Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Мacrophyte thickets as traps for microplastics: retention rates and mechanisms

Researchers examined the mechanisms and retention rates by which macrophyte thickets trap microplastic particles in freshwater bodies, analyzing how particle properties — including hardness, size, density, and concentration — and plant morphological characteristics influence retention. They found that retention rates ranged from 22 to 100% across macrophyte species for particles of 1-5 mm, with trapping driven by flow resistance, wave energy attenuation, mechanical interception by plant structures, and adhesion enhanced by sticky periphyton biofilms.

2024 1 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

A low-impact nature-based solution for reducing aquatic microplastics from freshwater ecosystems

Researchers developed a nature-based solution using the submerged plant Myriophyllum aquaticum to capture and retain microplastics from freshwater ecosystems. Through optimization experiments, they achieved high retention efficiency with minimal environmental disruption. The study demonstrates that aquatic plants can serve as a low-impact, practical tool for reducing microplastic pollution in rivers and lakes.

2024 Water Research 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Transport dynamics of microplastics within aquatic vegetation featuring realistic plant morphology

Researchers investigated how aquatic vegetation with realistic plant structures affects the transport and trapping of microplastics in river environments. They found that floating plant canopies significantly altered water flow and increased microplastic retention, with smaller nanoscale particles being trapped more effectively than larger ones. The study suggests that aquatic vegetation may act as a natural filter, accumulating microplastics and potentially preventing their transport downstream to oceans.

2025 Water Research 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Marine macrophytes retain microplastics

Water sampled within thickets of Baltic Sea macrophytes contained on average 1.7 times more microplastic particles than water sampled outside, with fibers dominating, suggesting that aquatic vegetation physically traps floating microplastics and functions as an important retention zone that concentrates pollution within coastal habitats.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 70 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

Macrophytes: A Temporary Sink for Microplastics in Transitional Water Systems

Researchers found microplastics in 94% of macrophyte samples from two northern Adriatic lagoons, with contamination levels ranging from 0.16 to 330 items/g fresh weight showing a site-specific rather than species-specific pattern, and exopolysaccharides on macrophyte surfaces acting as glue to trap plastic particles.

2021 Water 44 citations
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

Experimental Investigation of the Effects of Vegetation on the Physical Transport and Retention Pattern of Microplastics

Researchers conducted experimental flume studies to investigate how aquatic and riparian vegetation affects the physical transport and retention of microplastics in riverine environments. They found that vegetation significantly increases microplastic retention and alters spatial distribution patterns, suggesting that vegetated riparian zones act as important traps that influence microplastic flux to the ocean.

2022 World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2022 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of macrophytes on micro – And nanoplastic retention and cycling in constructed wetlands

This study tested how the presence of aquatic plants (macrophytes) in constructed wetlands affects the capture and cycling of micro- and nanoplastics. Researchers found that planted wetlands were significantly better at intercepting nanoplastics and also improved nitrogen and phosphorus removal even when exposed to plastic particles. The findings suggest that including macrophytes in constructed wetland designs can enhance their ability to manage plastic pollution in water.

2023 Environmental Pollution 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Riparian vegetation as a natural barrier: experimental analysis of plastic particle retention in a vegetated reach

Researchers ran laboratory experiments showing that riverside plants act as natural traps for microplastics, with heavier plastic particles (1.4 g/cm³) being retained at rates up to 93% while lighter, irregularly shaped pieces were captured at twice the rate of disk-shaped ones. Lower water turbulence improved trapping, suggesting that preserving riparian vegetation could help prevent microplastics from reaching the ocean.

2025 Environmental Advances
Article Tier 2

Aquatic plants entrap different size of plastics in indoor flume experiments

Researchers found that aquatic plants effectively entrap plastics in riverine environments, with plant species and plastic particle size influencing retention rates, suggesting vegetation plays an important role in limiting downstream plastic transport.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Phytoremediation: A promising approach to remove microplastics from the aquatic environment

This study investigated the interactions between aquatic macrophytes and microplastics as the basis for developing phytoremediation strategies, finding that certain macrophyte species can accumulate MPs from water and sediment and may be candidates for MP removal from contaminated aquatic environments.

2023 Environmental Pollution 28 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

Microplastics retention by reeds in freshwater environment

Researchers sampled microplastics in sediment and plant tissue from reed beds in a freshwater environment, finding that reeds retained significantly more microplastics than adjacent open water sediments, suggesting that emergent vegetation may act as a natural microplastic sink.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 122 citations
Article Tier 2

Aquatic vascular plants – A forgotten piece of nature in microplastic research

Aquatic vascular plants accumulate microplastics on their surfaces through electrostatic attraction, leaf morphology, and periphyton, and these retained particles can be easily ingested by herbivores. The authors argue that plants are an overlooked but important pathway by which microplastics enter freshwater food webs, and deserve more research attention.

2020 Environmental Pollution 128 citations
Article Tier 2

Natural filters of marine microplastic pollution: implications for plants and submerged environments

Researchers reviewed how vegetated ecosystems — like wetlands and marshes — act as natural filters that trap microplastics before they flow into waterways, but found that these trapped particles can still harm soil health and plant growth by causing oxidative stress. The review highlights a critical gap: plants help protect aquatic environments from microplastic pollution while simultaneously being harmed by it themselves.

2024 Environmental Advances 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Tracing and trapping micro- and nanoplastics: Untapped mitigation potential of aquatic plants?

Researchers used fluorescently labeled polystyrene particles to trace microplastic and nanoplastic uptake in three aquatic plant species, finding that nanoplastics concentrated primarily in roots via apoplastic transport with bioconcentration factors up to 306, suggesting floating plants like water hyacinth may be useful for removing plastic from contaminated water.

2023 Water Research 77 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of different types of microplastic particles by macrophytes of Lake Baikal

Researchers experimentally investigated the adsorption of different microplastic particle types by submerged macrophyte species from Lake Baikal, finding that macrophytes can accumulate microplastics on their surfaces with implications for aquatic plant health and associated ecological communities in this unique ecosystem.

2025 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

The retention of plastic particles by macrophytes in the Amazon River, Brazil

Researchers investigated whether aquatic macrophytes in the Amazon River system retain floating plastic particles, measuring the accumulation of plastic debris in plant biomass along riverbanks. The study suggests that riparian macrophytes may act as a natural but limited sink for plastic litter.

2024 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of different types of microplastic particles by macrophytes of Lake Baikal

Researchers experimentally investigated the adsorption of different microplastic particle types by submerged macrophyte species from Lake Baikal, finding that macrophytes can accumulate microplastics on their surfaces with implications for aquatic plant health and associated ecological communities in this unique ecosystem.

2025 Acta Biologica Sibirica (Altai State University)
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

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

Colloidal transport and deposition through dense vegetation

This study investigated how dense submerged aquatic vegetation affects the movement and removal of fine particles in flowing water, finding that vegetation can significantly trap particles. This has implications for understanding how natural vegetation can buffer the spread of microplastics and other particulate pollutants in waterways.

2021 Chemosphere 6 citations