Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Process Optimization of Solvents Assisted Polyethylene Waste Recycling

Researchers optimized solvent-based chemical recycling of polyethylene plastic waste to recover high-quality recycled material. The study demonstrates that chemical recycling can be tuned to maximize yield and quality, offering a scalable alternative to mechanical recycling that degrades plastic properties over time.

2023 FUDMA Journal of Sciences 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Solvent-Based Elimination of Organic Matter from Marine-Collected Plastics

Researchers developed a solvent-based method to remove biofouling and organic matter from plastic litter collected from the marine environment before chemical analysis. Reliable protocols for cleaning marine plastics are important for accurately characterizing the types and properties of microplastics in ocean environments.

2021 Environments 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Green solvent mediated extraction of micro- and nano-plastic particles from water

Researchers developed a green solvent-based extraction method for isolating micro- and nanoplastic particles from water samples, offering a lower-toxicity alternative to conventional extraction approaches for environmental plastic monitoring.

2023 Scientific Reports 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic Recovery and Utilization: From Ocean Pollution to Green Economy

This review examines strategies for recovering and utilizing ocean plastic waste within a green economy framework, covering collection technologies, recycling pathways, and circular economy approaches to transform marine plastic pollution into valuable resources.

2021 Frontiers in Environmental Science 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Binary solvent extraction of microplastics from a complex environmental matrix

Researchers developed a simple, low-cost method for separating microplastics from complex environmental samples such as estuarine particulate organic matter and surface water using an ethanol-water binary solvent mixture. The technique achieved 89–93% recovery across a wide range of particle sizes (30–2500 µm) and polymer types without generating hazardous waste, aligning with Green Chemistry principles. Accessible, affordable extraction methods like this are important for scaling up microplastic monitoring globally.

2023 Limnology and Oceanography Methods 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Chemical Recycling of Mixed Plastics in Electronic Waste Using Solvent-Based Processing

Researchers developed a solvent-based chemical recycling process capable of separating and recovering mixed plastics from electronic shredder residue, demonstrating that targeted solvent systems can selectively dissolve specific polymer types and enable higher-quality recycling of e-waste plastics.

2021 Processes 42 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing the environmental footprint of recycled plastic pellets: A life-cycle assessment perspective

This study used life-cycle assessment to evaluate the environmental impact of producing recycled plastic pellets from waste polyolefin plastics. While recycling reduced carbon emissions compared to making new plastic, the process still required significant energy, especially when solvent recovery was maximized. The research is relevant to the microplastics problem because it shows that even recycling processes need optimization to truly reduce the environmental footprint of plastic waste.

2023 Environmental Technology & Innovation 84 citations
Article Tier 2

An Overview of the Current Trends in Marine Plastic Litter Management for a Sustainable Development

This review summarizes current knowledge about marine plastic litter, from its land-based origins to its distribution across ocean environments, and evaluates recovery and recycling strategies. Researchers found that while technologies for collecting and recycling marine plastics are advancing, significant economic and logistical barriers remain. The study emphasizes that a circular economy approach, combining prevention, collection, and material recovery, is essential for addressing ocean plastic pollution.

2024 Recycling 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Extraction of microplastic from marine sediments: A comparison between pressurized solvent extraction and density separation

Researchers compared pressurized solvent extraction against density separation for extracting microplastics from marine sediments, evaluating the efficiency, accuracy, and practicality of each method to help establish consensus analytical protocols for deep-sea and coastal sediment samples.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Harvesting marine plastic pollutants-derived renewable energy: A comprehensive review on applied energy and sustainable approach.

This review summarized recent research on recovering renewable energy from marine plastic waste through biological, chemical, and thermal conversion processes, evaluating each pathway's carbon efficiency, global warming potential, and economic viability as part of a circular economy approach to plastic pollution.

2023 Journal of environmental management
Article Tier 2

Binary Solvent Extraction of Microplastics from Complex Environmental Matrix.

Researchers tested a two-solvent extraction method for isolating microplastics from complex environmental matrices. An efficient extraction technique is important for accurately detecting and quantifying microplastics in samples like sediment and biological tissue that contain many other organic and inorganic compounds.

2023
Article Tier 2

A novel heating-assisted density separation method for extracting microplastics from sediments

A new method using heated sodium dihydrogen phosphate solution was developed to extract microplastics from marine sediments more effectively than existing techniques. The method is non-toxic, inexpensive, and achieved high recovery rates for seven common plastic types.

