Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Biocompatible materials as a sustainable solution to micro- and nanoplastic remediation and their challenges

This review evaluates biocompatible materials—including chitosan, cellulose, and biopolymers—as sustainable sorbents for removing micro- and nanoplastics from water, highlighting their advantages of biodegradability and low toxicity compared to conventional treatment media.

2025 Journal of environmental chemical engineering
Article Tier 2

Biopolymeric Nanocomposites for Wastewater Remediation: An Overview on Recent Progress and Challenges

This review examines how nanocomposites made from natural biopolymers like chitosan can be used to filter pollutants including microplastics out of wastewater. These biodegradable materials offer a more sustainable alternative to traditional water treatment methods, which matters for human health because cleaner wastewater means fewer microplastics reaching drinking water sources.

2024 Polymers 71 citations
Article Tier 2

The Quest Towards Superhydrophobic Cellulose and Bacterial Cellulose Membranes and Their Perspective Applications

This review examines advances in developing superhydrophobic cellulose and bacterial cellulose membranes, biopolymers that offer an eco-friendly alternative to synthetic polymers which generate microplastics and toxic substances. The review covers functionalization strategies that modify physical, chemical, and biological properties of these high-surface-area materials and surveys their emerging applications in filtration, oil-water separation, and environmental remediation.

2025 Micro
Article Tier 2

Bacterial cellulose biopolymers: The sustainable solution to water-polluting microplastics

Researchers developed bacterial cellulose (BC) biopolymer filters as a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based polymer filters used in wastewater treatment plant microplastic removal. BC filters showed high MP capture efficiency and are biodegradable, addressing both microplastic pollution and the environmental costs of conventional synthetic filter maintenance.

2022 Water Research 66 citations
Article Tier 2

Metal-organic framework membrane for waterborne micro/nanoplastics treatment

Researchers reviewed the potential of metal-organic framework (MOF) membranes — materials with highly tunable pore structures — to filter micro- and nanoplastics from water more effectively than conventional filtration. MOF membranes showed promise due to their adjustable surface chemistry and resistance to biological fouling, though challenges like particle clumping and structural stability still need to be resolved.

2023 Chemical Engineering Journal 60 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastics, Bioplastics and Water Pollution

This review synthesizes what is known about microplastic occurrence in aquatic systems and assesses whether bioplastics and biodegradable materials could meaningfully reduce plastic pollution. It concludes that while bioplastics hold promise, their environmental fate varies widely and they are not a simple solution without improved waste management infrastructure.

2023
Article Tier 2

Recent Advances in Biopolymeric Membranes towards the Removal of Emerging Organic Pollutants from Water

This review covers biopolymeric membrane applications for removing emerging organic pollutants from wastewater, comparing biodegradable cellulose and carrageenan-derived nanostructured membranes to conventional synthetic membranes and evaluating their performance and environmental sustainability.

2021 Membranes 56 citations
Article Tier 2

Sustainable Design of Bio-Composite Membranes for Dual Contaminant Separation and Environmental Remediation

This study developed a cellulose acetate composite membrane capable of simultaneously removing both microplastics/nanoplastics and oil contaminants from water using an environmentally benign fabrication process, offering a multifunctional alternative to conventional single-target treatment systems.

2025
Article Tier 2

Advancements in Sustainable Membrane Technologies for Enhanced Remediation and Wastewater Treatment: A Comprehensive Review

This review covers membrane filtration technologies—reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, and ultrafiltration—as methods for removing contaminants from water, with relevance to microplastic and nanoplastic removal from drinking water and wastewater. Advancing membrane-based treatment is critical for reducing the microplastic load in treated water that humans and ecosystems are ultimately exposed to.

2023 Acadlore Transactions on Geosciences 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Bio-Based Polymeric Membranes: Development and Environmental Applications

This review examined bio-based polymeric membranes as environmentally friendly alternatives to fossil-derived materials for water treatment, discussing polymer selection, preparation methods, green solvents, and their effectiveness in removing organic and inorganic contaminants.

2023 Membranes 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Remediation of Micro- and Nanoplastics by Membrane Technologies

This review examined how membrane filtration technologies can remove micro- and nanoplastics from water and wastewater, since conventional treatment plants cannot fully eliminate these particles. Researchers found that techniques like ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, reverse osmosis, and membrane bioreactors are highly effective at capturing microplastics, though each has trade-offs related to cost, fouling, and energy use. The study also raises the concern that polymeric membranes themselves could potentially release plastic particles during the filtration process.

2025 Membranes 15 citations
Review Tier 2

A review of microplastic removal from water and wastewater by membrane technologies

This review examines how membrane filtration technologies can remove microplastics from drinking water and wastewater. Researchers found that advanced membranes like nanofiltration, reverse osmosis, and membrane bioreactors are among the most effective methods for capturing microplastic particles that conventional treatment plants miss. The study compares membrane approaches with other removal methods and discusses the challenges of membrane fouling caused by microplastic accumulation.

