Papers

61,005 results
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Systematic Review Tier 1

Utilizing nature-based adsorbents for removal of microplastics and nanoplastics in controlled polluted aqueous systems: A systematic review of sources, properties, adsorption characteristics, and performance

This systematic review evaluates how natural materials like agricultural waste and plant-based substances can be used to filter microplastics and nanoplastics from water. The research shows that these nature-based solutions offer a sustainable and effective approach to reducing plastic particle contamination in drinking water and wastewater systems.

2025 Next Sustainability 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Green solutions for clean water: Natural materials in contaminant detection and removal

This review examines green and natural materials — including biosorbents, biopolymers, plant-based composites, and naturally occurring minerals — as sustainable alternatives to conventional water treatment technologies for detecting and removing emerging contaminants, evaluating biodegradability, cost-effectiveness, and performance against limitations of high cost and secondary pollution in traditional approaches.

2025 Trends in Environmental Analytical Chemistry
Article Tier 2

Polysaccharide nanocomposites in wastewater treatment: A review

This review covers how natural sugar-based polymers (polysaccharides) combined with nanoparticles can be used to clean contaminated water, removing pollutants including heavy metals, dyes, and pharmaceutical residues. While not focused on microplastics specifically, these eco-friendly materials could potentially be adapted to filter microplastics from water as well. The technology is relevant because it offers sustainable alternatives to conventional water treatment methods that struggle with emerging contaminants.

2023 Chemosphere 59 citations
Article Tier 2

Green Strategies for Removal of Emerging Contaminants from Aqueous System

This review examines green strategies for removing emerging contaminants from aqueous systems, evaluating bioremediation, phytoremediation, and eco-friendly nanocomposite approaches for eliminating pharmaceuticals, endocrine disruptors, microplastics, and pesticides from water.

2025
Article Tier 2

Sustainable coagulative removal of microplastic from aquatic systems: recent progress and outlook

This review examines how natural coagulants from plants, animals, and microbes can be used to remove microplastics from water as a greener alternative to conventional chemical treatments. These bio-based coagulants, especially when combined with nanotechnology, show promising removal rates while avoiding the toxic residues left by traditional chemical approaches.

2025 RSC Advances 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Emerging Contaminants and Their Removal from Aqueous Media Using Conventional/Non-Conventional Adsorbents: A Glance at the Relationship between Materials, Processes, and Technologies

This review covers various methods for removing emerging contaminants, including microplastics, from water using materials that absorb pollutants. Activated carbon remains the most effective option, but researchers are also developing cheaper alternatives from agricultural waste and nanomaterials. The work is important because better water treatment methods could reduce human exposure to microplastics and other harmful substances in drinking water.

2023 Water 60 citations
Article Tier 2

Bioadsorbents for removal of microplastics from water ecosystems: a review

This review analyzes over 200 studies on using natural biological materials, called bioadsorbents, to remove microplastics from water. Researchers found that materials like chitosan, biochar, and cellulose show strong potential for capturing microplastic particles from contaminated water. The study highlights bioadsorbents as a promising, eco-friendly alternative to conventional water treatment methods for addressing microplastic pollution.

2024 International Journal of Sustainable Engineering 25 citations
Article Tier 2

A Comprehensive Review of Natural Polymer‐Based Adsorbents for Microplastic Removal

This review evaluates natural polymer-based materials, including chitosan, cellulose, and alginate, as adsorbents for removing microplastics from water. Researchers found that these renewable materials can achieve removal efficiencies often above 90% through mechanisms including physical interception, hydrophobic interactions, and electrostatic attraction, making them promising candidates for sustainable water treatment systems.

2026 Journal of Polymer Science
Article Tier 2

A critical review of microplastics and nanoplastics in wastewater: Insights into adsorbent-based remediation strategies

This review analyzes research on removing microplastics and nanoplastics from water using materials that absorb the particles, finding that adsorption is the most widely studied removal method. Carbon-based and metal-based materials currently dominate the research, but plant-based (biopolymer) adsorbents are gaining attention because they are biodegradable and non-toxic. Better removal technologies are critical because conventional water treatment often fails to capture the smallest plastic particles that pose the greatest risk to human health.

2025 Environmental Pollution 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Bio-Based Polymeric Flocculants and Adsorbents for Wastewater Treatment

This review explores how materials derived from natural biological sources, such as plant-based polymers, can be used as flocculants and adsorbents to remove contaminants from wastewater. Researchers found that these bio-based materials offer advantages including biodegradability, low cost, and effectiveness in trapping pollutants through both clumping and surface binding mechanisms. The study suggests that bio-based polymeric materials are a promising sustainable alternative to synthetic chemicals currently used in water treatment.

2023 Sustainability 60 citations
Article Tier 2

A brief review on utilizing natural adsorbents for microplastic removal from wastewater: A sustainable approach to environmental protection

Researchers reviewed natural materials like biochar, clay, algae, and agricultural waste as affordable alternatives to synthetic filters for removing microplastics from wastewater, finding some achieved over 80% removal efficiency in the lab, though scaling these methods to real-world treatment systems remains a significant challenge.

