Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Fate and occurrence of microplastic and nanoplastic pollution in industrial wastewater

This review covers the sources, distribution, and health risks of micro- and nanoplastics in industrial wastewater, emphasizing that these particles are nonbiodegradable, persist in the environment, and can carry other contaminants into marine and freshwater ecosystems. The authors argue that industrial wastewater deserves more regulatory attention as a significant and growing entry point for plastic pollution into environments where it can ultimately reach humans.

2023 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro (nano) plastics in wastewater: A critical review on toxicity risk assessment, behaviour, environmental impact and challenges

Researchers reviewed the sources, detection methods, toxicity, environmental fate, and wastewater treatment options for micro- and nanoplastics, finding that nanoplastics are especially persistent and toxic due to their large surface area and ability to carry co-pollutants, and identifying key research gaps in quantification, degradation mechanisms, and sensor development.

2021 Chemosphere 103 citations
Article Tier 2

Fate and Removal of Microplastics from Industrial Wastewaters

This review examines how industrial wastewater treatment plants handle microplastic contamination worldwide. Researchers found that treatment effectiveness varies widely depending on the industry and the technologies used. The paper highlights that industrial sources are a significant but often overlooked contributor to microplastic pollution in waterways.

2023 Sustainability 46 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic pollution in the aquatic ecosystem: an emerging threat need to be tackled

This review summarizes the growing threat of plastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems, with a focus on how microplastics and nanoplastics enter food webs starting at the lowest levels. The authors highlight the persistence of these particles and call for coordinated action to reduce plastic inputs to water bodies.

2021 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro- and nanoplastic pollution in urban influenced aquatic environments: Sources, pathways, and remediation strategies

This review examines the sources, transport pathways, and environmental fate of microplastics and nanoplastics in urban aquatic environments, finding that wastewater treatment plants remove only 40–95% of microplastics with much lower efficiency for nanoplastics, making them a persistent source of aquatic contamination.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro- and Nanoplastic Pollution of Freshwater and Wastewater Treatment Systems

This review examined micro- and nanoplastic pollution in freshwater systems and wastewater treatment, summarizing sources, removal efficiency, and the fate of particles that pass through treatment processes into receiving waters.

2017 Springer Science Reviews 168 citations
Article Tier 2

Fate of Micro/Nano Plastic Pollutants in the Marine Ecosystem

This review traces the journey of micro- and nanoplastics through marine ecosystems, from their release as industrial wastewater to their accumulation in organisms via bioaccumulation and food web transfer. Once in the ocean, these particles undergo processes like biofouling and fragmentation that change their behavior and toxicity, and they act as carriers for other persistent pollutants and pathogens. The paper underscores that marine plastic pollution is not static but dynamic, with evolving risks at every level of the food chain including seafood consumed by humans.

2023 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro/nanoplastics in aquatic ecosystems: Analytical challenges, ecological impacts, and mitigation strategies

This review provides a comprehensive assessment of micro- and nanoplastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems, covering detection methods, toxic effects across the food chain, and emerging cleanup strategies. Researchers highlight the limitations of current analytical techniques and the challenges of accurately measuring these tiny particles in water and living organisms. The study identifies key research priorities needed to better understand and mitigate the growing threat of plastic particle pollution in waterways.

2025 Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro- and nanoplastic in the aquatic environment : from rivers to whales

This review traces the journey of micro- and nanoplastics from rivers to the open ocean, covering sources, transport pathways, effects on organisms, and human exposure. It highlights how plastic particles move through entire ecosystems—from wastewater to whales—with implications at every step for ecological and human health.

2018 8 citations
Article Tier 2

A review: Research progress on microplastic pollutants in aquatic environments

This review summarizes current research on microplastic pollution in aquatic environments, including sources, detection methods, and ecological effects. The study highlights that microplastics can carry heavy metals and organic pollutants, forming complex contaminant combinations that accumulate through the food chain with potentially unpredictable consequences for both aquatic life and human health.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 421 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in aquatic environment: Challenges and perspectives

This review provides a comprehensive overview of microplastic pollution in water environments, covering sources, transport, health effects, detection methods, and control strategies. Microplastics enter waterways from everyday plastic products, industrial discharge, and wastewater treatment plants, where aquatic organisms ingest them and pass them up the food chain. The review highlights the urgent need for better analytical techniques and global policies to reduce microplastic contamination that ultimately reaches human food and drinking water.

2021 Chemosphere 298 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the environment: A critical overview on its fate, toxicity, implications, management, and bioremediation strategies

This review provides a broad overview of microplastic pollution, covering how these particles enter freshwater systems, accumulate in organisms, and carry toxic chemicals through the food chain. With approximately 360 million tons of plastic produced globally each year and only 7% recycled, microplastics have become a pervasive threat to water quality and, by extension, human health.