2020 Chemosphere 55 citations
Article Tier 2

Chemical Recyclingof Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)Driven by the Use of Protic Ionic Liquids: A Strategy to MitigateMicroplastic Pollution

Researchers developed a chemical recycling process for polyethylene terephthalate plastic using protic ionic liquids as green solvents, enabling depolymerization under milder conditions than conventional methods. The approach achieved high PET conversion rates and yielded recyclable monomers, offering a more sustainable alternative for addressing PET waste and associated microplastic pollution.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Plastic Debris and the Marine Environment: Integrating Transformational Strategies in Achieving a Sustainable Environment

This review examines the sources, environmental pathways, and ecological impacts of marine plastic debris, and discusses transformational strategies including policy intervention, improved waste management, and alternative materials to achieve sustainable ocean management.

2024 Apple Academic Press eBooks
Article Tier 2

Extraction and concentration of nanoplastic particles from aqueous suspensions using functionalized magnetic nanoparticles and a magnetic flow cell

Researchers developed a method using hydrophobic magnetic nanoparticles to capture and concentrate nanoplastics — plastic particles smaller than 1 micrometer — from water samples, achieving recovery rates of 57–85% across different water types including freshwater and seawater. This technique addresses a major gap in nanoplastic research by making it possible to detect and measure these nearly invisible particles in real environmental samples.

2023 Microplastics and Nanoplastics 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Novel Efficient Method to Continuously Collect Microplastics from Seawater via a Two-Phase System

Scientists developed a two-phase liquid extraction method that collects microplastics from flowing seawater continuously and at multiple depths with an average recovery rate of nearly 96%. The method was successfully tested in a real bay environment and offers a practical tool for monitoring microplastic pollution at sea.

2023 Environmental Science & Technology Letters 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparison of microplastic isolation and extraction procedures from marine sediments

Researchers compared five methods for extracting microplastics (40-710 μm) from marine sediments by spiking known MP quantities into sediment matrices and measuring percent recovery across extraction approaches. Results showed that sediment matrix composition, MP properties including size and polymer type, and extraction method all significantly influenced recovery efficiency, underscoring the need for standardized extraction protocols to enable cross-study comparisons.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 90 citations
Article Tier 2

A hydrogen bond-driven strategy with ultrasound assistance for ultrafast and efficient recovery of PVDF nanoplastic from polymer solid electrolytes of all-solid lithium-ion batteries

This study tackles the environmental problem of spent lithium-ion batteries leaking PVDF (a fluorinated plastic) into the environment by developing an eco-friendly, ultrasound-assisted process that recovers 98% of the material in a short time using green solvents. The approach significantly outperforms traditional recycling methods, offering a practical route to prevent nanoplastic contamination from discarded battery components.

2026 Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in seawater: a study of pretreatment, separation, and recovery.

Researchers developed and compared pretreatment, separation, and recovery methods for isolating microplastics from seawater samples, addressing the methodological diversity that limits comparability across marine monitoring studies. The study identified optimal combinations of techniques that improve microplastic recovery efficiency while minimizing contamination and sample loss.

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

Recycling of Plastics as a Strategy to Reduce Life Cycle GHG Emission, Microplastics and Resource Depletion

This study quantified the environmental benefits of recycling widely consumed plastic polymers, demonstrating that increased plastic recycling significantly reduces life cycle greenhouse gas emissions, microplastic pollution, and resource depletion.

2023 Sustainability 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Magnetic Extraction of Microplastics from Environmental Samples

A magnetic extraction method was developed using hydrophobic iron nanoparticles that bind to plastic surfaces, achieving 92% recovery of 10–20 μm polyethylene and polystyrene beads and 84–93% recovery of six polymer types from seawater and sediment. The method offers a practical, adaptable approach to extracting microplastics from complex environmental matrices without the limitations of density-based separation.

2019 Environmental Science & Technology Letters 451 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluating the net environmental impact of removing plastic pollution from the North Pacific Garbage Patch

Researchers conducted a lifecycle assessment to evaluate the net environmental impact of removing legacy plastic pollution from the North Pacific Garbage Patch, weighing the ecological harm reduction from plastic removal against the environmental costs of cleanup operations including fuel consumption and bycatch. The study found that ocean plastic cleanup can deliver a net environmental benefit when operations are optimised, but that the balance depends critically on vessel efficiency, cleanup technology, and the degradation state of targeted plastics.

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

Efficient microplastics extraction from sand. A cost effective methodology based on sodium iodide recycling

Researchers developed a more cost-effective method for extracting microplastics from beach sand by recycling the sodium iodide (NaI) solutions used in the separation process. After 10 recycling cycles, solutions lost only 35.9% of their mass while maintaining the density needed for plastic extraction, making beach microplastic monitoring significantly cheaper.

2016 Marine Pollution Bulletin 84 citations
Article Tier 2

Unraveling the Impacts of Ocean Plastic Pollution and Strategies for Effective Mitigation

This review examines the multifaceted impacts of ocean plastic pollution on marine life, water quality, and human activities, while surveying mitigation strategies ranging from waste management improvements and extended producer responsibility to clean-up technologies.

2023 International Journal of Advanced Natural Sciences and Engineering Researches 1 citations