Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

A brief review on utilizing natural adsorbents for microplastic removal from wastewater: A sustainable approach to environmental protection

Researchers reviewed natural materials like biochar, clay, algae, and agricultural waste as affordable alternatives to synthetic filters for removing microplastics from wastewater, finding some achieved over 80% removal efficiency in the lab, though scaling these methods to real-world treatment systems remains a significant challenge.

2025 Results in Engineering 6 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

A Review on the Application of Granular Filter Media and the Utilization of Agro-industrial Wastes for Stormwater Quality Improvement

This systematic review found that granular filter media including sand, biochar, and agro-industrial waste materials effectively remove heavy metals, nutrients, and suspended solids from stormwater runoff. Agricultural waste materials like coconut coir and rice husk showed promising performance as low-cost filter alternatives. These filtration approaches are relevant to microplastic pollution because stormwater is a major transport pathway for microplastics from urban surfaces to waterways, and granular filters can potentially capture microplastic particles.

2021 Jurnal Teknologi 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Uji Variasi Media Tanam Pada Sistem Pengolahan Tersier Constructed Wetland Skala Laboratorium Dalam Mengolah Air Limbah Domestik

This Indonesian study tested different growing media in a laboratory-scale constructed wetland for treating domestic wastewater. Constructed wetlands are a nature-based approach for removing microplastics and other pollutants before wastewater reaches rivers and coastal waters.

2023 Prosiding Sains Nasional dan Teknologi 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Abundance, distribution, and composition of microplastics in the filter media of nine aged stormwater bioretention systems

Researchers analyzed microplastic abundance and distribution in the filter media of nine aged stormwater bioretention systems, finding that these green infrastructure installations accumulate significant microplastic loads, with particles distributed throughout the filter depth rather than concentrating at the surface.

2023 Chemosphere 32 citations
Article Tier 2

The ability of selected filter materials in removing nutrients, metals, and microplastics from stormwater in biofilter structures

A laboratory experiment tested several filter materials in a biofilter structure for their ability to remove nutrients, metals, total suspended solids, and microplastics from roadside stormwater. The study demonstrated that ecologically based biofilter designs can capture multiple contaminant types from urban runoff.

2021 Journal of Environmental Quality 55 citations
Article Tier 2

Urban stormwater microplastics – Characteristics and removal using a developed filtration system

This Finnish study tested a concrete filtration system with sand and biochar media to remove microplastics from urban stormwater runoff. Both media showed effective removal, with results suggesting that on-site stormwater filtration could be a practical strategy for reducing microplastic inputs to receiving water bodies.

2020 Aaltodoc (Aalto University) 12 citations
Article Tier 2

The Effect of Filter Media Size and Loading Rate to Filter Performance of Removing Microplastics using Rapid Sand Filter

This study evaluated how filter media size and hydraulic loading rate affect rapid sand filter performance in removing microplastics from water. Smaller sand media (0.39 mm) and lower loading rates achieved greater MP removal, suggesting that optimizing these parameters can improve conventional water treatment for plastic particles.

2022 Journal of Engineering and Technological Sciences 12 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

Performance Spectrum of Home-Compostable Biopolymer Fibers Compared to a Petrochemical Alternative

Researchers compared home-compostable biopolymer fibers to conventional petrochemical alternatives, evaluating their mechanical performance and degradability to assess whether biobased materials can serve as viable substitutes that reduce microplastic pollution.

2023 Polymers 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Utilizing biofilm-enhanced coconut coir for microplastic removal in wastewater

Researchers found that coating coconut coir (a natural fiber) with biofilm — communities of microorganisms — boosted its ability to capture microplastics from wastewater, achieving 85–95% removal efficiency compared to 72–82% without biofilm. This low-cost, natural approach offers a promising sustainable filter material for tackling microplastic pollution in water treatment systems.

2024 Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Rapid Sand Filtration Technique for Remediation of Microplastics

Researchers tested rapid sand filtration as a technique for removing microplastics from water, evaluating particle removal efficiency across different plastic sizes, shapes, and filter media. The technique achieved meaningful microplastic reduction and was proposed as a practical water treatment enhancement.

