Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Coagulative removal of microplastics from aqueous matrices: Recent progresses and future perspectives

This review examines how coagulation, a common water treatment technique, can be used to remove microplastics from water. Researchers compared the effectiveness of different coagulants, finding that natural options like chitosan and protein-based coagulants achieved removal rates above 90 percent. The study highlights the promise of natural coagulants as a more sustainable approach to tackling microplastic contamination in water treatment systems.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 71 citations
Article Tier 2

Utilization of chitosan as a natural coagulant for polyethylene microplastic removal

Scientists tested chitosan, a natural material derived from shellfish, as an eco-friendly way to remove polyethylene microplastics from water. Under the best conditions (pH 6.0 with 100 mg/L of chitosan), the treatment removed 81.5% of microplastics, offering a promising and environmentally safe approach to cleaning microplastic-contaminated water.

2025 Sustainable Chemistry for the Environment 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Optimisation of Chitosan as A Natural Flocculant for Microplastic Remediation

Laboratory tests found that chitosan — a natural, biodegradable material derived from shellfish — can remove 68.3% of microplastics from water using a coagulation-flocculation process, with an optimal concentration of 30 ppm. Higher chitosan doses increased organic matter in the water (COD and BOD), suggesting a trade-off between microplastic removal efficiency and water quality parameters. Chitosan offers a promising eco-friendly alternative to synthetic chemicals for treating microplastic-contaminated water.

2023 Journal of Emerging Science and Engineering 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Optimizing biocoagulant aid from shrimp shells (Litopenaeus vannamei) for enhancing microplastics removal from aqueous solutions

This study investigated chitosan derived from shrimp shell waste as a biocoagulant for removing microplastics from water, optimizing the coagulation-flocculation process to maximize particle capture. The results showed high removal efficiency, offering a biodegradable and sustainable approach to microplastic water treatment.

2023 Environmental Technology & Innovation 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Synergistic removal of microplastic fibres: Integrating Chitosan coagulation in hybrid water pre-treatment systems

Microplastic fibers are the most common type of microplastic found entering water treatment plants, yet their elongated shape makes them especially hard to remove with conventional filters. This study investigated using chitosan — a natural, biodegradable material derived from crustacean shells — as a "green" coagulant to clump fibers together so they can be more easily removed, and also developed chemically modified versions of chitosan that work across a wider range of water conditions. The results showed that combining chitosan-based coagulation with microbubble aeration creates a synergistic pretreatment system that significantly improves microplastic fiber removal while avoiding the residual metal ions left by conventional chemical coagulants.

2026 Australasian Journal of Paramedicine
Article Tier 2

Overlooked role of aged cationic natural organic matter in aquatic microplastics aggregation-sedimentation

Aged cationic chitosan (a natural biopolymer) was found to drive aggregation and sedimentation of both conventional polystyrene and biodegradable PMMA microplastics more effectively than other forms of organic matter, revealing a previously overlooked mechanism for microplastic removal in natural waters.

2025 Water Research 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Interaction of chitosan with nanoplastic in water: The effect of environmental conditions, particle properties, and potential for in situ remediation

Researchers tested chitosan — a natural polymer derived from shellfish — as a tool to aggregate and remove nanoplastic particles from water, finding it caused clumping at low doses but that high pH, dissolved organic matter, and surface chemistry of the plastics all affected its performance. The results suggest chitosan-based treatment has real potential for water remediation but requires careful tuning of environmental conditions.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhanced removal of microplastic fibres using aluminium and chitosan-based coagulants assisted with microbubble technology

Researchers tested the removal of microplastic fibers from water using aluminium-based and chitosan-based coagulants combined with sedimentation and microbubble flotation techniques. The aluminium coagulant achieved the highest removal rate of 88% through sedimentation in humic acid-containing water, while chitosan achieved 78% removal using microbubble flotation at a lower dosage. The findings suggest that the natural coagulant chitosan has potential as an effective and greener alternative for microplastic fiber removal in water treatment.