2023 Journal of Environmental Management 252 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics: Devastation and destination in aquatic ecosystem

This review examines the sources, environmental distribution, and ecological impacts of microplastics in aquatic ecosystems, highlighting their persistence across global environments including polar regions and their passage through wastewater treatment plants largely intact. The authors discuss toxicological risks to aquatic biota arising from both the physical presence of particles and their role in transporting co-contaminants.

2022 Journal of Agriculture and Ecology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Review on impacts of micro- and nano-plastic on aquatic ecosystems and mitigation strategies

This review examines the environmental fate, ecological impacts, and remediation strategies for microplastics and nanoplastics in aquatic ecosystems. Researchers highlight that microbial remediation shows particular promise for breaking down these pollutants, while many nations are adopting regulations to limit plastic contamination of waterways. The study suggests that integrating approaches from nanoscience, microbial ecology, and remediation technologies is needed to address this growing environmental challenge.

2023 Aquatic Toxicology 13 citations
Review Tier 2

Wastewater treatment plant effluent as a source of microplastics: review of the fate, chemical interactions and potential risks to aquatic organisms

This review examines wastewater treatment plant effluent as a source of microplastics entering aquatic environments. The study found that even though treatment plants remove most microplastics, the small amounts remaining in effluent may still contribute significantly to environmental contamination, and the chemical interactions between microplastics and other pollutants in wastewater raise additional ecological concerns.

2016 Water Science & Technology 314 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic contaminants in the aqueous environment, fate, toxicity consequences, and remediation strategies

This review covers the sources, fate, and toxic effects of microplastic contaminants in aquatic environments, along with current remediation strategies for removing them. Researchers found that microplastics cause various health problems in aquatic organisms and can enter the human food chain through contaminated seafood and water. The study emphasizes the urgent need for improved waste management and novel cleanup technologies to address microplastic pollution in water systems.

2021 Environmental Research 214 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and Nanoplastics in the Aquatic Environment: Contamination, Determination and Interaction with Other Contaminants

This review gathers information on microplastic and nanoplastic contamination in aquatic environments, examining their detection methods, environmental persistence, and interactions with other contaminants including their capacity to adsorb and release chemical compounds.

2023 PERIÓDICO TCHÊ QUÍMICA 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the ecosystem and methods to identify them

This review examines microplastic and nanoplastic formation, environmental fate, and detection methods, synthesizing evidence on how physical, chemical, and biological degradation of bulk plastics generates particles that permeate soils, water, and the atmosphere. The authors evaluate wastewater treatment efficacy, biomagnification in food chains, and analytical approaches for monitoring MP and NP presence across environmental compartments.

2023 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Which\nMicropollutants in Water Environments Deserve\nMore Attention Globally?

This review analyzed which organic micropollutants in water environments deserve the most global attention based on their toxicity, occurrence frequency, and persistence. Microplastics are among the contaminants considered, alongside pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and industrial chemicals that routinely escape conventional water treatment and accumulate in aquatic ecosystems.

2021 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Which\nMicropollutants in Water Environments Deserve\nMore Attention Globally?

This review analyzed which organic micropollutants in water environments deserve the most global attention based on their toxicity, occurrence frequency, and persistence. Microplastics are among the contaminants considered, alongside pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and industrial chemicals that routinely escape conventional water treatment and accumulate in aquatic ecosystems.

2021 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Quantification of microplastics in wastewater systems of German industrial parks and their wastewater treatment plants

Researchers provided one of the first assessments of microplastic occurrence in German industrial park wastewater systems, quantifying microplastic distribution across production plant effluents and treatment plant stages to understand industrial contributions to aquatic pollution.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 49 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in aquatic systems, a comprehensive review: origination, accumulation, impact, and removal technologies

This comprehensive review traced the sources of microplastics in aquatic environments, from industrial products and packaging to cosmetics and agricultural materials, and examined their toxic effects on living organisms. Researchers found that microplastics are remarkably stable and widespread, posing growing ecotoxicological risks to aquatic ecosystems. The study also evaluated current removal technologies, noting their advantages and limitations, and warns that without better strategies, microplastic pollution will become significantly worse in coming decades.

2022 RSC Advances 134 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic and Nanoplastic Pollution in Water Bodies from Conventional Packaging Materials

This review examines the occurrence of microplastics and nanoplastics in water bodies originating from conventional packaging materials, covering the pathways by which packaging-derived particles enter aquatic environments, their toxicological roles as contaminant carriers, and risks to ecosystems and human health via food chain bioaccumulation.

2022
Article Tier 2

Detection and removal of microplastics in wastewater: evolution and impact

This review covers methods for detecting and removing microplastics from wastewater, which is a major pathway for microplastics to enter the environment. Microplastics in water can carry heavy metals, disease-causing organisms, and chemical additives, and are eventually consumed by aquatic life that enters the human food chain. The authors emphasize that better wastewater treatment technology is needed to reduce human exposure to microplastics through water and seafood.

2021 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 257 citations