Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastics and Heavy Metals Removal from Fresh Water and Wastewater Systems Using a Membrane

Researchers tested how polystyrene microplastics affect the growth, photosynthesis, and oxidative stress responses of freshwater microalgae Chlorella vulgaris. Smaller particles caused greater inhibition of growth and chlorophyll synthesis than larger ones.

2022 Separations 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of the rate of Chlorella vulgaris biofilm on polyvinyl chloride microplastics in aqueous solutions

This study examined how the green algae Chlorella vulgaris forms biofilms on PVC microplastic surfaces in water. The algae colonized the microplastics rapidly, creating a living coating that changed the particles' behavior in the environment. This matters because biofilm-coated microplastics can carry microorganisms through water systems and into the food chain, potentially affecting water treatment and human health.

2025 Results in Engineering 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of microplastics by algal biomass from aqueous solutions: performance, optimization, and modeling

Researchers found that algae (Chlorella vulgaris) can remove up to 73% of polystyrene microplastics from water under optimized conditions. Using algae as a natural, eco-friendly alternative to chemical treatments offers a sustainable approach to cleaning up microplastic pollution in water systems without introducing additional harmful substances.

2025 Scientific Reports 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Concentration dependent toxicity of microplastics to marine microalgae

Researchers exposed the marine microalga Chlorella sp. to polystyrene microplastics at concentrations of 10 and 50 mg/L, finding that even low concentrations inhibited growth and disrupted photosynthesis, while higher concentrations caused more pronounced oxidative stress.

2025 E3S Web of Conferences
Article Tier 2

Microplastics disrupt microalgal carbon fixation: Efficiency and underlying mechanisms

Researchers exposed the microalga Chlorella pyrenoidosa to polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride microplastics and found up to 39% inhibition of carbon fixation, driven by reduced chlorophyll content, increased oxidative stress, and downregulation of genes in the Calvin cycle and chlorophyll metabolism, with implications for aquatic carbon cycling.

2026 Journal of Environmental Management
Article Tier 2

Influence of microplastics on microalgal performance during wastewater polishing

Researchers studied how five common types of microplastics affect the green alga Chlorella vulgaris during wastewater treatment. They found that while microplastics reduced algal metabolism and growth, the organism maintained its ability to effectively remove nutrients from wastewater. The study demonstrates that Chlorella vulgaris is a robust candidate for bioremediation of microplastic-contaminated wastewater, even under pollutant stress.

2026 Journal of Environmental Sciences
Article Tier 2

Utilizing Chlorella vulgaris algae as an eco-friendly coagulant for efficient removal of polyethylene microplastics from aquatic environments

Researchers tested the green algae Chlorella vulgaris as an eco-friendly coagulant for removing polyethylene microplastics from water. Using optimized experimental conditions, they achieved a removal rate of nearly 99% under the best parameters. The study suggests that algae-based coagulation offers a cost-effective and sustainable alternative to chemical methods for cleaning microplastic-contaminated water.

2023 Heliyon 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Low-concentration PVC microplastics alleviate the physiological toxicity of nortriptyline to Chlorella vulgaris and enhance its drug removal capacity

Low-concentration PVC microplastics were found to unexpectedly reduce the toxicity of the antidepressant nortriptyline to the green alga Chlorella vulgaris, while simultaneously enhancing the alga's ability to remove the drug from solution, suggesting complex interaction effects.

2025 Environmental Engineering Research
Article Tier 2

Removals of Some High- and Low-Density Polyethylene (HDPE and LDPE), Polypropylene (PP) and Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Microplastics Using Some Microalgae Types, Energy Production and Energy Recovery

This review examines how microalgae can remove microplastics from wastewater alongside producing biofuels, combining pollution remediation with energy generation. Microalgal systems could offer a dual-benefit approach to reducing plastic contamination in water treatment effluents.

2023 MOLECULAR SCIENCES AND APPLICATIONS 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics leachate may play a more important role than microplastics in inhibiting microalga Chlorella vulgaris growth at cellular and molecular levels

Researchers found that chemical compounds leaching from aged microplastics may be more harmful to algae than the microplastic particles themselves. UV-weathered polyethylene and PVC released substances that inhibited algae growth, caused oxidative stress, and altered gene expression more severely than direct particle exposure. The study suggests that the chemicals released by degrading microplastics deserve more attention as a source of aquatic toxicity.

2023 Environmental Pollution 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Different interaction performance between microplastics and microalgae: The bio-elimination potential of Chlorella sp. L38 and Phaeodactylum tricornutum MASCC-0025

Researchers investigated how two species of microalgae, Chlorella and Phaeodactylum tricornutum, interact with common microplastic types including polypropylene, polyethylene, PET, and PVC. The study found that these microalgae have different capacities to interact with and potentially help remove microplastics, suggesting a possible green and cost-effective approach to microplastic bio-elimination from contaminated waters.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 216 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of polystyrene microplastics on levofloxacin removal by microalgae from freshwater aquaculture wastewater

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics inhibited Chlorella vulgaris growth and reduced its efficiency in removing the antibiotic levofloxacin from freshwater aquaculture wastewater, demonstrating that microplastic pollution can impair microalgae-based water treatment systems.