2025 Journal of environmental chemical engineering 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Synergistic removal of microplastic fibres using hybrid pre-treatment: evaluation of Chitosan as a green coagulant

Researchers evaluated the capacity of existing water treatment pre-treatment methods to remove microplastic fibers and investigated chitosan — a low-molecular-weight, 75-85% deacetylated green coagulant — as an alternative to conventional chemical coagulants. The study assessed a hybrid pre-treatment approach, finding synergistic microplastic fiber removal efficiency when chitosan was combined with existing processes.

2024 Water e-Journal
Article Tier 2

Formulation of a Chitosan-Laccase-Cutinase Composite for Bio-Coagulation and Enzymatic Degradation of Microplastics

Researchers developed a sustainable bio-coagulant using chitosan combined with laccase and cutinase enzymes to capture and break down microplastics in water. The chitosan-enzyme composite demonstrated effective coagulation and enzymatic degradation of microplastic particles, offering a more environmentally friendly alternative to conventional removal methods.

2026 International Journal of Research and Review
Article Tier 2

Integrated Chitosan-based coagulation and microbubble pre-treatment for improved microplastic fibre removal from water

Researchers developed a combined chitosan-based coagulation and microbubble pre-treatment system for removing microplastic fibres from water, finding that this approach overcame the limitations of conventional inorganic coagulants and improved removal efficiency for the morphologically challenging fibre fraction.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment
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

The use of chitosan for water purification from microplastics

Researchers investigated chitosan as a sorbent for removing microplastics from water, analyzing its physicochemical properties and proposing an optimized purification method based on chitosan's sorption characteristics.

2025 Open MIND
Review Tier 2

Microplastic Removal in Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) by Natural Coagulation: A Literature Review

This review examines how natural coagulants, substances derived from plants and other natural sources, can be used to remove microplastics during wastewater treatment. Natural coagulants are safer and cheaper than chemical alternatives, and show promise for capturing microplastic particles. Since wastewater treatment plants are a major source of microplastics entering waterways, better removal methods could reduce the amount of plastic pollution reaching the environment and eventually human food and water supplies.

2023 Toxics 45 citations
Article Tier 2

Harnessing the power of amphoterically modified Chitosan coagulants for enhanced Polyester microplastic fibre removal from water

Amphoterically modified chitosan was used as a coagulant aid to capture microplastics from water, leveraging the biopolymer's charge-switching ability to bind particles across a range of pH conditions. Chitosan-based capture materials are attractive because chitosan is biodegradable and derived from renewable sources.

2025 Journal of Environmental Management 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Greener Microplastics Removal: Progressive Replacement of Iron‐Based Coagulants with Sodium Alginate and Chitosan to Enhance Sustainability

Researchers tested whether natural biopolymers like sodium alginate and chitosan could progressively replace iron-based coagulants for removing microplastics from wastewater. They found that partial substitution maintained effective microplastic removal while reducing the environmental footprint of the coagulation process. The study suggests that blending conventional and biopolymer coagulants offers a more sustainable approach to microplastic removal in wastewater treatment.

2025 ChemPlusChem 8 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

Investigating the efficiency of oak powder as a new natural coagulant for eliminating polystyrene microplastics from aqueous solutions

Oak powder was evaluated as a natural coagulant for removing polystyrene microplastics from water using Box-Behnken experimental design, demonstrating its feasibility as an inexpensive, eco-friendly coagulation agent.

2023 Scientific Reports 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Coagulation technologies for separation of microplastics in water: current status

This review examines how coagulation water treatment technologies can remove microplastics from water. Conventional coagulation achieves 8-98% removal efficiency while electrocoagulation achieves 8-99%, depending on conditions, offering a potentially effective approach for reducing microplastics in drinking water and wastewater.

2023 Journal of Physics Conference Series
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