Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Understanding microplastic retention in surface flow constructed wetlands: The impact of aquatic macrophytes

This study tested how well constructed wetlands with different aquatic plants retain three common types of microplastics: polyethylene beads, tire wear particles, and synthetic fibers. Plants with complex leaf structures trapped more microplastics than simpler plants or unvegetated areas. The findings suggest that planted wetlands could serve as a nature-based solution for filtering microplastics from water before they reach rivers and drinking water sources.

2025 Journal of environmental chemical engineering 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics profile in constructed wetlands: Distribution, retention and implications

This study assessed microplastic distribution, retention, and implications within constructed wetlands used for wastewater treatment, finding that wetlands trap substantial quantities of MPs but that retention efficiency varies by plant species and wetland design. The results suggest constructed wetlands both remove and potentially accumulate MPs as a secondary pollution source.

2022 Environmental Pollution 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Plant Based Application for Microplastic Removal in Constructed Wetlands: A Mini Review

This mini-review examines how wetland plants in constructed wetlands capture and degrade microplastics through physical entrapment, root-zone interactions, and microbial activity, assessing operational factors that determine removal efficiency.

2025 NIPES Journal of Science and Technology Research
Article Tier 2

Microplastics removal mechanisms in constructed wetlands and their impacts on nutrient (nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon) removal: A critical review

This review examines how constructed wetlands can filter microplastics from water and what effect those trapped microplastics have on the wetlands' ability to remove nutrients. Researchers found that substrate type, plant species, and water flow patterns are key factors determining how well wetlands capture microplastics. The study also notes that accumulated microplastics can alter the microbial communities responsible for breaking down nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon in these systems.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics Disturb Nitrogen Removal in Constructed Wetlands: Responses of Microbes and Macrophytes

The impact of nanosized plastics on nitrogen removal in constructed wetlands was investigated by examining microbial community responses and denitrification processes. Nanoplastics disturbed biological nitrogen removal in the wetland system, with microorganisms showing altered community structure and reduced denitrification efficiency.

2020 Environmental Science & Technology 270 citations
Article Tier 2

A review on the fate of micro and nano plastics (MNPs) and their implication in regulating nutrient cycling in constructed wetland systems

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics interact with the biological, chemical, and physical processes in constructed wetlands, which are nature-based systems used to treat wastewater. Researchers found that these tiny plastics can interfere with nitrogen and phosphorus removal by affecting the microbial communities, plant health, and substrate chemistry within the wetlands. The study highlights that as microplastic levels increase in wastewater, their presence could reduce the overall treatment effectiveness of these green infrastructure systems.

2023 Journal of Environmental Management 15 citations
Article Tier 2

The effects of polypropylene microplastics on the removal of nitrogen and phosphorus from water by Acorus calamus, Iris tectorum and functional microorganisms

Researchers investigated how polypropylene microplastics affect the ability of aquatic plants and their associated microorganisms to remove nitrogen and phosphorus from water. They found that microplastic stress reduced the nutrient absorption capacity of the plants and altered the microbial communities responsible for nitrogen and phosphorus cycling. The study suggests that microplastic pollution may undermine the effectiveness of wetland-based water purification systems.

2024 Chemosphere 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Unveiling the microplastic perturbation on surface flow constructed wetlands with macrophytes of different life forms: Responses of nitrogen removal and sensory quality

Polystyrene microplastics initially boosted nitrogen removal in constructed wetlands used for water treatment, but over time they reduced removal efficiency by 25-34% and harmed the beneficial bacteria responsible for cleaning the water. This means microplastic contamination could undermine natural water treatment systems that communities rely on for clean water.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 42 citations
Article Tier 2

Retention of microplastics by interspersed lagoons in both natural and constructed wetlands

Researchers used laboratory wetland models to test how well constructed wetlands with interspersed lagoons and aquatic vegetation can capture microplastic particles from water. Combining vegetated patches with a lagoon achieved microplastic retention rates of up to 99%, suggesting that nature-based wetland designs could be an effective low-cost strategy for filtering microplastics out of wastewater and rivers before they reach the ocean.

2023 Journal of Water Process Engineering 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Removing Microplastics from Aquatic Environments with Iris 2 Pseudacorus and Lythrum anceps

Researchers analysed the effectiveness of Iris pseudacorus and Lythrum anceps wetland plants in removing microplastics from aquatic environments, examining whether these macrophytes can accumulate and retain plastic particles and reduce adverse physiological effects on aquatic organisms.

2024 Preprints.org 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Integration of ecological restoration and landscape aesthetics: Mechanisms of microplastic retention by optimization of aquatic plants landscape design in urban constructed wetlands — A case study of the living water park in Chengdu

A two-year study of the Living Water Park in Chengdu found that aquatic plant landscapes in constructed wetlands significantly retained microplastics, with plant roots and surfaces acting as physical barriers that reduced MP concentrations downstream.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics occurrence and fate in full-scale treatment wetlands

Researchers assessed microplastic occurrence and fate across full-scale treatment wetlands, finding that constructed wetlands effectively remove a significant proportion of MPs from wastewater but that removal efficiency varies with wetland design and MP characteristics.