2025 Results in Engineering 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Degradable Green Polymers, Green Nanopolymers and Green Nanocomposites Derived from Natural Systems: Statistics and Headways

This review summarizes advances in biodegradable green polymers and nanocomposites derived from natural sources, covering their properties, classification, and environmental benefits. Developing genuinely biodegradable alternatives to synthetic plastics is essential for reducing long-term microplastic accumulation in ecosystems.

2023 Nano-Horizons Journal of Nanosciences and Nanotechnologies 1 citations
Review Tier 2

Lignocellulose-Based Biosorbents for the Removal of Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) from Water: A Review

This review examines how biosorbents made from plant-based lignocellulose materials can remove emerging contaminants like pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and microplastics from water. These natural materials are abundant, low-cost, and can be modified to improve their pollutant-trapping ability. The approach offers a sustainable alternative to energy-intensive water treatment methods for tackling the growing problem of emerging pollutants in wastewater.

2023 Water 42 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Natural-based coagulants/flocculants for microplastics and nanoplastics removal via coagulation–flocculation: a systematic review

This systematic review evaluates how natural plant-based materials can be used to remove microplastics and nanoplastics from water through coagulation and flocculation processes. The findings show that these sustainable, nature-derived alternatives can effectively capture plastic particles during water treatment, offering a greener approach to reducing microplastic contamination in our drinking water.

2026 International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology
Article Tier 2

Nanotechnology-Based Approaches for the Removal of Emerging Contaminants from Water: Recent Advances and Future Perspectives

This review examines nanotechnology-based approaches for removing emerging contaminants including pharmaceuticals, endocrine disruptors, and microplastics from water, comparing the removal efficiencies of nanomaterial adsorbents, photocatalysts, and membrane systems against conventional treatment methods.

2025 Asian Journal of Environment & Ecology
Article Tier 2

Innovations in the Development of Promising Adsorbents for the Remediation of Microplastics and Nanoplastics – A Critical Review

This review evaluates innovative materials being developed to remove microplastics and nanoplastics from polluted water, including carbon-based, metal, polymer, and mineral adsorbents. Researchers compared the effectiveness, advantages, and limitations of each type, finding that adsorption-based approaches show strong promise. The study highlights remaining challenges such as scaling these technologies for real-world water treatment applications.

2022 Water Research 136 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

Emerging Pollutants in Soil and Water: Sources, Risks, and Advances in Removal Technologies for Sustainable Management

This review provides a broad overview of emerging pollutants in soil and water, including pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and microplastics, examining their sources, environmental persistence, and potential health effects. Researchers evaluated various removal technologies ranging from conventional methods to advanced approaches like nanofiltration and bioremediation. The study emphasizes the need for integrated management strategies that combine multiple treatment methods to effectively address these widespread contaminants.

2025 Environmental Management 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Emerging micropollutants in aquatic ecosystems and nanotechnology-based removal alternatives: A review

This review examines emerging micropollutants in water systems, including microplastics, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and heavy metals, and how nanotechnology-based approaches can help remove them. These contaminants threaten drinking water safety and aquatic ecosystems worldwide. The paper evaluates various nanomaterial-based filtration and degradation methods as promising solutions for cleaning up contaminated water.

2023 Chemosphere 98 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial Biopolymers: From Production to Environmental Applications—A Review

This review summarizes how biopolymers made by bacteria, fungi, and algae can serve as eco-friendly replacements for synthetic plastics in applications like wastewater treatment and soil cleanup. These natural materials can filter, absorb, and break down pollutants, offering a sustainable alternative to conventional methods. The research is relevant to the microplastics problem because replacing synthetic polymers with biodegradable ones could reduce plastic pollution at the source.

2024 Applied Sciences 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic removal from wastewater through biopolymer and nanocellulose-based green technologies

Biopolymer-based coagulation and flocculation agents were shown to effectively remove microplastics from wastewater, offering a more sustainable alternative to synthetic chemical flocculants. The approach supports eco-friendly microplastic treatment that avoids adding further chemical pollutants to effluents.

2025 RSC Sustainability 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollutants in water: A comprehensive review on their remediation by adsorption using various adsorbents

This review covers the different materials scientists are developing to filter microplastics out of water, including biochar, activated carbon, sponges, carbon nanotubes, and newer hybrid materials. Each material has trade-offs in terms of cost, effectiveness, and environmental impact, but combining different approaches shows the most promise. The research is important because better water filtration methods could directly reduce the amount of microplastics people consume through drinking water.

2024 Chemosphere 67 citations
Article Tier 2

Review of emerging contaminants sources, effects, and removal methods

This review categorizes emerging contaminants including microplastics, personal care products, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals, summarizing sources, environmental occurrence, and available treatment technologies for their removal from water.

2024 Applied and Computational Engineering 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Research progress and application exploration of techniques to remove emerging contaminants from water environment

This review summarizes technologies for removing emerging contaminants — including pharmaceuticals, microplastics, and pesticides — from water, covering adsorption, membrane filtration, advanced oxidation, and biological methods. The authors assess the effectiveness and limitations of each approach for real-world water treatment.

2023 E3S Web of Conferences 2 citations