microplastic emission characteristics in urban stormwater runoff from industrial and residential catchments. Microplastics were detected in concentrations of 54 to 639 particles per liter, with polypropylene and polyethylene being the dominant polymers and fragments the most common shape, and concentrations were higher after longer dry periods.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 109 citations
Article Tier 2

Underestimated land-to-sea microplastic emissions: The crucial role of rainfall events

Researchers investigated the emission characteristics and loads of microplastics transported into Masan Bay via the Samhocheon stream during a rainfall event using time-weighted sampling, finding microplastic abundances ranging from 4.60 to 118 particles per liter with an event mean concentration of 29.87 particles per liter. They found that microplastic concentrations peaked during early runoff and varied with rainfall intensity, with polypropylene and polyethylene accounting for approximately 60% of detected polymers.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Blue–Green Infrastructure Effectiveness for Urban Stormwater Management: A Multi-Scale Residential Case Study

Despite its title referencing urban stormwater management, this paper studies the effectiveness of blue-green infrastructure — such as rain gardens and permeable pavements — at managing stormwater runoff from residential areas under climate change conditions. While stormwater is a major carrier of microplastics to waterways, this study focuses on hydraulic performance rather than microplastic removal, and is only tangentially relevant to the topic.

2025 Land 1 citations
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

Comparative and temporal analysis of microplastic abundance and type in urban stormwater catchments

Urban stormwater ponds in Sydney, Australia were found to contain microplastics in every sample collected, with concentrations higher than those reported in comparable cities globally. Chlorinated polyethylene — a plastic used in construction materials and cables — was the most commonly identified polymer, and plastic fragments dominated over fibers. The study shows that urban stormwater infrastructure acts as a sink for microplastics, raising questions about the quality of water discharged from these systems into natural waterways.

2025 Environmental Challenges 1 citations