Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

On the degradation of (micro)plastics: Degradation methods, influencing factors, environmental impacts

This review provides a comprehensive overview of methods for degrading microplastics, including photodegradation, thermal degradation, and biodegradation, along with the factors that influence each process. Researchers found that while several degradation approaches show promise in laboratory settings, no mature and effective method is yet available for large-scale engineering applications or natural environments. The study also discusses how degradation products of microplastics can themselves pose environmental risks.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 371 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic degradation methods and corresponding degradation mechanism: Research status and future perspectives

This review summarizes current methods for degrading microplastics, including advanced oxidation processes, biodegradation, and thermal treatments, along with their underlying mechanisms. The study highlights that while several approaches show promise in laboratory settings, challenges remain in scaling these technologies for real-world environmental remediation of microplastic pollution.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 313 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent trends in degradation of microplastics in the environment: A state-of-the-art review

This review examines different methods for breaking down microplastics in the environment, including biological approaches using microorganisms and chemical techniques like advanced oxidation. Each method has trade-offs in effectiveness and scalability, and better standardized testing is needed to move these solutions from the lab to real-world cleanup of microplastic pollution that threatens ecosystems and human health.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 182 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic degradation methods

This review examines methods for degrading microplastics, which are plastic particles smaller than 5 mm that have become ubiquitous contaminants throughout the biosphere. Researchers synthesized physical, chemical, and biological degradation approaches, evaluating their efficacy for reducing microplastic persistence in the environment and mitigating associated health and ecological risks.

2025 Repository of the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology
Article Tier 2

Mechanisms and the Engineering Approaches for the Degradation of Microplastics

This review provided a comprehensive overview of current microplastic degradation methods, including mechanical, chemical, photocatalytic, and biological approaches, evaluating engineering strategies for efficient microplastic treatment and removal.

2021 ACS ES&T Engineering 172 citations
Article Tier 2

Photocatalytic and biological technologies for elimination of microplastics in water: Current status

This review examines emerging photocatalytic and biological technologies for breaking down microplastics in water, since conventional treatment facilities can capture but not fully destroy these particles. Researchers found that while photocatalysis and microbial degradation show promise, their effectiveness varies widely and the underlying mechanisms are only partly understood. The study highlights the urgent need for more efficient solutions to eliminate rather than simply filter out microplastic pollution from water supplies.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 137 citations
Article Tier 2

How to Build a Microplastics‐Free Environment: Strategies for Microplastics Degradation and Plastics Recycling

This review examines strategies for degrading microplastics and recycling plastic waste to build a microplastic-free environment. Researchers evaluated approaches including biodegradation, photocatalytic degradation, advanced oxidation processes, and chemical recycling methods. The study highlights that while promising technologies exist, no single method can yet achieve complete microplastic elimination, and a combination of prevention, removal, and recycling strategies will be needed.

2022 Advanced Science 275 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

A systematic review: Biodegradation, mechanism, remediation strategies, and environmental impacts of microplastics

This systematic review summarizes research on how microplastics break down in the environment and what strategies exist to clean them up. The findings highlight that microplastics are extremely difficult to degrade naturally, meaning they persist in soil and water for long periods where they can eventually enter our food and drinking water.

2024 Asia-Pacific Journal of Chemical Engineering 4 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Advances in Photocatalytic Degradation of Emerging Microplastics: A Systematic Review

This systematic review summarizes advances in using light-activated chemical processes to break down microplastics in the environment. The research shows that photocatalysis, especially using titanium dioxide, is a promising method for destroying microplastics without creating harmful byproducts, though more work is needed to speed up the process for real-world use.

2025 IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microorganism-Mediated Microplastic Degradation Methods and Mechanism

This review examines microorganism-mediated methods and mechanisms for microplastic degradation, covering advanced oxidative processes, electrochemical oxidation, direct photodegradation, and biological degradation pathways. The authors summarize current knowledge on microbial treatment approaches as an alternative to conventional methods unsuited to the small particle size of microplastics.

2024
Article Tier 2

Current progress on plastic/microplastic degradation: Fact influences and mechanism

This review examined current physicochemical and biological methods for degrading plastics and microplastics, including mechanical, UV, thermal, and microbial approaches. Researchers found that while multiple degradation pathways exist, their efficiency varies widely depending on polymer type and environmental conditions. The study highlights the need for more effective and scalable degradation technologies to address growing plastic pollution.

2022 Environmental Pollution 308 citations
Article Tier 2

Photocatalytic Technologies for Transformation and Degradation of Microplastics in the Environment: Current Achievements and Future Prospects

This review examines photocatalytic technologies that use light-activated materials to break down microplastics in the environment. Various catalysts can generate reactive oxygen species that degrade plastic polymers into simpler, less harmful molecules. The authors assess the strengths and limitations of different photocatalytic approaches and highlight the need for scalable solutions that work under real-world environmental conditions.

