Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

The application of bioremediation in wastewater treatment plants for microplastics removal: a practical perspective

This review assessed strategies for incorporating bioremediation into wastewater treatment plants specifically targeting microplastic removal, including bioaugmentation with microplastic-degrading microorganisms. The authors identified potential in using biofilm reactors and enhanced biological treatment but noted that microbial degradation of common polymers in wastewater timeframes remains limited.

2022 Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Engineering a Solution: Recent Technological Advances in the Microbial Bioremediation of Microplastics

This review examines recent advances in microbial bioremediation of microplastics, highlighting the limitations of conventional treatments and presenting biological alternatives using bacteria, fungi, and algae capable of degrading plastic polymers. The authors discuss key enzymatic mechanisms and the potential for scaling microbial approaches as sustainable remediation tools for plastic pollution.

2025 SPIRE - Sciences Po Institutional REpository
Article Tier 2

Removal of Microplastics from Wastewater by Biological Process

This review assesses biological treatment processes for microplastic removal from wastewater, covering microbial degradation, biofilm-mediated capture, and enzymatic breakdown, and discussing how these processes can complement physical and chemical treatment steps.

2025
Article Tier 2

Fungal Bioremediation: A Sustainable Strategy for Microplastic Removal from Polluted Water

This review covers fungal bioremediation of microplastic pollution in water, examining how various fungal species degrade plastic polymers, the mechanisms involved (enzymatic oxidation, biofilm formation), and the feasibility of scaling these biological approaches for water treatment applications.

2025 Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries
Article Tier 2

The fate of microplastics in wastewater treatment plants: An overview of source and remediation technologies

This review examines how wastewater treatment plants serve as key pathways for microplastic entry into the environment, analyzing removal efficiencies across different treatment stages and identifying advanced technologies for improved microplastic remediation.

2022 Environmental Technology & Innovation 159 citations
Article Tier 2

Eco-Solutions to Microplastic Pollution: Advances in Bioremediation Technologies

This review surveys bioremediation technologies, including microbial and plant-based approaches, as potential solutions for removing microplastics from the environment. Researchers highlight promising organisms and enzymatic pathways while noting that practical, scalable applications remain in early development.

2020 Environmental Reports.
Article Tier 2

Engineering a Solution: Recent Technological Advances in the Microbial Bioremediation of Microplastics

This review examines recent advances in microbial bioremediation of microplastics, highlighting the limitations of conventional treatments like mechanical recycling and incineration and presenting biological alternatives using bacteria, fungi, and algae. The authors identify key microbial mechanisms and enzyme systems involved in plastic degradation and discuss the potential for scaling these approaches as cost-effective environmental remediation tools.

2025 UTTAR PRADESH JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY
Article Tier 2

Removal of Microplastic Pollution through Waste Water Treatment: A Review

This review examines how wastewater treatment plants reduce microplastic contamination, comparing biological and advanced treatment methods and highlighting that residual microplastics in sewage sludge applied to agricultural land remain a significant pathway for environmental release.

2022 Journal for Research in Applied Sciences and Biotechnology 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Bio-catalytic Mitigation for Removal of Microplastics from Water Contaminated with Industrial Effluents

This review discusses the problem of microplastic pollution and examines bio-catalytic approaches—using enzymes, bacteria, and fungi—as emerging methods for breaking down microplastics in water contaminated with industrial effluents. It covers the mechanisms of biological degradation and highlights potential pathways to scale up these technologies for practical water treatment applications.

2025
Article Tier 2

Remediation of wastewater polluted with microplastics

This Croatian review covers techniques for removing microplastics from wastewater, summarizing the biogeochemical cycle of microplastics and their identification methods in wastewater treatment plants. The review notes that treatment plants are a significant source of microplastic release to the environment.

2023 Repository of Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology University of Zagreb
Article Tier 2

Eradicating microplastics in wastewater: microalgae as a sustainable strategy

This review examines the use of microalgae as a sustainable strategy for removing microplastics from wastewater, discussing biosorption mechanisms, removal efficiencies, and the limitations of conventional treatment plants that typically achieve only up to 90% MP removal.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment
Article Tier 2

Bioremediation of Microplastics

This review summarized bioremediation strategies for microplastics, covering microbial degradation by bacteria, fungi, and algae along with enzyme-based approaches. Current limitations in degradation rates and the need for enhanced strains or enzymatic cocktails were discussed.

2024 Microplastics
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Ecosystems: From Current Trends to Bio-Based Removal Strategies

This review examines current trends in microplastic contamination across ecosystems and evaluates bio-based removal strategies as alternatives to conventional wastewater treatment, which fails to fully capture small microplastic particles. The authors assess the potential of biological approaches including biofilms, fungi, and microorganisms to degrade or capture microplastics as part of integrated pollution management.

