Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

The fate of microplastics/nanoplastics (MPs/NPs) in constructed wetlands: Addressing methodological gaps and experimental challenges from lab-scale to full-scale

This review examines the effectiveness of constructed wetlands for removing micro- and nanoplastics from water, comparing laboratory and full-scale results. Researchers found that while constructed wetlands show promising removal capabilities, the unique physical and chemical properties of plastic particles mean that lab-scale efficiencies may differ significantly from real-world performance, highlighting the need for more field-scale studies.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Plant Based Application for Microplastic Removal in Constructed Wetlands: A Mini Review

This mini-review examines how wetland plants in constructed wetlands capture and degrade microplastics through physical entrapment, root-zone interactions, and microbial activity, assessing operational factors that determine removal efficiency.

2025 NIPES Journal of Science and Technology Research
Article Tier 2

Microplastics removal and characteristics of a typical multi-combination and multi-stage constructed wetlands wastewater treatment plant in Changsha, China

Researchers evaluated microplastic removal efficiency in a multi-stage constructed wetland wastewater treatment plant in China, finding that the combined treatment processes achieved significant microplastic reduction across successive stages, with constructed wetlands proving effective as a polishing step for microplastic removal.

2022 Chemosphere 27 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Recent advances towards micro(nano)plastics research in wetland ecosystems: A systematic review on sources, removal, and ecological impacts

Wetland ecosystems act as important sinks for micro- and nanoplastics, which were found to cause ecotoxicological effects on wetland plants, animals, and microbial communities, including shifts in microbial composition relevant to pollutant removal. Micro/nanoplastics exposure also affected conventional pollutant removal efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions from wetland systems.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 50 citations
Article Tier 2

Role of Constructed Wetlands in Wastewater Treatment and Mitigation of Emerging Contaminants

This review examines how constructed wetlands can serve as sustainable, cost-effective systems for treating wastewater and removing emerging contaminants including nanoplastics, pharmaceuticals, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals. The authors describe how physical, chemical, and biological mechanisms work together in these engineered ecosystems to break down persistent pollutants. The study suggests that constructed wetlands offer a promising nature-based solution for addressing contaminants that conventional treatment methods struggle to remove.

2026
Article Tier 2

A review on the fate of micro and nano plastics (MNPs) and their implication in regulating nutrient cycling in constructed wetland systems

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics interact with the biological, chemical, and physical processes in constructed wetlands, which are nature-based systems used to treat wastewater. Researchers found that these tiny plastics can interfere with nitrogen and phosphorus removal by affecting the microbial communities, plant health, and substrate chemistry within the wetlands. The study highlights that as microplastic levels increase in wastewater, their presence could reduce the overall treatment effectiveness of these green infrastructure systems.

2023 Journal of Environmental Management 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics occurrence and fate in full-scale treatment wetlands

Researchers assessed microplastic occurrence and fate across full-scale treatment wetlands, finding that constructed wetlands effectively remove a significant proportion of MPs from wastewater but that removal efficiency varies with wetland design and MP characteristics.

2023 Water Research 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Nature-Based Solutions for Removal of Microplastics from Wastewater: Technologies, Challenges, and Prospects

This review evaluates nature-based solutions for removing microplastics from wastewater, including constructed wetlands, green infrastructure, and aquatic plants. The study found that these approaches can achieve removal efficiencies up to 99-100%, offering ecologically friendly alternatives to conventional treatment methods, though challenges remain with long-term efficiency and removal of other contaminants.

2025 Microplastics 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Critical role of benthic fauna in enhancing nanoplastics removal in constructed wetland: Performance, fate and mechanism

Researchers found that adding benthic fauna such as clams and worms to constructed wetlands significantly improved the removal of nanoplastics from wastewater. The organisms enhanced microbial activity and biofilm formation, which helped trap and break down the tiny plastic particles more effectively. The study suggests that incorporating natural organisms into wetland treatment systems could be a practical strategy for addressing nanoplastic pollution.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics removal mechanisms in constructed wetlands and their impacts on nutrient (nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon) removal: A critical review

This review examines how constructed wetlands can filter microplastics from water and what effect those trapped microplastics have on the wetlands' ability to remove nutrients. Researchers found that substrate type, plant species, and water flow patterns are key factors determining how well wetlands capture microplastics. The study also notes that accumulated microplastics can alter the microbial communities responsible for breaking down nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon in these systems.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 33 citations
Article Tier 2

[Research Advances in Removal Efficiency and Mechanism of Microplastics in Drinking Water Treatment Plants].

This Chinese-language review examined removal mechanisms and efficiency of microplastics in drinking water treatment systems, covering coagulation, filtration, and advanced treatment processes. It provided guidance on optimizing treatment plant operations to address microplastic contamination.