2021 Journal of Environmental Management 42 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of different concentrations and particle sizes of microplastics on the full life history of freshwater Chlorella

Researchers investigated how polystyrene microplastics of different concentrations and particle sizes affect the complete life cycle of freshwater Chlorella algae. The study found that microplastics can inhibit algal growth by up to 68%, while also altering chlorophyll content and photosynthetic activity, indicating that microplastic pollution may pose significant risks to the base of aquatic food webs.

2024 Environmental Pollution 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Aged microplastics polyvinyl chloride interact with copper and cause oxidative stress towards microalgae Chlorella vulgaris

Aged polyvinyl chloride microplastics were shown to interact with copper in water and together cause greater oxidative stress in the green microalga Chlorella vulgaris than either stressor alone. The combined toxicity of weathered plastics and heavy metals is relevant because both co-exist in many polluted aquatic environments.

2019 Aquatic Toxicology 305 citations
Article Tier 2

Elucidating the cellular adaptive response of Coccomyxa sp. upon exposure to PVC-nanoplastics (PVC-NPs) for production of bioenergy molecules

Researchers studied how the microalga Coccomyxa sp. responds at the cellular level to exposure to PVC nanoplastics. The study aimed to elucidate the mechanisms of nanoplastic interactions with microalgae, which has significant ecological implications for understanding how plastic pollution affects primary producers in aquatic food webs.

2026 Environmental Science Nano
Article Tier 2

Damages of aged-PVC microplastics exceed the enhanced resistance of chlorella pyrenoidosa induced by phosphorus limitation

Researchers studied how the green alga Chlorella pyrenoidosa responds to aged PVC microplastics under both normal and phosphorus-limited conditions. The study found that while phosphorus limitation initially enhanced the algae's stress resistance, the damage caused by aged PVC microplastics ultimately exceeded this protective effect, indicating that microplastic contamination poses a serious threat to phytoplankton even under nutrient-stressed conditions.

2026 Aquatic Toxicology
Article Tier 2

Interplay of plastic pollution with algae and plants: hidden danger or a blessing?

Researchers tested the ability of three microalgae species to remove microplastics from water through bioadhesion, finding that all three species could adsorb particles onto their surfaces. Removal efficiency depended on particle size, surface charge, and algae cell morphology.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 65 citations
Article Tier 2

The utilization of exopolysaccharide (EPS) from microalgae Chlorella vulgaris in microplastic removal

Researchers investigated whether exopolysaccharide (EPS) produced by Chlorella vulgaris microalgae can facilitate the removal of polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastics from aquatic systems, while also examining microplastic effects on algal growth. The study demonstrates that EPS functions as a bioflocculant capable of binding microplastics, with implications for biologically-based water treatment.

2024 IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent progress on the toxic effects of microplastics on Chlorella sp. in aquatic environments

This review summarizes research on how microplastics affect Chlorella, a type of green algae that forms the base of aquatic food chains. Microplastics can slow algae growth, cause oxidative stress, and disrupt photosynthesis, which matters for human health because damage to these foundational organisms can ripple up through the food web and affect the quality of water and seafood.

2024 Heliyon 39 citations
Article Tier 2

The influence of microplastics on the toxic effects and biodegradation of bisphenol A in the microalgae Chlorella pyrenoidosa

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics inhibited the biodegradation of bisphenol A (BPA) by the microalga Chlorella vulgaris, with combined exposure showing greater toxicity than either contaminant alone due to BPA adsorption onto microplastic surfaces.

2022 Research Square (Research Square) 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of microplastics exposure on the photosynthesis system of freshwater algae

Researchers investigated how polypropylene and polyvinyl chloride microplastics affect the photosynthesis system of freshwater algae and found that both types reduced chlorophyll content and impaired photosynthetic efficiency. The damage was concentration-dependent and worsened over the growth period. The study highlights that microplastic pollution in freshwater can harm algae, which form the base of aquatic food chains.

2019 Journal of Hazardous Materials 416 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic removal in aquatic systems using extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) of microalgae

Researchers tested whether extracellular polymeric substances produced by microalgae could remove microplastics from water. Among four microalgae strains tested under stress conditions, Spirulina produced the most polymeric substances and formed the largest aggregates with microplastic particles. The study suggests that microalgae-based bioremediation could offer a sustainable, low-cost approach to reducing microplastic contamination in water sources.

2025 Sustainable Environment 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyethylene-induced gill alterations in Mytilus galloprovincialis and the mitigation potential of Chlorella vulgaris

Researchers exposed Mediterranean mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) to environmentally relevant concentrations of polyethylene microplastics and found histopathological and molecular gill alterations after 14–21 days, and showed that the microalga Chlorella vulgaris partially mitigated these toxic effects.

2025 Marine Environmental Research
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on the growth, photosynthetic efficiency and nutrient composition in freshwater algae Chlorella vulgaris Beij

Researchers tested how polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics affect the freshwater algae Chlorella vulgaris and found that smaller particles and higher concentrations caused more harm. The microplastics reduced algal growth, photosynthetic efficiency, and disrupted nutrient composition over the 11-day experiment. Since algae form the base of aquatic food chains, this damage could ripple upward through ecosystems that ultimately connect to human food sources.

2023 Aquatic Toxicology 30 citations