2023 Water Research 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Identification in Domestic Wastewater-Treating Constructed Wetlands and Its Potential Usage in a Circular Economy

Researchers identified and characterized microplastics in constructed wetlands used for treating domestic wastewater, finding MP accumulation in the substrate and plants and assessing how well these nature-based treatment systems retain plastic particles before effluent is discharged.

2025 Processes
Article Tier 2

Distribution and removal of microplastics in a horizontal sub-surface flow laboratory constructed wetland and their effects on the treatment efficiency

Researchers investigated microplastic retention in a laboratory-scale constructed wetland, finding that the wetland effectively captured microbeads and fibers while examining how accumulated microplastics affected the treatment efficiency for carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus removal.

2023 Chemical Engineering Journal 50 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of nanoplastics and microplastics on the growth of sediment-rooted macrophytes

Both nano- and microplastic particles negatively affected the growth of freshwater macrophytes in sediment-rooted experiments, with nanoplastics causing more pronounced effects at lower concentrations. The findings highlight that aquatic plants, which form the base of many freshwater food webs, are vulnerable to plastic particle pollution.

2018 The Science of The Total Environment 304 citations
Article Tier 2

Leaf morphology affects microplastic entrapment efficiency in freshwater macrophytes

Researchers found that leaf morphology significantly affects the ability of freshwater macrophytes (aquatic plants) to trap microplastics, with leaf shape and surface texture influencing particle capture efficiency. The findings suggest that aquatic vegetation plays an underappreciated role in microplastic retention and transport in freshwater ecosystems.

2023 Marine and Freshwater Research 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Wastewater Treatment by Constructed Wetland Eco-Technology: Influence of Mineral and Plastic Materials as Filter Media and Tropical Ornamental Plants

Constructed wetlands using ornamental plants effectively removed chemical pollutants from wastewater, and the presence of plastic residues in the growing medium affected treatment performance. This finding is relevant to understanding how microplastics in constructed wetlands may interfere with natural water purification processes.

2019 Water 54 citations
Article Tier 2

The effects of microplastics size and type on entrapment by freshwater macrophytes under vertical and lateral deposition

Researchers investigated how microplastic particle size and polymer type affect entrapment by freshwater macrophytes, finding that certain aquatic plant species preferentially intercepted specific particle sizes and that plant morphology determined capture efficiency across MPs of varying dimensions.

2025 Journal of Limnology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi improve treatment performance and vegetative resilience in constructed wetlands exposed to microplastics

This study found that adding beneficial fungi to constructed wetlands significantly improved their ability to remove microplastics and nutrients from wastewater, boosting nitrogen removal by 45.7% and phosphate removal by 25.3%. The fungi helped plants resist the stress caused by microplastic contamination and maintained healthier microbial communities. These enhanced wetlands could serve as a natural, low-cost method for reducing the microplastics that escape from wastewater treatment plants into the environment.

2025 Environmental Research 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Critical role of benthic fauna in enhancing nanoplastics removal in constructed wetland: Performance, fate and mechanism

Researchers found that adding benthic fauna such as clams and worms to constructed wetlands significantly improved the removal of nanoplastics from wastewater. The organisms enhanced microbial activity and biofilm formation, which helped trap and break down the tiny plastic particles more effectively. The study suggests that incorporating natural organisms into wetland treatment systems could be a practical strategy for addressing nanoplastic pollution.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of microplastics on the treatment performance of constructed wetlands: Based on substrate characteristics and microbial activities

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastic accumulation in constructed wetlands initially improved nitrogen removal efficiency but ultimately impaired treatment performance over a 370-day experiment, altering substrate characteristics and microbial community activities.

2022 Water Research 90 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics accumulation in lab-scale vertical flow constructed wetlands: impacts and fate

Researchers tested how polystyrene microplastics affect constructed wetlands, a nature-based system used to treat wastewater. They found that while the wetlands still removed most pollutants effectively, nitrogen removal decreased by up to 5% in the presence of microplastics, and the particles accumulated mainly in the upper layers of the wetland substrate. The study suggests that microplastics can alter the microbial communities responsible for breaking down nitrogen in these treatment systems.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Application of Floating Beds Constructed with Woodchips for Nitrate Removal and Plant Growth in Wetlands

This study tested whether floating beds constructed from woodchips could help remove microplastics from water as part of a constructed wetland or biotreatment system. The results demonstrated moderate retention of plastic particles by the woodchip material, suggesting potential as a low-cost passive removal approach.

2024 Water Air & Soil Pollution 6 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Recent advances towards micro(nano)plastics research in wetland ecosystems: A systematic review on sources, removal, and ecological impacts

Wetland ecosystems act as important sinks for micro- and nanoplastics, which were found to cause ecotoxicological effects on wetland plants, animals, and microbial communities, including shifts in microbial composition relevant to pollutant removal. Micro/nanoplastics exposure also affected conventional pollutant removal efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions from wetland systems.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 50 citations