Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Regenerated Cellulose Hydrogel for Green, Efficient, and Selective Heparin Extraction

Researchers developed a positively charged cellulose nanofibril hydrogel as a plant-based alternative to petroleum-derived adsorbents for heparin purification, capturing approximately 88% of heparin within one minute while eliminating the risk of microplastic contamination from conventional polymer-based adsorbents during medical use.

2025 Biomacromolecules
Article Tier 2

Cellulose nanofibril-loaded filter paper for highly efficient removal of microplastics via multiscale capture mechanisms

Researchers fabricated a cellulose nanofibril-loaded filter paper composite and found it achieved over 93% removal efficiency for polystyrene, polypropylene, and PET microplastics through a combination of physical interception, electrostatic interactions, and hydrogen bonding.

2025 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science
Article Tier 2

Nature-derived hydrogel for microplastic removal

Scientists developed a nature-based hydrogel made from chitin and lignin that can remove nanoplastics from wastewater with very high efficiency, absorbing up to 1,791 milligrams of plastic per gram of material. This sustainable, reusable filter could help reduce the amount of tiny plastic particles that reach drinking water and ultimately the human body.

2025 Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Efficacy of bacterial cellulose hydrogel in microfiber removal from contaminated waters: A sustainable approach to wastewater treatment

Researchers developed a bacterial cellulose hydrogel made from unused cellulose remnants and tested it as an eco-friendly filter for removing microfibers from contaminated water. The hydrogel achieved an average removal rate of nearly 94 percent and retained the captured fibers well, releasing only about 8 percent after washing. The study presents this bio-based approach as a sustainable and effective alternative for tackling microfiber pollution in wastewater.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Advancements in Cellulose-Based Superabsorbent Hydrogels: Sustainable Solutions across Industries

This review explores how cellulose-based superabsorbent materials, made from sustainable plant sources, are being developed as eco-friendly alternatives to synthetic hydrogels for use in agriculture, medicine, and pollution control. These biodegradable materials could help reduce the growing microplastic problem caused by conventional synthetic hydrogels that break down into persistent plastic fragments in the environment.

2024 Gels 43 citations
Article Tier 2

Capturing colloidal nano- and microplastics with plant-based nanocellulose networks

Researchers developed a plant-based nanocellulose network that can capture even the smallest nanoplastic particles from water. The material works primarily through its moisture-absorbing properties, which are enhanced by the extremely high surface area of nanocellulose fibers. This technology could enable both better measurement of nanoplastic contamination in water and practical on-site collection of these hard-to-capture particles.

2022 Nature Communications 103 citations
Article Tier 2

Fabrication and Characterization of Biomass-derived Superabsorbent Bio-gel

Not relevant to microplastics — this paper develops and tests bio-based superabsorbent gels made from carboxymethyl cellulose as sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based superabsorbent polymers for water retention applications.

2023 Journal of Korea Technical Association of The Pulp and Paper Industry 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Leveraging IntrinsicHemicellulose in Cellulose Nanopaperfor Enhanced Nanoplastic Collection

Researchers demonstrated that cellulose nanopaper assembled from cellulose nanofibrils containing intrinsic hemicellulose can efficiently capture diversified nanoplastics from aqueous environments through interfacial adsorption and physical interception, leveraging the hierarchical lignocellulose microstructure for enhanced nanoplastic collection.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Capturing the colloidal microplastics with plant-based nanocellulose networks

Researchers found that nanocellulose—a material derived from plants—can efficiently capture colloidal microplastics and even nanoplastics from water, including particles too small for conventional filters. Plant-based nanocellulose networks could offer a sustainable, biodegradable solution for removing the smallest and most challenging microplastic fractions from water.

2021 Research Square (Research Square) 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Tailored cellulose-based flocculants for microplastics removal: Mechanistic insights, pH influence, and efficiency optimization

Researchers developed plant-derived (cellulose-based) flocculants that clump microplastics together so they can be more easily removed from water, finding that a low concentration of 0.001 g/mL was optimal and that both electrical charge and water-repelling interactions drive the process depending on the type of plastic.

2025 Powder Technology 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Revivable self-assembled supramolecular biomass fibrous framework for efficient microplastic removal

Scientists developed a sustainable material made from chitin and cellulose, two natural compounds, that can efficiently remove multiple types of microplastics from water. The material can be regenerated and reused multiple times without losing effectiveness, making it a practical tool for water cleanup. This type of affordable, eco-friendly filtration technology could help reduce human exposure to microplastics in drinking water.

2024 Science Advances 65 citations
Article Tier 2

Aerogels Fabricated from Wood-Derived Functional Cellulose Nanofibrils for Highly Efficient Separation of Microplastics

Researchers developed aerogel filters from chemically modified wood-derived cellulose nanofibrils that achieved up to 100% efficiency in removing polystyrene microplastics from water. The aerogels captured microplastics through a combination of physical entrapment, electrostatic interaction, and hydrogen bonding, and maintained their effectiveness over eight filtration cycles. The study demonstrates a promising green technology using sustainable materials for addressing microplastic pollution in aquatic environments.

