Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Preparation and application of metal-modified biochar in the purification of micro-polystyrene polluted aqueous environment

Researchers developed iron-modified biochar, a charcoal-like material, that can remove over 96% of polystyrene microplastics from water under controlled lab conditions. The material worked well in tap water and lake water but was less effective in heavily polluted water with high levels of organic matter. This type of low-cost water treatment technology could help reduce the amount of microplastics in drinking water, though more work is needed to apply it at larger scales.

2023 Journal of Environmental Management 49 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of Co-Occurring Microplastics and Metals in an Aqueous System by Pristine and Magnetised Larch Biochar

Researchers tested pristine and modified biochar for simultaneous removal of co-occurring microplastics and heavy metals from water, finding that biochar surface modifications improved adsorption of both contaminant classes, offering a promising dual-removal treatment strategy.

2025 Microplastics
Article Tier 2

Efficient removal of nanoplastics by iron-modified biochar: Understanding the removal mechanisms

Researchers created iron-modified biochar from green algae waste to remove nanoplastics from water. The modified biochar achieved a removal capacity three times higher than unmodified biochar, reaching up to 1,626 milligrams per gram, through a two-phase process of adsorption followed by aggregation. The study suggests this material could be recycled and reused at least three times, offering a practical approach to nanoplastic remediation.

2024 Environmental Pollution 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Fe-Modified Sewage Sludge Biochar for Efficient Removal of Nanoplastics from Water: Mechanistic Insights and Multi-Pathway Adsorption Analysis

Scientists developed a new water filter material made from sewage sludge and iron that can remove 96% of tiny plastic particles (called nanoplastics) from water. These microscopic plastic bits are found everywhere in our water supply and may pose health risks, but this new filter works much better than existing methods. This research could lead to better ways to clean nanoplastics from our drinking water while also recycling waste materials.

2026 Molecules
Article Tier 2

Advancements in Biochar as a Sustainable Adsorbent for Water Pollution Mitigation

This review examines how biochar, a charcoal-like material made from plant waste, can remove over 80% of microplastics and nanoplastics from contaminated water, along with heavy metals and other pollutants. Advances in biochar production and machine learning optimization are making it a promising, sustainable tool for cleaning microplastic-polluted water before it reaches people.

2025 Advanced Science 52 citations
Article Tier 2

Scavenging microplastics and heavy metals from water using jujube waste-derived biochar in fixed-bed column trials

Researchers found that biochar derived from jujube waste effectively removed over 99% of nylon and polyethylene microplastics from water in fixed-bed column trials, while also demonstrating capacity for heavy metal removal at optimal neutral pH.

2023 Environmental Pollution 55 citations
Article Tier 2

The Use of Biochar for Removal of Emerging Contaminants in Contaminated Water

This literature review examined 15 studies on biochar for removing emerging contaminants from water and effluents, finding that biochar made from waste raw materials is a low-cost, efficient, and scalable adsorbent for various pollutants. The review is relevant to microplastic research as biochar has potential as a treatment material for water contaminated with emerging contaminants co-occurring with microplastics.

2023 Journal of Interdisciplinary Debates
Article Tier 2

Biochar-facilitated remediation of nanoplastic contaminated water: Effect of pyrolysis temperature induced surface modifications

Researchers synthesized sugarcane bagasse biochar at three pyrolysis temperatures and found that biochar produced at 750°C removed over 99% of nanoplastics from water within 5 minutes, with monolayer sorption kinetics and a capacity of 44.9 mg/g, offering a rapid and efficient agricultural-waste-derived remediation approach.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 227 citations
Article Tier 2

Biochar applications in microplastic and nanoplastic removal: mechanisms and integrated approaches

This review explores how biochar, a charcoal-like material made from organic waste, can be used to filter microplastics and nanoplastics out of water. Researchers found that biochar works through several mechanisms and becomes even more effective when combined with other water treatment technologies. The study suggests biochar-based approaches could be a practical, low-cost strategy for tackling plastic pollution in water systems.

2024 Environmental Science Water Research & Technology 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of micro- and nano-plastics from aqueous matrices using modified biochar – A review of synthesis, applications, interaction, and regeneration

This review examines how modified biochar materials can be used to remove micro- and nanoplastics from water. Researchers found that chemical functionalization and nanoparticle integration of biochar significantly improve its ability to capture plastic particles through mechanisms like electrostatic interaction and physical adsorption. The study also highlights challenges in regenerating used biochar for sustainable reuse in water treatment applications.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent advances in biochar technology for aquatic pollution control: a critical review of applications, barriers, and future opportunities

Researchers reviewed two decades of research on biochar — a charcoal-like material made from organic waste — as a low-cost tool for removing pharmaceuticals, heavy metals, microplastics, and nutrients from water, achieving up to 80% pollutant removal. While promising, challenges in regeneration and scaling up production remain barriers to widespread use.

2025 Discover Sustainability 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Emerging contaminants in polluted waters: Harnessing Biochar's potential for effective treatment

This review explores how biochar, a carbon-rich material made from organic waste, can be used to remove a wide range of pollutants from contaminated water, including microplastics, heavy metals, antibiotics, and PFAS. Biochar works through multiple mechanisms like adsorption, electrostatic interactions, and chemical bonding, and can be enhanced through surface modifications. The study highlights biochar as a low-cost, adaptable tool for addressing emerging water contaminants.