2023 Catalysts 51 citations
Article Tier 2

A broad horizon for sustainable catalytic oxidation of microplastics

This review explores three catalytic approaches for breaking down microplastics: photocatalysis, electrocatalysis, and biocatalysis. Researchers discuss the mechanisms behind each method and their potential for sustainable microplastic management in contaminated water and soil. The study suggests that catalytic oxidation technologies offer a promising pathway for addressing widespread microplastic pollution, though significant research challenges remain.

2023 Environmental Pollution 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodegradation of Plastic Waste: Environmental Implications and Remediation Approaches

This review examined physical, chemical, and biological degradation mechanisms of microplastics in the environment, including photodegradation, hydrolysis, and microbial breakdown. The authors discussed how degradation generates secondary microplastics and toxic by-products, and reviewed emerging mitigation strategies including advanced oxidation and enzymatic degradation.

2025 International Journal of Scientific Research in Science Engineering and Technology
Article Tier 2

Degradation of microplastic in water by advanced oxidation processes

This review covers advanced methods for breaking down microplastics in water using powerful chemical reactions and light-activated catalysts that can degrade plastic particles into less harmful substances. Developing effective ways to destroy microplastics in water is critical for human health because conventional water treatment plants do not fully remove these particles from drinking water sources.

2024 Chemosphere 54 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent advances in the breakdown of microplastics: strategies and future prospectives

This review summarizes recent advances in microplastic breakdown methods, including natural weathering, catalyst-assisted degradation, and biodegradation by microorganisms. The study highlights promising strategies for addressing microplastic pollution, while noting that most current methods remain at the laboratory scale and face challenges for real-world application.

2022 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 64 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent Advances in Microplastics Removal from Water with Special Attention Given to Photocatalytic Degradation: Review of Scientific Research

This review examines methods for removing microplastics from water, with a focus on photocatalytic degradation, which uses light-activated materials to break down plastic particles. These advanced processes generate reactive molecules that can fragment microplastics into harmless byproducts. While promising, the technology still needs optimization and more research into potential harmful byproducts before it can be widely deployed.

2023 Microplastics 87 citations
Article Tier 2

A Mini Review on Recent Insight into Degradation of Environmental Plastics

This mini-review summarizes current knowledge on how plastics break down in the environment to form microplastics, covering mechanical, photochemical, thermal, and biological degradation pathways, and identifies key gaps in understanding how environmental conditions and plastic properties influence degradation rates.

2023 International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Degradation of Micro- and Nano-Plastics by Photocatalytic Methods

This paper reviews photocatalytic methods — using light-activated catalysts — as a way to break down micro- and nano-plastics in the environment. These approaches offer a promising path toward degrading persistent plastic particles that accumulate in marine and drinking water systems.

2017 Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Applications 56 citations
Article Tier 2

Catalytic and biocatalytic degradation of microplastics

This review covers the current state of breaking down microplastics using catalysts and biological agents including enzymes, metals, nanomaterials, and microorganisms. While some approaches show promise for degrading certain plastic types, the field is still developing standardized methods for measuring how well these techniques work. Finding effective ways to break down microplastics is critical for reducing the environmental and health burden of plastic pollution.

2023 Exploration 51 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Heterogeneous photocatalysis as an efficient process for degrading MPs/NPs in aqueous media: A systematic review

This systematic review summarizes research on using light-activated chemical processes to break down microplastics and nanoplastics in water. The findings suggest that photocatalysis is a promising approach for removing these tiny plastic particles from drinking water and wastewater, which could help reduce human exposure to microplastic contamination.

2025 Journal of environmental chemical engineering 9 citations
Review Tier 2

Exploring the Role of Advanced Oxidation Processes in Microplastics Research: A Systematic Literature Review

This review of 84 studies found that certain chemical treatments can break down microplastics (tiny plastic particles) in the environment, but these plastics are surprisingly tough to destroy completely. The research shows that while some treatments can change how microplastics look and behave, fully eliminating them requires much stronger methods that aren't widely available yet. This matters because microplastics are found everywhere—from our drinking water to our food—and understanding how to remove or break them down could help reduce our exposure to these potentially harmful particles.

2026
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Degradation and Remediation Techniques

This review surveys degradation and remediation techniques for microplastics -- particles from 0.1 micrometers to 5 mm -- including physical, chemical, and biological approaches. The authors evaluate the effectiveness of current methods and identify promising directions for reducing the persistent environmental and health impacts of microplastic pollution.

2024
Article Tier 2

Current studies on the degradation of microplastics in the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem

This review summarizes current studies on microplastic degradation in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, covering physical, chemical, and biological degradation pathways and the fate of breakdown products. The review highlights the persistence of microplastics and the limited progress toward efficient degradation under natural environmental conditions.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 5 citations