Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastics: The Occurrence in Stormwater Runoff and the Effectiveness of Bioretention Systems for Removal

Researchers measured microplastic concentrations in stormwater runoff and tested the removal efficiency of bioretention systems including green roofs, bioswales, and bioretention cells, finding that these green infrastructure systems can significantly reduce microplastic loads before they reach surface waters. The study provides baseline data on stormwater as a microplastic transport pathway and evaluates a nature-based treatment solution.

2023 Journal of Environmental Engineering 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and Pathways of Microplastics in Bioretention Filters

Researchers found eleven microplastic polymer types in bioretention filter soil and stormwater samples in an urban setting, characterizing the occurrence and pathways of microplastics entering these green infrastructure systems from contaminated impervious surface runoff.

2025 Environmental Management
Article Tier 2

Plastic pollution risks in bioretention systems: a case study

Researchers investigated plastic pollution in urban stormwater bioretention systems and found these green infrastructure features both accumulate microplastics from road runoff and risk leaching plastic particles into groundwater, raising concerns about their role as pollution pathways.

2022 Environmental Technology 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Analysis of Bioretention Capability in Removing Microplastic Particles from Stormwater

This study tested the ability of bioretention systems (vegetated stormwater gardens) to remove microplastic particles from stormwater, finding effective removal across multiple particle sizes and types. Bioretention infrastructure shows promise as a practical tool for preventing microplastics from stormwater runoff from reaching rivers and coastal waters.

2023 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics removal from stormwater runoff by bioretention cells: A review

This review examines the potential of bioretention cells, a type of green infrastructure, to remove microplastics from stormwater runoff. Researchers analyzed how these systems filter microplastics through soil media and vegetation and identified the key design parameters that affect removal efficiency. The study suggests that bioretention cells offer a promising nature-based solution for reducing microplastic loads entering waterways from urban areas.

2024 Journal of Environmental Sciences 13 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

Small-Size Microplastics in Urban Stormwater Runoff are Efficiently Trapped in a Bioretention Cell

Researchers conducted a two-year field study showing that bioretention cells, a type of green stormwater infrastructure, effectively captured microplastics as small as 25 micrometers from urban runoff. The system retained over 80 percent of small microplastics, with fibers and fragments being the most commonly trapped types. The findings suggest that existing urban green infrastructure can serve double duty as a practical tool for reducing microplastic pollution in waterways.

2024 ACS ES&T Water 9 citations
Article Tier 2

[Removal Mechanism of Microplastics in Bioretention Systems and the Influence of Their Enrichment on the Treatment of Pollutants in the System].

Researchers reviewed how bioretention systems, a low-impact stormwater management strategy, can remove microplastics from urban runoff through adsorption, filtration, and biodegradation. However, because microplastics resist degradation and have large surface areas, they tend to accumulate in these systems over time, forming composite pollution with other contaminants. The study found that microplastic accumulation altered soil properties, impeded plant growth, and reduced the system's ability to remove nutrients, particularly dissolved nitrogen.

2026 PubMed
Article Tier 2

The role of different sustainable urban drainage systems in removing microplastics from urban runoff: A review

Researchers reviewed how nature-based drainage systems like wetlands, bioretention gardens, and permeable pavements can filter microplastics from urban stormwater runoff. These systems capture a significant portion of plastic particles, though smaller fibers remain the hardest to remove, and standardizing detection methods is still needed to compare results globally.

2023 Journal of Cleaner Production 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Field assessment of engineered bioretention as microplastics sink through site characterization and hydrologic modeling

A field study of bioretention cells — garden-like stormwater filters used in green infrastructure — found that their soils contained 7 to 10 times more microplastics than background soils, with polypropylene and polyethylene dominating. This confirms that bioretention systems are effective at capturing microplastics from urban runoff, but it also raises questions about what happens to the accumulated plastic over time and whether it eventually leaches back into groundwater.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Characterization in Stormwater: Pavement Source Evaluation and Treatment Efficiency of a Bioretention Cell

Researchers characterised microplastics in stormwater from pavement sources and evaluated the treatment efficiency of a bioretention cell, finding that pavement surfaces contribute substantially to microplastic loading and that bioretention can reduce particle concentrations.

2024 TSpace
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
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastics and nanoplastics in stormwater management engineered porous media systems: a systematic review of their sources, transport, retention, and removal characteristics

This systematic review summarizes how engineered stormwater systems like rain gardens and biofilters capture and retain microplastics and nanoplastics. The findings show these systems can effectively reduce plastic particles in stormwater runoff, which matters because untreated stormwater is a major pathway for microplastics to enter the rivers and lakes that supply our drinking water.

2025 Environmental Science Advances
Article Tier 2

Bioretention cells remove microplastics from urban stormwater

A 2-year field study characterized microplastics in urban stormwater runoff and measured how effectively a bioretention cell (a low-impact development infrastructure) removed them. The bioretention cell significantly reduced microplastic concentrations in stormwater, demonstrating its potential as a mitigation strategy for urban runoff-driven microplastic pollution.

2020 Water Research 199 citations
Article Tier 2

Blue–Green Infrastructure Effectiveness for Urban Stormwater Management: A Multi-Scale Residential Case Study

Despite its title referencing urban stormwater management, this paper studies the effectiveness of blue-green infrastructure — such as rain gardens and permeable pavements — at managing stormwater runoff from residential areas under climate change conditions. While stormwater is a major carrier of microplastics to waterways, this study focuses on hydraulic performance rather than microplastic removal, and is only tangentially relevant to the topic.

2025 Land 1 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

Bioretention cells remove microplastics in the 25 – 106 micron size fraction

This study found that bioretention cells (green infrastructure stormwater filters) effectively remove microplastics in the 25 to 106 micron size range from stormwater runoff. Bioretention cells represent a promising green infrastructure approach for intercepting microplastics before they reach streams and rivers.

2023 HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe)
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

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

Improving stormwater quality for microplastic (25 – 106 µm) using a bioretention cell

This study evaluated how a bioretention cell (a vegetated stormwater filter system) removes small microplastic particles from stormwater runoff. Bioretention systems show promise as low-cost, nature-based approaches to capturing microplastics before they enter streams and drinking water supplies.

2023 HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe)
Article Tier 2

The interaction of microplastic and heavy metal in bioretention cell: Contributions of water-soil-plant system

Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics interact with heavy metals in bioretention cells designed to treat stormwater runoff. They found that microplastics bind to heavy metals and influence their movement through the water-soil-plant system, affecting overall pollutant removal efficiency. The study provides important insights into how the co-presence of microplastics and metals in urban runoff complicates green infrastructure performance.

2024 Environmental Pollution 12 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 and Tire Wear Particles in Urban Stormwater: Abundance, Characteristics, and Potential Mitigation Strategies

Researchers measured microplastic concentrations in urban stormwater and found levels ranging from about 4 to 59 particles per liter, with tire wear particles making up roughly 95% of all particles detected. Microlitter capture devices reduced microplastic loads by 35 to 88%, and constructed wetlands provided additional removal. The study suggests that targeted stormwater treatment infrastructure could meaningfully reduce the flow of microplastics into rivers and coastal waters.

2023 Environmental Science & Technology 72 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution of microplastics in rainfall and their control by a permeable pavement in low-impact development facility

A low-impact development permeable pavement system in South Korea captured approximately 98% of microplastics present in rainfall runoff, with polyethylene fragments under 100 µm being the most common particle type. The study shows that green infrastructure designed for stormwater management can double as an effective barrier against microplastic entry into freshwater systems, an important finding for urban water quality planning.

2023 Journal of Environmental Management 12 citations