2023 ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Leveraging Intrinsic Hemicellulose in Cellulose Nanopaper for Enhanced Nanoplastic Collection

Researchers developed a cellulose-based nanopaper that can efficiently capture nanoplastics from water using natural hemicellulose as a key component. The hemicellulose enhances the paper's ability to adsorb plastic nanoparticles through stronger molecular interactions and creates a porous structure that works well under flowing water conditions. As a bonus, the used nanopaper loaded with captured plastics can be recycled into high-performance composite materials.

2025 ACS Nano 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Lignin/Poly(vinyl alcohol) Hydrogel for Detecting and Effectively Removing Microplastics

Researchers synthesized a lignin/polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel from bamboo-derived aminated lignin and showed it could effectively detect and adsorb polystyrene microplastics from water, demonstrating a biobased approach to microplastic removal.

2025 Langmuir 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodegradable sponges made from chitin-cellulose nanofibers for sustainable removal of microplastics from aquatic environment

Researchers developed a biodegradable sponge made from chitin and cellulose nanofibers that can remove up to 93% of microplastics from water. The sponge maintained strong performance after four reuse cycles and naturally biodegraded in soil environments. The study presents a sustainable, eco-friendly approach to cleaning microplastic contamination from aquatic ecosystems without introducing additional persistent pollutants.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Advancing bacterial cellulose biopolymers & hydrogels to remediate microplastic pollution

Researchers developed bacterial cellulose biopolymers and hydrogels as biodegradable alternatives to fossil-fuel-based filters for removing microplastics from wastewater, optimizing operational parameters using response surface methodology. Results showed removal efficiencies of up to 99% for concentrated MP suspensions, with flow cytometry, electron microscopy, and ATR-FTIR confirming the flocculation mechanism and the potential for large-scale industrial application.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Potential of cellulose extracted from sweet corn stalks (Zea mays saccharata Sturt) as a microplastic filter membrane

Researchers extracted cellulose from agricultural corn stalk waste and made it into filter membranes that removed over 90% of microplastics from water, showing that cheap, renewable plant material can be turned into effective, sustainable filters for tackling plastic pollution in wastewater.

2025 Ecological Engineering & Environmental Technology
Article Tier 2

Eco-friendly lily bulb-derived polysaccharide aerogel for efficient microplastics and nanoplastics removal

Scientists created an eco-friendly filter material from lily bulb polysaccharides that can remove over 93% of microplastics and 96% of nanoplastics from water. The filter maintained its effectiveness for three months of continuous use, working through hydrogen bonding and its porous structure to capture plastic particles. This plant-based approach offers a sustainable and biodegradable alternative to synthetic filter materials for cleaning microplastics from water.

2025 Carbohydrate Polymers 24 citations
Article Tier 2

A layer-by-layer assembled superhydrophobic composite aerogel for rapid and high-capacity removal of microplastics from beverages

A superhydrophobic composite aerogel was synthesized using a layer-by-layer strategy combining an "egg-box" cellulose nanofiber network with silicone polymers, achieving an impressive polystyrene microplastic adsorption capacity of 555.5 mg/g within 100 minutes—driven primarily by hydrophobic interactions—and demonstrating high stability and reusability for microplastic removal from beverages.

2025 Materials Horizons 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Carboxylated Nanocellulose Superabsorbent: Biodegradation and Soil Water Retention Properties

Researchers tested biodegradable, cellulose-derived superabsorbent polymers for improving soil water retention in agriculture. Unlike conventional petroleum-based superabsorbents, these cellulose-based materials degrade in soil rather than persisting as microplastic particles.

2021 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Renewable cellulosic nanocomposites for food packaging to avoid fossil fuel plastic pollution: a review

Researchers reviewed how cellulose nanoparticles extracted from plant biomass can replace petroleum-based plastics in food packaging, finding that adding just 1–5% cellulose nanoparticles significantly improves strength, reduces oxygen and water vapor permeability, and keeps packaging biodegradable. The review positions cellulose nanocomposites as a scalable, eco-friendly alternative to fossil-fuel plastics that contribute to microplastic pollution.

2020 Environmental Chemistry Letters 222 citations
Article Tier 2

Bacterial cellulose biopolymers: The sustainable solution to water-polluting microplastics

Researchers developed bacterial cellulose (BC) biopolymer filters as a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based polymer filters used in wastewater treatment plant microplastic removal. BC filters showed high MP capture efficiency and are biodegradable, addressing both microplastic pollution and the environmental costs of conventional synthetic filter maintenance.

2022 Water Research 66 citations
Article Tier 2

An ultra-light sustainable sponge for elimination of microplastics and nanoplastics

Researchers created an ultra-light sponge from corn starch and gelatin that can capture micro- and nanoplastics from water and food with up to 90% efficiency by simple pressing. The sponge is fully biodegradable and can be broken down by enzymes into glucose after use. The study presents a low-cost, sustainable tool for removing tiny plastic particles from contaminated environments without creating additional waste.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 67 citations
Article Tier 2

Development and characterization of a carboxymethyl cellulose-alginate hybrid superabsorbent hydrogel designed for water management in agriculture

Researchers formulated a carboxymethyl cellulose and sodium alginate hydrogel for agricultural water retention, optimizing it to absorb over 1,600 times its weight in water while remaining thermally stable and reusable — offering a bio-based alternative to synthetic superabsorbent polymers that contribute to microplastic pollution in farmland soils.

2025 International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 5 citations