2020 Molecules 78 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic removal and management strategies for wastewater treatment plants

This review examines how well different wastewater treatment technologies remove microplastics and what management strategies can improve performance. While conventional treatment plants can remove a large percentage of microplastics from water, the particles often end up concentrated in sewage sludge that gets applied to farmland. The study highlights the need for advanced treatment options and better management of biosolids to prevent microplastics from simply being transferred from water to soil.

2023 Chemosphere 133 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in wastewater treatment plants: Sources, properties, removal efficiency, removal mechanisms, and interactions with pollutants

This review examines microplastic sources, properties, removal efficiency, and removal mechanisms across different wastewater treatment plant stages. Researchers found that while treatment plants remove a significant portion of microplastics, they cannot eliminate them entirely, resulting in the continued release of millions of particles into the environment daily through effluent and sludge.

2023 Water Science & Technology 128 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of microplastics from wastewater: available techniques and way forward

This review surveys the available techniques for removing microplastics from wastewater, including filtration, coagulation, biological treatment, and advanced methods like membrane bioreactors. Researchers found that while conventional treatment plants can remove a substantial fraction of microplastics, significant amounts still pass through to the environment. The study emphasizes the need for upgrading wastewater treatment systems to better capture these emerging contaminants.

2021 Water Science & Technology 100 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing Recent Technologies for Addressing Microplastic Pollution and Pushing the Case of Bioremediation as an Attractive Approach

This review assesses current technologies for addressing microplastic pollution, with a focus on bioremediation as a sustainable alternative. Researchers compared physical, chemical, and biological approaches and found that microbial degradation offers distinct advantages in terms of environmental compatibility and cost-effectiveness. The study advocates for increased investment in bioremediation research as a practical strategy for managing microplastic contamination at scale.

2024 Recent Advances in Food Nutrition & Agriculture 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Bioremediation as a promising strategy for microplastics removal in wastewater treatment plants

This review examines how microplastics move through wastewater treatment systems and evaluates bioremediation approaches using higher aquatic organisms like animals, seagrasses, and macrophytes as promising but underexplored strategies. The challenge of containing these organisms within treatment plants is identified as a key barrier to practical implementation.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 149 citations
Article Tier 2

Understanding microplastic pollution: Tracing the footprints and eco-friendly solutions

This review covers the sources, health impacts, detection methods, and biological removal strategies for microplastic pollution. Biological approaches using algae, bacteria, and fungi show promise for breaking down microplastics in wastewater treatment plants, which could help reduce the amount of these particles that ultimately reach humans through contaminated water and food.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 46 citations
Article Tier 2

Eco‐Friendly Solutions to Emerging Contaminants: Unveiling the Potential of Bioremediation in Tackling Microplastic Pollution in Water

This review examines bioremediation -- using microorganisms to break down microplastics in water -- as a greener alternative to costly physical and chemical removal methods. While certain bacteria and fungi show real promise in degrading plastics like polyethylene and polystyrene, challenges remain in scaling these approaches. Reducing microplastics in water is important because contaminated water is one of the main ways these particles reach humans.

2024 Advanced Sustainable Systems 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Harnessing Microorganisms for Microplastic Degradation: A Sustainable Approach to Mitigating Environmental Pollution

This review surveys microorganisms—bacteria, fungi, and other taxa—capable of degrading microplastics, examining the enzymes, metabolic pathways, and environmental conditions involved, and assessing the practical potential of harnessing these organisms for bioremediation of plastic pollution.

2025 NIPES Journal of Science and Technology Research
Article Tier 2

Research progress on microplastics in wastewater treatment plants: A holistic review

This review provides a holistic assessment of microplastics in wastewater treatment plants, covering sampling methods, occurrence patterns across treatment stages, removal efficiencies, and the environmental risks posed by microplastic discharge through effluent and sludge.

2022 Journal of Environmental Management 88 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent advances in treatment of microplastics in wastewater

This review examines current methods for removing microplastics from wastewater, including conventional treatment processes and newer advanced techniques. Researchers found that while standard treatment plants can remove a significant portion of microplastics, many particles still pass through into waterways, and the captured plastics often end up concentrated in sewage sludge. The study highlights the need for improved treatment technologies to more effectively address microplastic contamination in water systems.

2024 IWA Publishing eBooks 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and Wastewater Treatment Plants—A Review

This review examines the role of wastewater treatment plants in retaining microplastics before they enter the environment. Studies show that no wastewater treatment method achieves complete microplastic removal, making treatment plants themselves point sources of microplastic discharge into aquatic environments. The review also discusses concerns about microplastic-laden sewage sludge being applied to agricultural land.

2020 Journal of Water Resource and Protection 161 citations