2024 Journal of Environmental Management 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Robust polyaniline coating magnetic biochar nanoparticles for fast and wide pH and temperature range removal of nanoplastics and achieving label free detection

Researchers created polyaniline-coated magnetic biochar nanoparticles from agricultural waste and demonstrated they can remove polystyrene nanoplastics from water at 95–99% efficiency across a wide pH range (1–10) and temperature range, while also functioning as an electrochemical sensor for nanoplastic detection down to 1.26 μg/L.

2025 Water Research 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of microplastics and metals in biochar beds for stormwater treatment: Effects of prolonged drying and salinity on pollutant mobility

Researchers tested biochar — a charcoal-like material made from organic waste — as a filter for removing microplastics and heavy metals from stormwater runoff, finding it retained up to 99% of microplastics but that prolonged dry periods and high salinity increased the release of metals, highlighting real-world limitations of this promising treatment approach.

2026 Environmental Challenges
Article Tier 2

Interactions Between Biochar and Nano(Micro)Plastics in the Remediation of Aqueous Media

This review examines how biochar, a charcoal-like material made from organic waste, can be used to remove micro and nanoplastics from contaminated water. Biochar is an affordable and sustainable option that absorbs plastic particles, though the technology is still in early stages. Better water purification methods like this could help reduce the amount of microplastics that end up in drinking water and the human body.

2024 International Journal of Environmental Research 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Trends in the applications of biochar for the abatement of microplastics in water

This review examines how biochar can be used to remove microplastics and nanoplastics from water, summarizing recent advances in biochar modification strategies that improve adsorption capacity and minimize secondary pollution risks.

2025 Bioresource Technology Reports
Article Tier 2

Engineered biochar for simultaneous removal of heavy metals and organic pollutants from wastewater: mechanisms, efficiency, and applications

Despite its title referencing wastewater treatment and biochar, this review paper focuses on using chemically modified charcoal (engineered biochar) to simultaneously remove heavy metals and organic chemical pollutants from water — not microplastic pollution. It examines adsorption mechanisms and remediation performance for metal and organic contaminants, and is not specifically relevant to microplastics or human health impacts of plastic pollution.

2025 Biochar X 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Efficient removal of microplastics from aqueous solution by a novel magnetic biochar: performance, mechanism, and reusability

Researchers developed a magnetic biochar from rice husks that achieved 99.96% removal of microplastics from water, with the material showing excellent reusability and performance under various environmental conditions.

2022 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 90 citations
Article Tier 2

Surface wettability control and electron transport regulation in zerovalent iron for enhanced removal of emerging polystyrene microplastics-heavy metal contaminants

Researchers developed a specially engineered iron-based material that can simultaneously remove microplastics and heavy metals from wastewater by combining a water-repelling outer layer with efficient electron transfer at its core. In tests, the material removed over 99% of polystyrene microplastics and prevented the secondary release of heavy metals that often ride along on plastic particles. This addresses the concern that microplastics act as a "Trojan horse," carrying toxic metals into water supplies and living organisms.

2024 Water Research 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Efficient Removal of Micro-Sized Degradable PHBV Microplastics from Wastewater by a Functionalized Magnetic Nano Iron Oxides-Biochar Composite: Performance, Mechanisms, and Material Regeneration

Researchers developed a magnetic iron oxide-biochar composite capable of removing biodegradable PHBV microplastics from wastewater with over 98% efficiency. The material worked through a combination of surface adsorption and magnetic separation, maintained performance across a wide pH range, and retained over 92% removal efficiency after four regeneration cycles.

2025 Nanomaterials 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Biochar-based adsorption technologies for microplastic remediation in aquatic ecosystems

This review examines the use of biochar, a carbon-rich material made from organic waste, as a tool for removing microplastics from water. Biochar can effectively adsorb microplastic particles due to its porous structure and surface chemistry, and it can be produced cheaply from agricultural waste. The technology shows promise as an affordable and sustainable approach to reducing microplastic contamination in waterways, though challenges remain in scaling it up for real-world water treatment.

2025 AIP Advances 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Sludge-derived biochar: Physicochemical characteristics for environmental remediation

This review examines how sewage sludge can be converted into biochar, a carbon-rich material useful for cleaning up environmental contaminants including microplastics and heavy metals from water and soil. The process turns a waste product into an effective pollution filter while reducing the volume of sludge that needs disposal. This approach is relevant to microplastics research because biochar could help remove plastic particles from contaminated water and agricultural land.

2023 Applied Physics Reviews 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhanced adsorption and co-adsorption of heavy metals using highly hydrophilicity amine-functionalized magnetic hydrochar supported MIL-53(Fe)-NH2: performance, kinetics and mechanism studies

Researchers developed a composite material made from invasive plant-derived carbon combined with a metal-organic framework to simultaneously remove multiple heavy metals from water. The approach addresses co-contamination of aquatic environments where heavy metals and microplastics often occur together.

2023 Research Square (Research Square)
Article Tier 2

Adsorption and thermal degradation of microplastics from aqueous solutions by Mg/Zn modified magnetic biochars

Researchers developed magnesium- and zinc-modified magnetic biochars that achieved over 94% removal efficiency for polystyrene microplastics from water, with performance enhanced by the metal modifications. The modified biochars also showed effectiveness in thermally degrading the captured microplastics, offering a potential two-step approach for microplastic removal and destruction in water treatment.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 471 citations