Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Preparation of a series of highly efficient porous adsorbent PGMA- N and its application in the co-removal of Cu(II) and sulfamethoxazole from water

Researchers synthesized a series of porous polymer adsorbents and tested their ability to simultaneously remove copper ions and the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole from water. Multi-contaminant removal materials address the reality that microplastic-contaminated water often contains heavy metals and pharmaceuticals as co-pollutants.

2023 Research Square (Research Square)
Article Tier 2

Polyoxometalate nanocluster-infused triple IPN hydrogels for excellent microplastic removal from contaminated water: detection, photodegradation, and upcycling

Researchers developed a specialized hydrogel infused with copper-based nanoclusters to remove microplastics from contaminated water. The study found that the hydrogel could both adsorb and photodegrade microplastic particles under various conditions simulating real-world water environments. This scalable approach suggests a promising new strategy for tackling microplastic pollution in water bodies.

2024 Nanoscale 39 citations
Article Tier 2

Functional Ag-EDTA-modified MnO2 nanocoral reef for rapid removal of hazardous copper from wastewater

This paper is not about microplastics; it describes the synthesis of a MnO2-EDTA-silver nanoparticle composite for adsorbing copper ions from wastewater, achieving near-complete removal under optimized conditions.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers as Selective Solid-Phase Extraction Sorbents for the Detection of Cloxacillin in Drinking and River Water

Not relevant to microplastics — this paper develops a molecularly imprinted polymer method for detecting the antibiotic cloxacillin in drinking water, with no connection to plastic particles.

2023 Polymers 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorptive–Photocatalytic Performance for Antibiotic and Personal Care Product Using Cu0.5Mn0.5Fe2O4

This paper is not about microplastics — it develops a photocatalytic nanomaterial for removing antibiotics and parabens from wastewater.

2023 Antibiotics 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Magnetic nanocomposites: innovative adsorbents for antibiotics removal from aqueous environments–a narrative review

This review examines how magnetic nanocomposite materials can be used to remove pharmaceutical pollutants from water. While not directly about microplastics, the technology is relevant because microplastics in water often carry pharmaceutical residues that conventional treatment cannot fully remove. Better water filtration methods like these could help reduce human exposure to the cocktail of pollutants that microplastics transport.

2025 Applied Water Science 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparison of MAF-32 and a One-Pot Synthesized Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide/MAF-32 Composite for the Adsorption of Diclofenac

This paper is not about microplastics. It describes the development of a magnetic composite material for removing the pharmaceutical pollutant diclofenac from water. While pharmaceutical water contamination is a public health concern, this study focuses on materials science and drug removal technology rather than microplastic pollution or its health effects.

2024 Materials 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Synthesis of Amorphous MnFe@SBA Composites for Efficient Adsorptive Removal of Pb(Ⅱ) and Sb(V) from Aqueous Solution

Researchers synthesized a new composite material by growing manganese-iron oxide on a porous silica support for removing lead and antimony from contaminated water. The material removed over 99 percent of lead and 80 percent of antimony within two hours and performed well even in the presence of other dissolved ions. While not directly related to microplastics, the study contributes to water purification technology that could complement plastic pollution cleanup efforts.

2025 Molecules 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of sulfamethoxazole using Fe-Mn biochar filtration columns: Influence of co-existing polystyrene microplastics

Researchers investigated how polystyrene microplastics affect the removal of the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole using iron-manganese modified biochar filtration columns. They found that the presence of microplastics significantly reduced antibiotic retention due to competitive sorption, with the effect varying depending on water pH. The study highlights that co-occurring microplastics in wastewater can interfere with contaminant removal systems, potentially allowing more antibiotics to pass through treatment processes.

2024 Journal of Cleaner Production 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanistic insights to sorptive removal of four sulfonamide antibiotics from water using magnetite-functionalized biochar

This paper is not about microplastics. It investigates how magnetite-functionalized biochar removes sulfonamide antibiotics from water, finding that hydrogen bonding is the primary mechanism of adsorption and that the material's oxygen-containing surface groups drive removal efficiency. The study focuses on antibiotic water contamination remediation rather than microplastic pollution.