2024 Microplastics 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Removal from Treated Wastewater by a Biofilter

Researchers evaluated a pilot-scale biofilter for removing microplastics from secondary wastewater treatment effluent, finding it effectively polished treated wastewater before environmental discharge by capturing particles across multiple filter zones.

2020 Water 108 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigations and comparison of a conventional sand filter and a modified sand filter for water purification.

This study compared the performance of conventional sand filters and modified sand filters for purifying drinking water. Improving the efficiency of sand filtration is relevant to microplastics research since enhanced sand filters have shown potential for removing microplastic particles from drinking water supplies.

2023 Sustainability Agri Food and Environmental Research
Article Tier 2

A Cheap and Portable Solution for The Removal of Microplastics from Natural Waters

This paper reviews current and emerging strategies for removing microplastics from natural waters, including physical filtration, coagulation, magnetic separation, and biological approaches, evaluating their feasibility and limitations.

2024 Highlights in Science Engineering and Technology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Sustainable sand filtration strategies for microplastic removal in irrigation water

Researchers evaluated the performance of sand filtration systems with different configurations for removing microplastics from irrigation water, examining how filter parameters affect removal efficiency. The study found that optimised sand filter design can substantially reduce microplastic concentrations in agricultural irrigation water, offering a low-cost intervention to limit microplastic entry into soil-food systems.

2025 Environmental Research
Article Tier 2

Removal of Plastics from Micron Size to Nanoscale Using Wood Filter

This study demonstrated that porous wood filters can effectively remove both microplastics and nanoplastics from water, offering a low-cost, biodegradable alternative to conventional filtration materials.

2024 Materials 5 citations
Article Tier 2

A review on strategies for the removal and degradation of microplastics from aquatic environments: Pros, cons, policies perspectives, and life cycle and economic assessment

Researchers reviewed strategies for removing and degrading microplastics from aquatic environments, including sand filtration, adsorption, and membrane technologies. The study evaluates the advantages, challenges, and practical solutions for each approach, alongside policy perspectives and life cycle economic assessments to guide future remediation efforts.

2026 Marine Pollution Bulletin
Article Tier 2

Biodegradation of plastics in the pelagic environment of the coastal zone – Proposed test method under controlled laboratory conditions

This paper proposed a standardized test method for evaluating the biodegradation of bio-based plastics in the pelagic coastal zone environment, addressing the lack of suitable protocols for assessing marine biodegradability as an alternative to conventional non-degradable plastics.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 15 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

Development of a hybrid filter media for microplastic removal from wastewater

Researchers developed hybrid glass fiber filter media incorporating glass and electrospun polymer nanofibers—both blended into the matrix and applied as surface layers—to improve microplastic removal efficiency from wastewater compared to standard filtration media.

2025 Open Repository and Bibliography (University of Luxembourg)
Systematic Review Tier 1

Bioremediation of microplastics in freshwater environments: A systematic review of biofilm culture, degradation mechanisms, and analytical methods

This review summarizes existing research on using natural biofilms — communities of microorganisms — to break down microplastics in freshwater. Certain bacteria can degrade plastic particles, offering a potential eco-friendly cleanup method. While the approach is still slow and not yet widely practical, it points toward biological solutions for reducing microplastic pollution in our water supply.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 114 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

Addition of biochar as thin preamble layer into sand filtration columns could improve the microplastics removal from water

This study tested adding a thin biochar layer to sand filtration columns to improve removal of small microplastics from water. The biochar amendment significantly enhanced filtration for particles under 10 micrometers, which are the hardest to capture and pose the greatest risk to aquatic life and human health.

2023 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Treatment technologies for the removal of micro plastics from aqueous medium

Researchers reviewed treatment technologies for removing microplastics from water, finding that while multiple methods including filtration, membrane processes, and coagulation show promise, their effectiveness depends on microplastic size, type, and concentration.

2022 AIP conference proceedings 4 citations