2023 Water Science & Technology 146 citations
Article Tier 2

The Potential Role of Membrane Technology in the Removal of Microplastics from Wastewater

This review examines membrane filtration as a technology for removing microplastics from wastewater, finding it promising but limited by issues of fouling and chemical instability. Improving membrane technology could significantly reduce the amount of microplastics discharged into waterways from treatment plants.

2021 Journal of Applied Membrane Science & Technology 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Filtration Solutions for Microplastic Mitigation: Cutting-Edge Filtration Technologies and Membrane Innovations for Environmental Protection

This review covers advances in filtration technologies and membrane innovations for removing microplastics from the environment, examining the performance, limitations, and scalability of approaches including membrane filtration, coagulation, and combined treatment processes.

2025 Preprints.org
Article Tier 2

Innovative Physical and Chemical Strategies for the Modification and Development of Polymeric Microfiltration Membranes—A Review

This review covers physical and chemical strategies for modifying polymeric microfiltration membranes to improve their performance and reduce fouling in water, dairy, beverage, and pharmaceutical processing. While not exclusively focused on microplastics, these membrane technologies are directly relevant as filtration barriers for removing micro- and nanoplastic particles from treated water.

2026 Polymers
Article Tier 2

Innovative Materials and Mechanistic Insights in Membrane Bioreactors for Wastewater Treatment

This review covers innovations in membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology for wastewater treatment, including the use of advanced materials like graphene oxide and chitosan to improve membrane performance. Emerging contaminants highlighted include microplastics, which MBRs can effectively remove alongside pharmaceuticals, heavy metals, and antibiotics. The review also discusses anti-fouling strategies, AI-assisted system optimization, and energy recovery integration. While broad in scope, it reinforces that MBRs are among the most promising existing technologies for preventing microplastics from reaching rivers and oceans via treated wastewater.

2025 Mechanics Exploration and Material Innovation 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in marine environment: a review on sources, classification, and potential remediation by membrane technology

This review covers microplastic sources, classification, distribution in marine environments, and potential remediation technologies with emphasis on membrane-based filtration methods. It highlights the persistence and ubiquity of microplastics in aquatic habitats and the need for both better removal technologies and upstream plastic use reduction.

2020 Environmental Science Water Research & Technology 183 citations
Article Tier 2

Chitin and Chitosan in Wastewater Treatment

This review examines how chitosan — a biodegradable material derived from crustacean shells — and its modified nanocomposites can be used to remove microplastics, heavy metals, and pesticides from wastewater. Chitosan-based materials show strong promise as low-cost, eco-friendly water treatment additives, though challenges around mechanical strength and acid stability still need to be overcome before widespread deployment.

2024 3 citations
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

Recent developments in microplastic contaminated water treatment: Progress and prospects of carbon-based two-dimensional materials for membranes separation

This review assessed recent advances in microplastic removal from contaminated water, covering physical, chemical, and biological treatment methods and their effectiveness across different plastic sizes, polymer types, and water chemistries. The authors identify membrane filtration and coagulation as among the most promising scalable approaches.

2022 Chemosphere 56 citations
Article Tier 2

Chitosan: A Novel Approach and Sustainable Way to Remove Contaminants and Treat Wastewater

This review examines how chitosan, a natural material derived from crustacean shells, can be used to remove pollutants including microplastics, heavy metals, and pesticides from wastewater. Chitosan's chemical structure allows it to bind and capture a wide range of contaminants, and it can be combined with other materials to improve its effectiveness. Developing affordable, biodegradable water treatment materials like chitosan could help reduce human exposure to microplastics in drinking water.

2025 Starch - Stärke 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Advances in chitin and chitosan-based materials for microplastics treatment

This review summarizes advances in using chitin and chitosan-based materials for removing microplastics from wastewater. Researchers highlight that while these natural biopolymers offer promising adsorption capabilities due to their functional groups, challenges such as low selectivity and limited mechanical strength have constrained practical use. The study covers various treatment approaches including adsorption, coagulation-flocculation, membrane filtration, and air flotation technologies.

2025 Carbohydrate Polymers 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Microcellulose Membranes for Water Purification

This review examines cellulose-based membranes as materials for water purification, highlighting cellulose's mechanical, thermal, and chemical stability and exploring how membrane pore size and structure determine filtration performance across different applications.

2025
Article Tier 2

Membrane Processes for Microplastic Removal

This review evaluates the use of membrane technologies for removing microplastics and nanoplastics from wastewater treatment plant effluents. Researchers found that while membrane bioreactors show promise, most existing membrane approaches are still insufficient for comprehensive microplastic removal, especially for the smallest particles. The study suggests that specially designed membrane systems are needed as advanced tertiary treatment to prevent microplastic discharge into waterways.

2019 Molecules 316 citations