2023 Biochar 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Emerging Porous Materials for Adsorptive Removal of Microplastics and Nanoplastics from Aquatic Environments: A Review

This review summarizes recent advances in using porous materials, including sponges, aerogels, hydrogels, metal-organic frameworks, and carbon-based adsorbents, to remove microplastics and nanoplastics from water. Researchers found that adsorption using these materials is a promising, cost-effective approach that outperforms conventional water treatment methods for plastic particle removal. The study identifies key challenges and future research directions for developing practical adsorbents for real-world plastic pollution mitigation.

2025 ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 1 citations
Review Tier 2

Adsorption of Different Pollutants by Using Microplastic with Different Influencing Factors and Mechanisms in Wastewater: A Review

This review examines how microplastics adsorb various pollutants including heavy metals, antibiotics, and organic contaminants in wastewater, analyzing the key factors and mechanisms that influence their adsorption capacity and environmental behavior.

2022 Nanomaterials 94 citations
Article Tier 2

Remoção de antibióticos da água por nanofiltração

This paper is not about microplastics. It evaluates nanofiltration membrane technology for removing antibiotics (tetracycline, norfloxacin, and sulfamethoxazole) from water, achieving up to 95% removal. While water treatment technology is broadly relevant to contaminant removal, this study focuses specifically on pharmaceutical contamination rather than microplastic pollution or exposure.

2024 Revista Interdisciplinar de Ciência Aplicada
Article Tier 2

An Overview and Evaluation of Highly Porous Adsorbent Materials for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Phenols Removal from Wastewater

This review evaluated highly porous adsorbent materials — including activated carbons, metal-organic frameworks, and zeolites — for removing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and phenolic compounds from wastewater. These priority pollutants co-occur with microplastics in contaminated water bodies, and porous adsorbents show high removal efficiency across multiple compound classes.

2020 Water 133 citations
Article Tier 2

The fate and risk of microplastic and antibiotic sulfamethoxazole coexisting in the environment

Researchers investigated sulfamethoxazole antibiotic adsorption onto polyamide microplastics and found that pH significantly influenced uptake, with adsorbed antibiotics more readily released in natural water than ultrapure water, posing environmental risks.

2022 Environmental Geochemistry and Health 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Performance and Mechanism of Sulfathiazole Adsorption by Magnetic Biochar: Promoting Effect of Co-existing Polystyrene and Simultaneous Removal

Researchers synthesized a magnetic biochar and tested its ability to remove the antibiotic sulfathiazole from water containing polystyrene microplastics, finding that the biochar achieved efficient removal of both contaminants simultaneously, with the microplastics actually promoting antibiotic adsorption.

2025
Article Tier 2

Characterization of polyethylene and polyurethane microplastics and their adsorption behavior on Cu2+ and Fe3+ in environmental matrices

Researchers characterized polyethylene and polyurethane microplastics and measured their ability to adsorb heavy metals, finding that both types can bind copper and iron ions from water — raising concern that microplastics may act as carriers that transport toxic metals deeper into aquatic ecosystems and food chains.

2025 Environmental Sciences Europe 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Mikroplastika Kao Adsorbens Opasnih Materija

This paper reviews how microplastics act as effective adsorbents for toxic substances including persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals, and pharmaceuticals in freshwater, marine, and urban environments. The ability of microplastics to concentrate and transport hazardous chemicals amplifies their potential harm to ecosystems and human health.

2021 Zbornik radova Građevinskog fakulteta
Article Tier 2

[Characteristics of Microplastic-derived Dissolved Organic Matter(MPDOM) and the Complexation Between MPDOM and Sulfadiazine/Cu2].

This study examined dissolved organic matter released from aging PET and polystyrene microplastics and found that it can bind to both sulfadiazine (an antibiotic) and copper ions, potentially altering how these contaminants move through the environment. Aging microplastics release chemical compounds that interact with other pollutants, complicating the environmental behavior of both plastic and non-plastic contaminants in water and soil.

2023 PubMed
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of Co2+ and Cr3+ in Industrial Wastewater by Magnesium Silicate Nanomaterials

This paper is not about microplastics. It describes the development of magnesium silicate nanomaterials for removing cobalt and chromium heavy metals from industrial wastewater. While water treatment technology is broadly relevant to environmental health, this study focuses entirely on metal ion adsorption chemistry with no connection to microplastic contamination.

2024 Materials 6 citations