2024 PubMed
Article Tier 2

Abundance, characteristics, and removal of microplastics in the Cihu Lake-wetland microcosm system

This study evaluated how well a multi-stage constructed wetland system could remove microplastics from wastewater treatment plant effluent, finding a total removal rate of 94.7%. Horizontal subsurface flow wetlands were particularly effective, and physical filtration through the wetland substrate was identified as the dominant removal mechanism. The findings suggest that constructed wetlands are a promising nature-based solution for reducing microplastic discharge into aquatic environments.

2023 Water Science & Technology 9 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

Source, fate, toxicity, and remediation of micro-plastic in wetlands: A critical review

Researchers reviewed how microplastics enter, accumulate in, and damage natural wetlands — ecosystems that filter water and support biodiversity — finding that while wetlands may actually trap plastic particles like a sink, the resulting contamination poses serious ecological risks that are still poorly understood.

2024 Watershed Ecology and the Environment 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Research on Ecological Effects of Microplastics and Removal Methods

This Chinese-language review systematically examines how microplastics contaminate water, soil, and air, damage ecosystems by disrupting water cycles and enriching heavy metals in soil, and surveys available removal technologies. It highlights both the breadth of ecological harm microplastics cause and the practical options for removing them from different environmental compartments.

2023 Highlights in Science Engineering and Technology
Article Tier 2

A review on the remediation of microplastics using constructed wetlands: Bibliometric, co-occurrence, current trends, and future directions

This review examined the use of constructed wetlands as a nature-based solution for removing microplastics from water, analyzing research trends and knowledge gaps through bibliometric analysis. Researchers found that constructed wetlands show promise for microplastic remediation, but significant barriers remain in understanding the removal mechanisms involved. The study identifies key research directions needed to optimize wetland design for effective microplastic pollution control.

2022 Chemosphere 76 citations
Article Tier 2

Eco-Friendly Nanomaterials for Remediation of Microplastics and Heavy Metals in Wetland Ecosystems

This review examines how eco-friendly nanomaterials, such as biochar composites and plant-derived nanoparticles, can be used to simultaneously remove microplastics and heavy metals from wetland ecosystems. Researchers found that these green materials show promising efficiency for co-remediation while remaining compatible with wetland organisms. The study emphasizes the need for more real-world field testing and recommends incorporating microplastic-heavy metal co-remediation strategies into environmental policy.

2025 African Journal of Environmental Sciences and Renewable Energy 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics profile in constructed wetlands: Distribution, retention and implications

This study assessed microplastic distribution, retention, and implications within constructed wetlands used for wastewater treatment, finding that wetlands trap substantial quantities of MPs but that retention efficiency varies by plant species and wetland design. The results suggest constructed wetlands both remove and potentially accumulate MPs as a secondary pollution source.

2022 Environmental Pollution 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Fate and removal of microplastics in unplanted lab-scale vertical flow constructed wetlands

Laboratory-scale unplanted vertical flow constructed wetlands were shown to remove microplastics from wastewater, with removal efficiency influenced by particle size, shape, and flow rate, highlighting constructed wetlands as a nature-based option for microplastic mitigation.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 86 citations
Article Tier 2

Nature-based Solutions to Wastewater Treatment of Microplastics: Technologies, Challenges, and Prospects

This review examined nature-based solutions (NbS) for microplastic removal from wastewater, including constructed wetlands, algal bioreactors, and mangrove systems. NbS approaches show promise as cost-effective, ecologically integrated complements to conventional treatment, though removal efficiencies vary widely and long-term fate of trapped microplastics remains understudied.

2025 Preprints.org
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics Disturb Nitrogen Removal in Constructed Wetlands: Responses of Microbes and Macrophytes

The impact of nanosized plastics on nitrogen removal in constructed wetlands was investigated by examining microbial community responses and denitrification processes. Nanoplastics disturbed biological nitrogen removal in the wetland system, with microorganisms showing altered community structure and reduced denitrification efficiency.

2020 Environmental Science & Technology 270 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

Microplastics Dynamics: Unveiling Sources, Sinks, and Removal Strategies for Mitigating Environmental Contamination

This book chapter reviewed microplastic sources, sinks, and removal strategies in freshwater and wetland systems, emphasizing the unique role of constructed wetlands in trapping and partially degrading microplastics. The authors argued that local government agencies should prioritize improving microplastic removal efficiency at source.

2025 IntechOpen eBooks
Article Tier 2

Optimization of microplastic removal based on the complementarity of constructed wetland and microalgal-based system

This review examines how constructed wetlands and microalgal-based systems can each remove microplastics from wastewater, along with the limitations of using either approach alone. Researchers found that microplastic accumulation can block wetland substrates and inhibit nitrogen removal, while microalgae face separation challenges in effluent. The study proposes combining both biotechnologies to expand the size range of microplastics removed and improve long-term wastewater treatment sustainability.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 13 citations